Image Created using the Flarium24 Fractal Generator       

This music is composed entirely by Fractal / Generative means by my PC.  What does this mean?  Instant composition?
A computer composing music?  What advantages are there to this method?

Each note was indeed generated by software running on my computer.  As to whether the computer composed the tune,
well there are some caveats to that statement....

The answer lies somewhere between "yes" and "no".....the various software generates MIDI sequences based upon the
interations of mathematical formulae.  However, almost every aspect of what is produced is configurable by the composer.
Not so much a concern with each individual note, but a bit broader "brush" on this musical canvas.  A process of "auditioning"
passages, altering to suit, cyclical in nature.....

Unattended composition this is not - (though possible) - as with any other type of music, the involvement of the composer is an
essential element if it is to *work*.  See  The Music of Jose Oscar Marques  for some excellent examples of what is possible
with Fractal Music as well as some interesting commentary on the subject.  Another composer represented here at Midiworld
who has written his own composing software is  Tim Thompson .

The computer generates the sequences.  I either approve or alter parameters  till I approve of what is generated.  There is no
composition without my involvement, my selection of what works and what is discarded.  I choose the instruments and "audition"
till I like what I hear....so, perhaps it is a partnership between me and the software, myself making the final decisions and tweaking
everything during the process.  See the MusiNum link below - the page which composes a tune from your IP address is Lars Kindermann's
experiment at using neural networks to "train" software to create pleasing music.  Does it succeed?  Does my music succeed in this?
The decision is left to the ear of the beholder.......
 

Advantages
A democratization - with computers, anyone can now make music for their enjoyment.  One might liken this to what photography did to
art.  In centuries  past a family portrait would have to be painted by an artist - now anyone can take a snapshot.  A good picture?  Well,
not everyone is Ansel Adams with a camera....but everyone can express themselves through the medium.

Ideas - as computer-generated MIDI sequences can often yield suprises, perhaps this is a great method for getting new ideas that the
traditional musician can then adapt to be realized by "real" musicians.

Another tool to put in your toolkit - and there seem to be new fractal/generative tools popping up all the time.  A trend seems to be
using the output of these various fractal/generative tools as raw material to be manipulated / mixed  with blends of both electronic and
traditional instruments of all types.  See  Forrest Fang  for some truly excellent examples.