I’d like to put another perspective out there on the whole AI situation given how much anxiety there is around how it will affect composers and other career creatives. I feel it’s important to remember that as artists we hold a skill set that will only grow in value and importance to society, even if not applied to a career. I think in the medium to long term we’re in a massive upheaval/transition on what it means to have a career in general, how closely that defines who we are, our general purpose, and our sense of self.

To that end I would really encourage every career musician and composer to consider that we work in an industry that is one of the most sacred to what it means to be human, and because of that we’ve built and honed a skill set that has more intangible human meaning than most other career paths. As AI becomes more and more capable, intangible human taste and creativity will become more and more valuable to society than it is now.

Even if we ever get to a point where AI can write “better” music than anyone from scratch, music and the arts in general could become the bastion for the meaning and value of humanity in general because their quality is so subjective and undefined. How “better” music is defined will just shift to what better represents human creativity. We have spent our lives honing a skill to create things with little to no objective definition of quality. There is no “optimal” art or music and I think that’s where the value truly lies.

Many of the STEM fields and other career paths are a means to find the optimal solution to a problem. There is an objective best way to build a bridge with a given spec, a set budget, and a set amount of materials available. So much of our economy has valued figuring those kinds of things out over artistry, and a world where AI can find those optimal solutions for us will devalue those skills much faster than the subjective human creativity we’ve taught ourselves to explore.

I’d also like to point out a positive trend I’ve seen in those around me too. I’ve noticed people are taking more time to reflect on what really matters to them in life as this major shift takes place. I’ve seen more emotional growth and enlightenment in myself and those close to me in the last year or two than in the decade prior.

Things are moving incredibly quickly and it’s naturally very scary, but in a bit of an ironic twist, our insistence on pursuing a suboptimal artistic career path may have positioned us better for this new paradigm than going the traditionally and economically safe route our parents would’ve maybe preferred.

https://musescore.com/user/127336169/scores/39237035?share=copy_link

It's also my first ever orchestral work, so there's almost certainly plenty of things i'm doing wrong.

I submitted an application to a very well established composer development program here in Australia, run by one of the top Australian ensembles (I won’t name them). I didn’t expect to be given feedback on my application, but when I was, I was hurt and surprised by the tone and content of the feedback. It was so impersonal, unconstructive and lacked any warmth. I was also referred to by ‘the canditate’ rather than ‘your’ or simply by my name. At the bottom of the feedback was this:

\ While your application was assessed by a human, the above feedback has been summarised including with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) and may not include all feedback given by the panel or comments in their original wording. All feedback should be taken as general advice and considered within the context of your application to the program.*

I find this so disheartening, that in the current climate of the arts world in the face of AI, a highly regarded, highly funded composition related ensemble hoping to develop composers’ voices and craft is using AI to give feedback to their candidates. After all we are trying to advocate for, to create and connect and make art, this felt like a slap in the face.

Would love opinions on this. Of course I’m probably more emotive about this because I got rejected…. 😂

Here's a piece I composed that captures the serenity of the night, and the magic of the stars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KdJqzbqvIs&list=OLAK5uy_kMdRV-HL1woPv7FCNdCFhD2Us2cHRaV-I

https://www.instagram.com/p/DeedKeDAyo-/

Feel free to share your compositions in the comments as well :)

Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I'm a composer, primarily writing piano music, and I'm currently developing an application designed to help composers organize and keep track of their musical works.

Before going further with development, I'd like to understand how other composers actually organize their work.

One thing I've noticed is that every composer seems to have their own workflow.

Some use notation software such as MuseScore, Dorico, or Sibelius. Others primarily work in DAWs such as Cubase, Logic Pro, Reaper, or Ableton Live. Some combine several applications, while others still compose mainly on paper.

I imagine these differences have a significant impact on how we store our compositions, project files, exports, and previous versions.

I'd love to hear about your workflow, particularly regarding the following questions:

1. What software or tools do you use to compose?

Do you primarily use notation software, a DAW, handwritten scores, or a combination of different tools?

2. How do you organize your compositions on your computer?

Do you maintain a main composition library? Create one folder per piece? Organize your work by genre, year, album, opus number, or something else entirely?

3. How do you manage different versions of the same composition?

When you revise a piece, do you create a new project file every time? How do you know which version is the most recent or which one you should continue working on?

4. How do you manage the different files associated with a composition?

For example, project files, scores, audio exports, MIDI files, recordings, videos, reference material, and other related documents.

5. How do you find an older composition when you want to work on it again?

Do you usually remember where everything is stored, or do you sometimes find yourself searching through multiple folders to locate the right file?

6. What are the biggest problems with your current system?

This could include organization, backups, inconsistent file naming, multiple revisions, returning to unfinished projects, or anything else.

7. If you could improve just one thing about your current workflow, what would it be?

Just to clarify, I'm not here to promote or sell my application. I'm still trying to understand how composers work and what problems they actually encounter.

My goal is to avoid building a tool that forces everyone into a predefined organization system.

I'd rather understand existing workflows first and eventually design something flexible enough to accommodate different approaches to composition.

I'm interested in hearing from everyone, whether you're a professional composer, hobbyist, student, or someone just starting to write music.

You don't have to answer every question. Even a short explanation of your workflow, or an anonymized example of your folder structure, would be extremely helpful.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences!

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iOzg2GdDIw1NKQtXS5j8w4xuLxDK3a3t?usp=sharing

Trying something new so I am not very sure about it. I'd be happy to receive any and all criticism. Thank you.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-GkWN-68sUJ_fS-mawr9mvErxrgQKkOl/view?usp=drivesdk

YouTube Sheet Music

I know it’s quite repetitive, could use a bit more variety, and is a bit silly. It still was a lot of fun to compose, though

Edit: title should say “Marimba” instead of “Marina”

I am a young composer with no formal piano training. I can somewhat play guitar, bass and piano but definitely not to the extent of being able to play say Chopin. I wished to write a short piano piece inspired by nature (title subject to change) but I am not sure if it is idiomatic or natural in the piano. Any criticisms or tips for someone who can’t play piano writing for it. Criticism on things like form, notation (should I add pedal symbols if I want player to pedal every chord? Etc.) and harmony would also be much appreciated.

PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lyb_Er--6UoWwAWB4TZtZHsklVfKb-v5/view?usp=drivesdk

Do I need to write “Sul G” at the 5th measure? Or is it obvious enough? Thanks, I haven’t played the instrument in years and could use advice from current players. https://imgur.com/a/wEqr32G

Hi everyone!
I’m a filmmaker and cinematographer based in Chandigarh, frequently travelling to Mumbai. I’ve recently made an independent sci-fi narrative short film and am looking for a music producer or composer to collaborate with on its original score.
The musical direction I’m imagining is inspired by Interstellar — atmospheric, emotionally powerful, immersive, and expansive. I’m drawn to evolving soundscapes, haunting melodies, deep textures, organ-like tones, and gradual musical builds that create a sense of mystery, scale, and existential tension.
I want the music to complement the film’s narrative and visuals while giving it a distinctive sonic identity of its own.
This is an independent project, and I’m open to discussing the scope and budget.
If you’re a film composer, music producer, or sound artist interested in cinematic sci-fi, please DM me with links to your portfolio or previous work.
Looking forward to connecting with the right collaborator!

I don't have money to buy new ssd disk, and those packages are to big for my 600 GB of free space.

Hi! I’m new to composing and have begun working on a waltz composition for band. I’ve written out the entire melody as well as 50% of the parts. One thing I’m struggling with is about how to orchestrate the melody, since I’ve only been doing harmonies. I have perfect pitch, so it was relatively easy to create harmonies, but I’d like to know what basics I need to know to compose. Thanks all!

https://musescore.com/user/37270121/scores/39174434?share=copy_link

My friend sent me a file about a music they remixed but i have a strange feeling of it being ai generated any help please

Hello everyone i am currently working on my first piece. Its about patterns we find in nature. Any form of feedback would be great. It is written for piano and there is still one movement missing.

Thank You

video of the score

mp3

pdf

As the title says: it took me 7 days to write this Fugue and I was curious about what you think. Thanks a lot and happy listening!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_olX6tSro4

hi im 18y and im thinking about creating a insta/tik tok acount to show and publish for free songs that i like on piano,is that legal?can i get jailed for it idk,just want to share sheet music of songs that i like for people on the internet

Hello,

I compose music for personal use and for friends. My work often requires string and synthesizer glissandi. It also uses some microtonality and micropolyphony.

I currently create these elements by hand. I use basic DSP software that I originally used for research.

I would like to learn about the software and workflows that you use for these tasks. I am interested in both free and paid software.

In particular, I would like to know:

• Which software do you use to create string and synthesizer glissandi?
• How do you represent glissandi in sheet music?
• Which tools do you use for microtonal composition and notation?
• Are there any parametric composition tools for micropolyphony?

I currently use Max/MSP patches and custom Python scripts to create micropolyphonic textures.

I would appreciate any advice, examples, or workflow recommendations.

I apologize if this question has already been discussed. I searched for similar questions but could not find one.

Thank you!

Hello you guys!

Im searching for a place where i can post my own contemporary compositions and can sctually get good feedback. I often see people somewhat failing to honestly critique contemporary pieces, because those more abstract pieces act on art on a different level. Im currently starting my composing journey, but i already was a semi-prof wind band conductor for some years and have a small degree in conducting to, so im very interested about other peoples opinions and want to learn more about composing. Id be very thankful if anyone could help...

(Btw english isnt my first language so im sry for the bad grammar)

Ciao a tutti,

Volevo chiedervi se per caso potreste consigliarmi un manuale/eserciziario di composizione ed un manuale per sviluppare la lettura a prima vista col pianoforte.

Vi preannuncio che sono già ad un livello intermedio sia in composizione che in pianoforte (sto preparando un esame alcm con professore privato in composizione, e in piano so riprodurre tutti gli accordi come triadi e tutte le scale, oltre a saper suonare qualche canzone).

Il mio interesse sarebbe quello di fare uno 'step up' in entrambe le materie, in composizione spesso e volentieri mi capita di avere blocchi creativi, dunque cerco un manuale o anche un eserciziario (che ad esempio mi dica: componi un brano in 6/8, nella scala di:, etc.), insomma che mi dia dei paletti.

Ho eseguito svariate ricerche, ma è una cosa troppo delicata dunque mi affido a voi.

Grazie!

Just need to vent because there’s no one really that I can talk to or that can probably relate.

I finished the OST for the dev in the Summer. At least that’s what I thought. Turns out more music is needed, and as much as I want to help, it just frustrates and annoys me when I sit down to write, let alone the thought of doing it.

I already agreed to make like five or so more songs but I can’t even get one.

I’ve had no issues with deadlines in the past for this project and others, but this time feels different because, again, from my understanding, the OST was finished, and I moved on mentally. Now I have to go back and pretend to be excited about something I’m not. It feels like I’ve been “clocked on for 9 months now”. Started in January.

It’s stressful. It’s unpaid. We signed a contract. I am very busy with life and school and other things and we agreed, about a month and a half ago, on a deadline for one, maybe two songs by tomorrow. I haven’t worked on any music because, frankly, I don’t want to. And I think it’s selfish, but I also want to follow through with my word and get on with the music so I’m trying to get there physically and mentally. It’s just hard.

Damn, I love creating music, but not like this. I get that it’s a business, but it makes me want to go back to how things used to be: just releasing music independently void from any other humans. Just me and my laptop. That’s all.

And I take responsibility. This was my first gig (started, really, December ‘25). Since then, I’ve learned a lot. I even did a gig a few months back where we specified the amount of music needed and I was paid $/min. It went smooth.

I was more inexperienced when I started this gig.

I guess that’s it for now. Just needed to vent. We’ll see what happens.

Hey everyone.

I’ve been reading a lot of posts here, and honestly, it’s a bit heartbreaking for me. Music composition is something I genuinely burn for with all my heart. I spend countless hours writing soundtracks, building up a portfolio, and polishing every single track because I care so much about quality. But right now, literally everything I write just ends up stuck in a random folder on my hard drive, never to be heard by anyone.

It feels like a total dead end, and I’m starting to lose hope. Landing actual commissions or finding paying clients feels almost impossible from where I’m sitting. It’s deeply frustrating to put your whole soul into a soundtrack only to realize its final destination is local storage.

I know I can deliver really solid work, but I just don't know how to bridge the gap between writing for myself and actually selling my music. So I wanted to ask those of you who made it work: how did you start out? Where did you find your first real clients, and what should I focus on if I want to actually break into this field and handle orders properly?

Any advice or stories would mean a lot right now. Thanks for reading.