クリエイティブ・創作
A 37-Year-Old Who Moved "Sound" for the First Time in 15 Years on Choosing AI Music Production
機械翻訳 / Machine-translated
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機械翻訳 / Machine-translated
Sawai, 37, stumbled across the article by chance on his commute. "AI Composes a Song in 3 Minutes." At first, he wasn't sure what to make of it. He had played guitar in a band during his student days, but sold his equipment the moment he started working and stepped away from music entirely. Fifteen years passed. With a family to support and a demanding job consuming every day, the thought of "making music again someday" had sunk to the very bottom of his heart.
Yet the article said that even without an instrument, even without any knowledge of music theory, AI would automatically compose for you. Sawai scrolled through the screen on his smartphone again and again.
Sawai left his band in the spring when he was 22. He had spent three years playing guitar in his university's light music club and performed on stage at live venues dozens of times. An original song he played at his final concert before graduation was met with a wave of applause. He still remembers the rush of that moment.
But the moment he started working, the option to keep making music vanished. His job was demanding, and on his days off he could barely rest his body. His guitar was tucked away in a closet at his parents' house and eventually sold. He got married and had two children. His daily rhythm changed completely, and music became "something from the past."
Still, he dreamed sometimes. Dreams of performing on stage. Dreams of writing new songs. When he woke up, reality pulled him back. No instruments, no time. He had come to believe that music was a world far beyond his reach.
In February 2026, Sawai picked up his smartphone on his morning commute. Scrolling through his social media timeline, he came across an article introducing an AI music production tool. "Make a song in 3 minutes." "No instrument needed." "No music theory required." He couldn't believe it.
After getting home, past midnight when his children were fast asleep, Sawai opened his laptop. A search turned up several AI music tools. He chose one with a free plan and created an account. A simple interface appeared on the screen.
The controls were surprisingly straightforward. Choose a genre (rock, pop, electronic, etc.), set the tempo, pick the length of the song. That was all it took for the AI to automatically generate a track. The first song he made was finished in just two minutes.
He pressed play. An intro guitar riff rang out. Drums kicked in, a bassline layered on top. Music was playing, even though he hadn't performed a single note. It was a strange feeling.
That said, the phrase "make a song in 3 minutes" needed an important footnote. What AI generates is, at the end of the day, raw material. The first song Sawai made did work as music in its own right. But it was not his song.
Sawai realized something. AI is a tool, and without the user bringing intention to it, it amounts to nothing more than automated output. So he dug out a notebook from his band days. Several half-finished sets of lyrics he had written back then were still there.
The following weekend, Sawai opened the AI tool again. This time, he chose a genre to match the theme of his lyrics and adjusted the parameters while envisioning how the song should unfold. He listened to what was generated, and rebuilt the parts he wasn't happy with over and over. Ten times, twenty times — round after round of trial and error.
He also began using multiple AI tools together. One that excelled at melody generation, one that could synthesize vocals, one that assisted with mixing. By understanding the strengths of each and combining them, he gradually moved closer to the sound he was after.
Three months later, Sawai finished his first completed song. The title was "Reboot." He set lyrics he had left unfinished fifteen years ago to a melody generated by AI. He hadn't touched an instrument once. And yet this song was unmistakably his own.
On April 12, 2026, Sawai uploaded the finished song to a music distribution platform. In its first week, it received 47 plays. Friends and former bandmates shared it on social media. Comments read: "So glad to hear you again," and "Can't wait for the next one."
The numbers may seem small. But for Sawai, those 47 plays filled the 15-year gap. He had thought he had given up on music — and yet here he was, moving "sound" again. That meant more than anything else.
His wife said, "It's great that you have a hobby now." His kids grinned and said, "Dad's song is so cool." Sawai opened his notebook again. Ideas for the next song were already taking shape.
Sawai's story reflects the creative landscape of 2026. Music production once demanded instruments, equipment, a studio, and enormous amounts of time and money. Today, AI tools offer extensive free plans, and we live in an age where a finished song requires nothing more than a few clicks, even without specialized knowledge.
Programs like HAIIA's certification courses offer systematic learning for these kinds of AI skills. Not just in music production — across every creative field, from illustration and video to writing, AI is giving people a reason to try again.
The key point is that AI is not "magic that creates things for you," but rather "a tool for giving shape to the desire to create." Sawai himself nearly gave up several times in those first few weeks. But by continuing to pursue the sound he truly wanted to make, the right way to work with AI came into focus.
As HAIIA's three core pillars illustrate, AI can become a partner in self-realization. Dreams you had abandoned can start moving again. The environment to make that happen already exists.
If you have a creative pursuit you once gave up on, try one AI tool first. The free plan is enough. It probably won't even take a week to experience your first "I did it." And that experience will start to set something in motion within you.
On the community page, you'll find others who are facing the challenge of creating with AI just like you. Moving forward together is far more rewarding than struggling alone.
Tomorrow, why not set your "sound" in motion again?
Many AI music tools offer free plans that let you try out basic composition features. However, most free plans restrict commercial use, so upgrading to a paid plan is typically required if you want to sell your music or use it in advertising. If you're enjoying it purely as a personal hobby, a free plan is more than enough to get started.
As of 2026, yes — even without knowledge of instrument playing or music theory, you can create songs using AI tools. Simply choosing a genre and tempo is enough for the AI to automatically generate a melody, chord progression, and rhythm. That said, to make something that truly feels like yours, you'll need to go through repeated trial and error and develop a clear sense of what kind of music you want to make.
AI is simply a tool; it is the human who makes the final judgments and sets the direction. In Sawai's case, he repeatedly adjusted the material the AI generated and reworked it to fit his own lyrics and themes, ultimately completing it as an original piece. What matters is having a clear intention — knowing "what you want to create" — and making AI work for you.
This article is reprinted from HAIIA Notes.