| Sumario: | This paper will give an overview of the author's experience in using rule-based computing in music composition. After discussing both imposed and voluntary constraints in existing music, a very short description of a rule-based computer system will be given. The concept of musical dimensions will be discussed, and used to illustrate the complexity of implementing musical structures into a computer system. A central section in the article will focus on different approaches to the design of musical rules. This will be followed by a discussion of the relationship between pitch and rhythm, and the role of motifs and gestures. Finally, two examples from one of the author's compositions will illustrate how rules can be used to formalize music.
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