Algorithmic Composition offers new ways of thinking about the organization of sound that we call music Composers have used formalized procedures to create music throughout history With the advent of the computer, algorithmic composition allows composers not only to create and experiment with different formalisms, but to hear and evaluate results quickly Often in algorithmic composition, the composer has only a vague idea how the output will sound, but because the input is highly automated, the composer can make adjustments to take advantage of happy accidents, program bugs, and other creative sources of sound Algorithmic Composition: A Guide to Composing Music with Nyquist provides an overview of procedural approaches to music generation It introduces programming concepts through many examples written using the Nyquist system for music composition and sound synthesis