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Reference
East Asian style reference
City pop, J-pop, K-pop, mandopop, gagaku, gugak, guzheng and other Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Mongolian styles.
How to use this list
Each row pairs a style term with a cue line written in the same grammar: what the music is, what plays it, roughly how fast, and how it feels. Copy the cue, then change one thing at a time so you can tell which token moved the result.
Traditional and modern East Asian entries behave very differently: traditional lines lead with the instrument, modern ones lead with the production.
Combining entries
If you want a specific language in the vocal, say so in your lyrics or as a vocal token — the style line alone will not guarantee it.
If a take drifts away from what you wanted, remove tokens rather than adding more. Long prompts dilute; short, specific ones steer.
| City pop | city pop, chorused electric piano, slap bass, glossy sax fill, 108 BPM, smooth Japanese vocal, neon-drive nostalgia |
| J-pop | j-pop, bright layered synths, dense chord changes, punchy drums, 132 BPM, clear high female vocal, polished optimism |
| J-rock | j-rock, driving distorted guitars, busy fills, key-change chorus, 168 BPM, emotive strained vocal, anime-opening energy |
| Shibuya-kei | shibuya-kei, bossa-tinged chords, vintage organ, breakbeat drums, 118 BPM, airy whispered vocal, retro-chic charm |
| Kayokyoku | kayokyoku, showa-era strings and horns, minor-key melody, 96 BPM, dramatic vibrato vocal, vintage Japanese pop |
| Enka | enka, ornamented kobushi vocal, shakuhachi and strings, slow 4/4, 68 BPM, deep sentimental sorrow |
| Japanese folk (min'yo) | min'yo folk, shamisen ostinato, taiko accents, free-tempo call vocal, rustic festival feel |
| Taiko ensemble | taiko ensemble, thunderous odaiko hits, interlocking drum patterns, kiai shouts, 120 BPM, ceremonial power |
| Gagaku | gagaku, sho cluster drone, hichiriki reedy melody, slow ritual pulse, imperial court solemnity |
| Zen shakuhachi | shakuhachi solo, breathy bamboo tone, free rhythm, long silences, contemplative emptiness |
| K-pop dance | k-pop dance, hard-hitting trap-pop drums, bright synth hook, layered group vocals, 110 BPM, high-gloss confidence |
| K-pop ballad | k-pop ballad, grand piano and strings, big belted bridge, 72 BPM, emotional Korean vocal, cinematic heartbreak |
| K-R&B | korean r&b, mellow guitar chords, soft trap hats, 88 BPM, breathy sensual vocal, late-night intimacy |
| K-hip-hop | korean hip-hop, boom-bap or trap hybrid, jazzy sample chops, 92 BPM, sharp bilingual flow |
| Trot | trot, bouncy two-beat rhythm, brass and accordion, 128 BPM, cheerful vibrato vocal, retro Korean dance |
| Korean traditional gugak | gugak, gayageum plucked melody, janggu hourglass drum, ornamented vocal, 84 BPM, courtly and airy |
| Pansori | pansori, solo dramatic vocal with buk drum, raspy expressive delivery, free rhythm, epic storytelling |
| Mandopop | mandopop, lush piano and strings, steady pop drums, 84 BPM, tender Mandarin vocal, sincere romance |
| Cantopop | cantopop, glossy 80s-leaning synths, big chorus, 104 BPM, expressive Cantonese vocal, cinematic longing |
| C-pop ballad | c-pop ballad, sweeping orchestral swell, sparse piano verse, 66 BPM, dramatic emotional climax |
| Chinese folk guzheng | guzheng feature, cascading pentatonic runs, bamboo flute answer, soft percussion, 92 BPM, misty landscape imagery |
| Erhu lament | erhu lament, sliding two-string melody, sparse pipa and strings, 62 BPM, aching nostalgic sorrow |
| Peking opera fusion | peking opera fusion, jinghu shrill melody, clattering gongs and clappers, modern beat, 100 BPM, theatrical drama |
| Chinese new year festive | festive chinese, suona lead, big drums and gongs, pentatonic melody, 128 BPM, celebratory bustle |
| Guqin meditation | guqin solo, sparse plucked tones, wide silences, subtle harmonics, contemplative ancient calm |
| Mongolian throat singing | mongolian throat singing, khoomei overtones, morin khuur horsehead fiddle, steppe wind drone, 80 BPM, vast open plains |
| Anime opening | anime opening, fast rock band with orchestra, key-change chorus, 174 BPM, urgent heroic vocal |
| Japanese lo-fi | japanese lo-fi, dusty drums, muted jazz chords, vinyl noise, koto sample, 78 BPM, instrumental rainy-window calm |
| Vocaloid-style pop | vocaloid-style pop, rapid syllabic melody, hyper-bright synths, 180 BPM, synthetic high vocal, digital exuberance |
| Okinawan folk | okinawan folk, sanshin plucked ostinato, ryukyuan scale, hand claps, 112 BPM, sunny island lilt |
Raw data: /guide/reference/lists/east-asian-list.json · 30 entries
FAQ
How do I get a city pop feel rather than generic 80s pop?
Keep the chorused electric piano, slap bass and sax fill tokens; those timbres, not the decade, are what make it read as city pop.
Do I have to use the whole east asian cue line?
No. The lines are built from independent tokens, so you can keep the two or three that matter and drop the rest without breaking the grammar.
Can I mix this list with another one?
Yes — keep one rhythm description, one lead instrument, one production word and a single tempo. Competing rhythm descriptions are the usual cause of muddled results.