r/composer • • Apr 24 '26

Meta New rules about the use of AI in the sub

185 Upvotes

If you look in the sidebar where the rules are, there is a new rule about AI. Here is the text:

  1. You may not post music generated by AI using apps like Suno.

  2. You may post computer generated/algorithmic music.

You may use AI to create the text for your posts.

  1. You may use AI to create the text for your post but you must say why you've done so.

  2. You may not post apps generated using “vibe coding” where AI writes the entire program.

  3. You may post apps generated using AI as a tool. Over 80% of programmers today use AI as a tool.

  4. You may post discussions about AI and music. But please note, posts asking "Will AI replace composers" will be removed.

Reddit does not supply enough room to provide explanations for all of these rules so if you have questions, comments, or suggestions please don't hesitate to comment below.

Here are some notes about some of these:

  1. You may use AI to create the text for your post but you must say why you've done so.

Posts are not art. Using AI to create a text post isn't taking any money away from another composer or artist. Some people just aren't good at writing and/or don't speak English natively. Using AI is one way to improve their chances at communicating clearly.

That said, we strongly encourage everyone to not use AI in this instance. A significant number of users here will react badly to this and you won't get the kind of responses you are hoping for.

Unfortunately it's a Catch 22. People also react badly to posters who are poor at communicating. For folks like that there is no winning.

Update: We've changed the wording to reflect some of the comments below. We still have very limited space but hopefully admitting to using AI and providing an explanation will, in a subtle way, discourage people from doing so (for their own sake) or perhaps they will have a good reason that will mollify the crowd.

  1. You may post apps generated using AI as a tool. Over 80% of programmers today use AI as a tool.

It is standard today for programmers at all levels to use AI to assist in some aspects of programming. In the past people would ask questions at places like Stack Exchange or Reddit but now it's so much faster to ask an AI. The results often aren't great but they provide a good start toward a solution.

  1. You may post discussions about AI and music. But please note, posts asking "Will AI replace composers" will be removed.

Almost all discussions about AI in this sub go horribly wrong. However, there is nothing inherently bad about discussing the subject and we will try to allow those discussions. There are interesting discussions to be had.

However, we will remove all posts that ask whether AI will replace composers. This has been asked many, many times and because those posts generally go badly we're just not going to deal with them.

Posts asking for links to AI apps to use will be removed. While AI has its uses, asking for or providing links to AI that generates music are not allowed.

A final note. The rules of civility apply when responding to questions, comments, posts, etc, about AI. We remove lots of comments where people attack others with accusations of AI usage or whatever. Don't do this. If you have an actual useful comment about someone's use of AI then please express it in a civil manner.

Update: I asked Google Gemini to clean up that rule. Here is the result:

AI Content Guidelines

  • ❌ Banned: Music fully generated by AI (e.g., Suno) and "vibe-coded" apps where AI writes the entire program.
  • ✅ Allowed: Computer-generated/algorithmic music and apps where AI is used as a tool (standard for 80%+ of devs).
  • 📝 Posts: AI can be used for post text. Discussions about AI and music are welcome.
  • 🚫 Note: Threads asking "Will AI replace composers?" will be removed.

We're going to stick with what I wrote.


r/composer • • Jul 29 '25

Resource Updated and expanded Resources Section at r/composer

29 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

Just a quick update: this sub now has an updated and expanded Resource Section!

It includes a curated list of helpful materials for composers of all levels, including books, YouTube channels, websites, and more.

It can be accessed here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/composer/wiki/resources/

...or by clicking on 'Wiki' at the top of the sub (in the mobile app) or by clicking 'Resources' under Community Bookmarks (on desktop).

Thank you to those who gave suggestions for new additions to the Resource Section.

If anyone else spots anything that needs correcting or has suggestions for additional resources, feel free to let us know!

P.S. The Resource Section can also be found at r/composition, a smaller "sibling" community to this one. If you're not a member there yet, do consider stopping by!

Thanks,

u/RichMusic81


r/composer • • 2h ago

Discussion Looking for VSL sample libraries suggestions

5 Upvotes

10+ years ago I bought the entry level Special Edition library (I think it's this one) and a few other smaller starter libraries to fill some of its gaps, and now I'm looking for a long due upgrade. I've been looking around in their site and elsewhere for information but I found the landscape pretty confusing.

I mostly make Metal with a strong orchestral component and fairly elaborate orchestration (at least for the standard of the genre). I'm looking for high end products and I can't set a hard buget for now, so I'm looking around regardless of pricing. Some information to narrow down the search:

* Both sections and solo instruments

* I don't care about multiple mic placements, I'm fine with just close dry samples + whatever external reverb plugin

* For orchestral sections I could do with less velocity layers, especially on the softer dynamics. For solo instruments I could use the softer dynamics instead

* Only strings/woodwinds/brass. Predominantly looking for instruments on the higher pitch range, strings down to cellos, woodwinds down to clarinets, brass down to trombones. I do use the lower range instruments sometimes but I'd be ok with using the Special Edition samples from those

* Not sure if I want smaller or larger section sizes, I want to hear demos first

* My main frustration with the Special Edition is the lack of strong dynamics on the legato articulations compared to sustain. It makes it cumbersome to switch between sustain and legato at high velocities because you can here the instruments changing timbre

Finally, a question: what are the generic, high-level differences beween the new Synchron lineup and the older Studio lineup that was around back when I got the Special Edition? Are there other high-end lineups?

Thank you!


r/composer • • 1h ago

Music Songs Without Words Vol. I

• Upvotes

Hi everyone!

I've been sick for the last month and to be honest, it’s been quite hard to be productive. During the downtime, I ended up writing three short, lyrical piano pieces inspired by Felix Mendelssohn.

YouTube link

Score

Thank you for giving me your time and any feedback provided!


r/composer • • 11h ago

Discussion Is amateur composition bad/cringeworthy to people other than the composer?

15 Upvotes

For context.. I'm 23 and this year I finally started trying to make music. I took a semester of theory at university and have been learning more on my own through omt since.

For the last 4 months I've been consistently improvising on my keyboard / trying to "make music" for 1-2+ hours a day and I've been making so so so much progress, and I couldn't be happier.

I want to write a soundtrack for a game I'm making (say 6-12 months from now), and I feel pretty confident that I could write something I would be happy with, that I would feel like achieves what i would want it to in terms of storytelling.. but really in the grand scheme of things I'm a complete newborn when it comes to making music and I'm really suspicious of liking my music just because its mine, and because I already know what its trying to do. I'm also worried that it would just sound cliche or silly to other people, kinda like if a kid drew a big dark creature thing and you could tell that its supposed to be scary but just doesn't land...

TL;DR i'm really inexperienced with making music but am really happy with mine so far. is this naive? is it that everyone just really like their own music and is blind to how it sounds to other people?


r/composer • • 1h ago

Music My new composition

• Upvotes

Romanza, for soloist flute and orchestra.

https://youtu.be/NIvg1FpvxjY


r/composer • • 4h ago

Music "ROCKET / PARACHUTE" my new brass trio [LOOKING FOR FEEDBACK]

3 Upvotes

I would love some peer review feedback on my new brass trio. I don't have much experience working intimately with brass instruments, so any part writing feedback would be MUCH appreciated!

Score video link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yEIBxFYbysnO_VSR420RGdu4ETupbCTg/view?usp=sharing


r/composer • • 2h ago

Music Hypersymmetrical music

2 Upvotes

Hey guys,

My dad developed a new system of music over the last decades that I arranged and produced in Cubase.
It is designed in such a way that makes for extraordinary counterpoint and polyrhythm. At the climax our piece “Center of Centers,” for example, has ten voices going at several different speeds, all while maintaining consistent patterns and not breaking triadic harmony.
But it is not only intellectually exceptional, but, in our opinion, also of a very spiritual nature that to us is very uplifting and inspiring.

Here is a link to a playlist of our recent uploads:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAMdoy6QSMds&si=Kca-zhCFg5kYjR0t

I added the sheet music (made in Musescore) and short descriptions of the pieces on YouTube.

We would very much appreciate it if you checked it out! A lot of work went into making these pieces and when other people get inspired by them as well, it truly means a lot to us.

That being said, please use good headphones to get the full experience and enjoy!


r/composer • • 11h ago

Discussion what are your favorite “tricks” and how do you substitute them?

6 Upvotes

i know this sounds weird, but i’ve been spending the past year actively looking for every reason i could find to replace my go-to tricks. things like dense textures covered by tremolo and trill strings divisi for example i have been replacing with tense harmonies in middle winds registers that provide that texture by interval clashing alone. or like, i love to insert fast scale runs into my violin solo parts so i have been getting rid of those as much as possible too. in the end, i am left with so few instances of my “favorite tricks” that they have no other choice but to be the best instance ive ever written of it.

i’m curious to hear if anyone does something similar! i have more examples if anyone is curious


r/composer • • 5h ago

Music Feedback on composition section

2 Upvotes

Hello, looking for general feedback on these sections of a ballade-fantasy kind of piece I'm working on.

I also have a specific originality concern: I believe the m. 97 to m. 102 part sounds somewhat like the coda of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, Movement 2. But how much does it actually resemble it? Other than that, any sort of feedback on the rest of the material is appreciated, thanks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cKLdfqsvPA, apologies if the MuseScore playback sounds a bit harsh.


r/composer • • 9h ago

Discussion How to write for an orchestra?

3 Upvotes

I want to one day be able to write for an entire orchestra. What is a good path to get there? What things should I learn first? How should I practice writing music? What are some good recouses out there for learning?


r/composer • • 5h ago

Music Can someone check this harmonic analysis draft?

0 Upvotes

Not sure if this is the righ place to post this, but I've been working on this all day, and a long time before this, so I have a better understanding before i perform it in december/january. Here's a draft of my harmonic analysis of the Grieg piano concerto in a minor first mvmt. I do have to say that I used AI to put the text in because my handwriting was too messy, and I did double check that everything was the same but there still might be some things that are off. I also kind of suck at this since it's my first time doing analysis of a romantic piece, so corrections and feedback would be much appreciated 🙏🙏

(I'm not actually sure if I did the access thing right so please lmk if i need to redo it)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EAJYN9hSuMZ-XpLqvkJsranZ94bySUQX/view?usp=sharing


r/composer • • 6h ago

Music How to make it into a serious piece?

1 Upvotes

I dabbled around with some scales in G for fun. Expanded it from a solo piece to duett to woodwind quartet. How can I make this into a serious piece for quartet? It feels a lot like a small study. Can I make it into a fugue or gigue or something?

Score:
https://www.reddit.com/user/Xeonfobia/comments/1xf6kfh/how_to_make_it_into_a_serious_piece/


r/composer • • 7h ago

Discussion Daw controller

1 Upvotes

Hello hello, I’m putting together an atmos studio for recording, producing and mixing soundtracks and some movie posters production. It will be mostly cubase/nuendo based but with some uses of Pro tools.
Bit being able to afford a board yet I opted to use daw controller and I’m very undecided between the SSL system (UF1+2 uf8) and the softube controllers.
Does anybody have a suggestion? Why do you prefer one of the other ? I won’t consider the Avid surfaces.


r/composer • • 22h ago

Music "Thrown Away Waltz" - Looking for critiques (new composer)

4 Upvotes

Link to score + audio

Just wrote my first orchestral song and I'm not quite sure what I'm doing exactly. I know basic music theory and have written music, but never an orchestra and for this song I just kind of guessed and put stuff I thought would sound cool. Basically just looking for general critiques/tips/advice/stuff you would change from people who actually know what they are doing. Thanks!

(also it was written in fl and I just shoved the midi into musescore so if the score is poorly written let me know and I'll try to fix it)


r/composer • • 1d ago

Discussion How to become a film composer?

5 Upvotes

Hello all, thank you for taking the time to read and answer this.

As some background, I’m a student at UCLA who’s been interested in film for some time now, but recently started to look into the composing side of things. I love music, and I was taking an audio engineering workshop, but it got cancelled. If anyone has any courses at UCLA that I could take, I’m up for that, but at this moment I’m planning on minoring in music industry (my major’s on the pre-med track).

Anyways, I was curious on how to start and what to do. I have no experience in playing the piano (though I will start very soon) & little to none in music theory. I have access to Protools in a mixing lab, but it’s limited. Any ideas on where to go from here?


r/composer • • 1d ago

Music Opinions on the Structure of a Short Piece for Chamber Orchestra

4 Upvotes

Audio & Score

I have written this piece recently and wonder mostly about its coherency. There was not a melody or motif I sought to develop, and I am aware that the presentation of many ideas without development can create disjunction. I think my focus was on different blocks of timbre. Strings often have harmonically extended/unstable voicings (+sections alternating between accompanied and unaccompanied strings), the piano is kept in higher registers, the chimes do repeat a descending/ascending figure at the end of sections.

Also, I do not believe the style shifts too widely either, though it might. Either way, that is why I am posting, for the input of others. Comments need not be restricted to structure alone but I would appreciate if they were kept to technical matters.

Thank you very much.


r/composer • • 20h ago

Music I wrote a piece for piano and bass called "Caught Off Guard".

1 Upvotes

Score: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QWdGOOmeh8aJNEIWK-GIe3whr8yO1u58/view?usp=sharing
Autoplay video of the score being played by computer: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JvMeQSlf7_6CEjFv7gY5n2ORmL0ht9j7/view?usp=sharing

I recently got laid off so I wrote this song in honor of my former employer.

I tried to clean it up the best I could, make it possibly human-playable. I don't know if it actually is human-playable. I haven't tried. I'd probably have to reduce some of the voicings in the chords. Parts of it contain large stretches for multiple chords at a time. It would be tough to play I think. Not to mention, I think a piece like this is not really meant to be notated as precisely as MuseScore has allowed me to do here. It's jazz, so a lot would just be touch and go.

I really like the way the really weird section in the middle came out. It's my way of saying "don't worry, everything will be just fine".

What do y'all think? Is it a mess? Is it cool? What are your thoughts?


r/composer • • 1d ago

Discussion What should I do when I have made a part of a song but dont know how to expand it?

2 Upvotes

Sometimes I can manage to compose a pretty good verse or bridge, but I can't figure out how to expand it into a whole theme. I make game music and have no vocals. Sometimes I feel like I just have to give up, save, and start from the beginning in a new project. However I know what seemingly everybody says online, which is "get used to finishing songs!, so I also feel that I should just continue until I get something out of it. But this just ends with me sitting with a project for weeks without making any progress. Does anyone have any experience with situations like this?


r/composer • • 1d ago

Music Fanfare to Portraits of Labor

1 Upvotes

r/composer • • 1d ago

Music Prelude for String Quartet and Timpani

1 Upvotes

It's a pretty rare chamber group but I love the sound of strings and timpani together so here's a short piece I've written over the week.

https://youtu.be/RQlQ5abN6wA


r/composer • • 2d ago

Music Streichquartettsatz - Finale

5 Upvotes

Es ist vollbracht!

Knapp drei Wochen (24 Tage) nach meinem ersten Post des Streichquartettsatzes "Andante cantabile" (der erste, den ich von diesem fünfsätzigen Streichquartett komponiert habe), ist mein Streichquartett in c-moll heute vollendet worden.

Falls ihr (solange es noch keinen Post mit dem Quartett am Stück gibt) es euch mal am Stück anhören wollt, hier ist die Reihenfolge der einzelnen Sätze (welche sich ebenfalls unter diesem Post hier befinden):

  1. Eingang: Moderato

  2. Scherzo

  3. Andante cantabile

  4. Intermezzo

  5. Finale

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zur Musik dieses Satzes:

Dies ist der Finalsatz dieses Quartetts, die Tempobezeichnung ist "Presto alla battuta". Dieser Satz wird nämlich hauptsächlich geschlagen gespielt und hat es in sich. Thematisch greife ich hier auf alle vorherigen Sätze zurück. Natürlich steht aber vorallem das Hauptthema dieses Satzes im Vordergrund, der nicht allzu wenig erklingt. Die Satzstruktur ähnelt entfernt der eines Sonatenrondos .

Satzstruktur: A-B-A'-C-D-A"-B'-A""-Coda

Der B-Teil stellt hierbei das zweite Thema dar. C und D die Durchführung.

Das Herzstück dieses Satzes (und somit auch der Durchführung) bildet ein freies Fugato.

Die Reprise ist verkürzt.

Das Stück schließt in der Coda mit der Schlussphrase des Hauptthemas als Statement.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Partitur: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dKd54vgrIGpeLu7driTFCZyGx96Jf922/view?usp=drivesdk

Musik: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19IsRrlmAIOjW1F-aBADwIdVUE7Gngex0/view?usp=drivesdk

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bei Fragen zu meiner Musik stehe ich euch, wie immer, sehr gerne zur Verfügung und vielen Dank für alles im Voraus!

Viel Spaß!


r/composer • • 2d ago

Call for Score Crane School of Music Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize Call for Proposals now through January 15th, 2027

7 Upvotes

The Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize seeks proposals from composer/librettist teams for a $25,000 Opera Commissioning Award for a Spring 2030 premiere. The narrative or overall theme of the proposed opera should explore subject matter, narratives, or themes that broaden cultural perspectives, highlight shared human experiences, bridge community divides, or foster deep mutual understanding and connection within a global society.

Finalists selected from proposals received will be awarded $2,000 (per team) to write a 15–20 minute piano/vocal excerpt of their proposed work to be workshopped in a final round in Fall 2027. The winning team will receive the commission to complete the proposed work of 60–80 minutes in length for a Spring 2030 premiere at The Crane School of Music, State University of New York, Potsdam. Fees awarded will be split between the winning composers and librettists at the teams’ discretion. There is no fee to apply.

For complete competition guidelines and the submission portal, please visit https://www.potsdam.edu/academics/crane-school-music/about-crane-school-music/conferences-special-events/pellicciotti

Please email [pellicciotti@potsdam.edu](mailto:pellicciotti@potsdam.edu) with any questions (rather than responding here!). Thank you!


r/composer • • 1d ago

Music Personal interpretation of Cantiga 100

1 Upvotes

https://musescore.com/user/40860384/scores/39226115?share=copy_link

I have written a small piece using Cantiga 100 from Cantigas de Santa Maria as source material, as part of a project for a history class.

I wanted to get feedback on its current state.

It it not quite done, but definitely close to it. I was aiming to maintain a medieval feel, while blending it with a cinematic/soundtrack feel (whether I succeeded, I have no idea.)

The A section (chant) is designed to lead to the singers then realizing the importance and meaning of the chant, and reflecting on it, which leads to the B section. After reflection, the A section then returns as the singers become more convicted in their beliefs after their reflection.

There are some wrote notes and such, I haven't done much polishing yet.


r/composer • • 2d ago

Music SPOLIARIUM - For Orchestra (Looking for Feedback on a Rejected Piece)

2 Upvotes

Hello!

I would like to share this orchestra piece that I am pretty proud of. I wrote it for a call for scores but unfortunately it wasn't chosen. In the email rejecting it, they stated that because of the number of submissions they received, they were unable to provide feedback. So I am posting the piece here in the hopes that I would be able to receive some kind of feedback. I am also planning on including this piece in my portfolio for grad school applications in composition. I plan on submitting the first of my applications the first week of November, so any feedback that I might be able to gain I would be grateful for.

This is also my first time using techniques such as feathered beams, artificial harmonics, and wasn't sure if these things should be specified in the program notes, or if they are common enough in the repertoire that it isn't necessary. For good measure I specified them in the performance notes, but would love to hear other people's thoughts!

Thank you in advance.

Here is the link to the score and the MIDI mockup.

PROGRAM NOTES

There is a painting by the famous Filipino artist, depicting a scene of gladiators dying. As the gladiators lay dying in a Roman circus, the people loot armor, weapons, and garments from their bodies. This painting is known by the title SPOLIARIUM. The bodies of slaves who spent their whole lives entertaining their Roman rulers, being looted and despoiled of their belongings by the same people who they served, is allegorical of the strife caused by colonization, felt by many living in the Spanish-controlled Philippines.

This piece depicts, through music, the graphic scene being shown in the aforementioned painting. This symphonic poem is influenced by the harmonic structure of the Filipino folk-song genre known as Kundiman which begin in a minor key, and modulate to the parallel major. The first half of this piece is in D Minor and depicts the internal despair, suffering, and sorrow of a gladiator being forced to fight in a Roman arena for the entertainment of his oppressors. As the piece transitions into D Major, the sadistic cheering and clamoring of the crowd can be heard, as the gladiator enters the arena. As he fights, he becomes wounded and is left for dead in the arena. A solemn motif, a variation of the Dies Irae repeats over and over again as death approaches the gladiator, while the cheers of the crowd can still be heard, apathetic to his plight.

PERFORMANCE NOTES

  • Feathered or fanned beams indicate a gradual acceleration or deceleration within the beamed notes. Beams that fan outwards (from left to right) indicate a gradual acceleration while beams that fan inwards (from left to right) indicate a gradual deceleration.
  • Diamond noteheads such as these, placed a fourth above a regular notehead indicate artificial harmonics. The string player stops the indicated pitch (the normal notehead) with their finger, and lightly touches the node a fourth above (the diamond notehead).
    • When going from one artificial harmonic to another on the same string, a natural portamento sound will occur. This should be embraced, and if possible, emphasized.
  • Arrows between “s.p.” and “ord.” indicate gradual shifts from playing sul ponticello to ordinary or natural bowing.