Music compositions, improv, etc.

Welcome to a page about me and music 🙂

After being intensely into performing & composing stuff (hobby-wise) in my youth, I’m only slowly getting back into music’ing. In particularly, in 2021 I decided to take the plunge and start (re)learning how to make music digitally, so I bought a Native Instruments S88 MIDI controller (not actually shown in the cluttered photo below) and a bunch of other misc hardware, plus misc recording & virtual instrument software… and in the embedded soundcloud I’ve featured my first set of “er, hi, is this microphone on?” snippet tracks… with one misc. improv at the front, hence “Improv Without a Name” — “Impwan”.

Next up: disciplining myself to learn how to actually use Logic Pro, and then record some <gasp> full songs! In parallel… learning what (real) musicians can and cannot realistically play on their orchestral instruments, so I don’t have people potentially wanting to kill me in the future :p.

A playlist of some trying-it-out noodling, from my Soundcloud.

Adam Lasnik · My newer stuff so far (mostly snippets)

In 2020, I wrote and performed a 2-minute Disney medley for a “Work From Home Talent Show” with Google.

And here’s a video of me playing a piano medley I arranged (2012).
15 song snippets in under two and a half minutes! See how many you can identify 🙂  Recorded in one of the music practice rooms at Google in Mountain View (thanks, Google!)

You can check out my YouTube channel for other videos, or just listen to a mishmash of stuff I’ve not yet sorted below 🙂

• “On the Way” — a pretty short piano composition.  Good: Higher fidelity! Bad: Recorded it with my 15+ year old synthesizer.  Need to upgrade one of these days…
• “Western Clouds” — a 5 minute one-take AdamImprov session (July 10, 2010)
• “In The Heights” medley and just slightly different alternate take (July 10, 2010)
• “Your Love is Finer than Life” — my 5 minute improv’d tribute to a hymn I first heard sung by a Royal High School Choir I was an accompanist for a short time in the 90s.  Dedicated to the outstanding former choral director of that group, Jim Wilbur, and the amazing kids who were a part of the choir. Listen to the choir’s short-but-beautiful version. (August 4, 2009)
• “Sesame Street Theme” — a 1.5 minute semi-jazzy version (August 3, 2009)
• “Amazing Grace” — my 5 minute ballad-to-gospel/jazz version (August 2, 2009)
• “Nine out of Line” — another 5 minute one-take AdamImprov session (July 30, 2009)
• Some Bach Piece — a page from a piece I learned more than 20 years ago (I have no idea
  how I still remember it!) (July 29, 2009)

---

A bit about the music and the recordings below

I have composed and performed all the music listed on this page, except where otherwise noted. Sadly, I haven’t written much in the last decade or three <sigh>… but hopefully I’ll get off my ass and be musical again one of these days.
UPDATE: As noted at the top of this page, I’m finally getting back to music’ing in 2021!

Do note that many of the clips are recorded from cassette tapes or third-generation copies, so sound quality isn’t as nice as I’d like.

Anyway, enough pre-babble… let’s get on with the show!

Mostly stuff from the late 90s (‘cept for a turkey of a piece from 2001)

INSTRUMENTAL STUFF (recorded on my Ensoniq TS-12 Music Workstation synth)
UPDATE:  Sorry, experiencing a bit of technical difficulties here, having to do some rejiggering to make the music links work better.  Thanks for your patience 🙂

Repeatedly Confused turKey

(November 21, 2001) — An experimental piece, but not as bad as it sounds (so to speak). Some strange elements include the continually repeating ‘C’ key throughout (until the very last measure), overlapping meters and themes, and so on. Definitely a bit rough, but still interesting I think. Also, admittedly, a bit of distortion due to bad sound-level choices. Ack… sorry about that!

After Dinner  (1995) — I wrote this long piece — you guessed it —  literally after dinner. Despite the relatively formulaic chord structure and stereotypical ballad elements, it remains my most popular composition (though, admittedly, that’s not saying much :P).

MBD (1995) — This is a short improv cut, written while I was trying to show a friend the beauty of track layering. Problem was… I couldn’t think of anything to layer well on top of this, so it stayed as is. Incidentally, it’s called MBD, because this futzing around took place on my birthday.

Coffee for Silke (1997) — Written for my friend Silke while hanging out with her in Mannheim, Germany.  Yes, there’s a slightly goofy (and intended) pulse shift… emulating the kick one gets after a bit o’ coffee.

Heike In the Park (1997) — I had my friend Heike over for dinner, and as luck would have it, my cooking attempts fell flat.  My only shot at redemption was writing a funny piecelet (a small music composition) for her, and I did so, in the happy likeness of “The Simpsons”… and under 15 minutes, too 🙂

Weather (1996 – unfinished) — Here’s a chance to hear a work in progress (MusicIdea actually hatched way back in ’92! — see earlier incarnation below).

Silliness Untitled (1998) — Just what the title says.  This was done in one-take, then speeded up.

Times Changing Hmm… I actually don’t remember when I wrote this thing, but I think the changing meters are fun. I used to drive novice musician buddies nuts by daring them to figure out the time signature :P.

Super-Oldies but goodies (early 90s and even earlier!)

MY OLDER STUFF — mostly done on my no-longer-owned Roland W-30 music workstation synthesizer

You’ll notice that a lot o’ these pieces have pretty short titles. That’s because it was tedious typing in names via the music keyboard of the synth. Also, you’ll note that many of the “pieces” listed below are pretty darn short. That’s ’cause they’re just “sketches,” or “music ideas.” If you particularly like a sketch, please let me know, so I’ll be more inclined to flesh it out :).

All the stuff below was written/performed in 1993 or earlier.
New Age’ish / Ballad’y stuff

• 5-4-J – I originally wrote this song for a girl named Jen, but never played it for her. Long story. But anyway, the title is a play on the meter (5/4) and the intent (for “J”).
• Wind – Not much to say about this one other than it’s sort of what you’d hear in a sad-film score.

• Softly – Very short one! And sort of soft (imagine that).

• Road – Another sad-mooded one. Middle/end parts are better than the opening :).
• SOD – This is a rather short and weird, but still cool small ditty.

More upbeat stuff

• First – I’ve played around with this a bunch (though I only have this version recorded).
• BOB – Okay, this is just a plain silly one. And… see if you can guess what musical influence I was under when I improv’d this ditty. This piece (like “Silliness Untitled” above) was done in one take, then speeded up.
• Dead – Okay, hardly what one would think of as an “upbeat” title, but it’s definitely not mellow.
• Jam – I stole the drum track, but the rest is mine.
• Saxy Me! – I rather like this one, and am thinking about expanding it… but I’m not sure where.
• S-SK – What does this title stand for? I haven’t the slightest.
• Harsh – Kinda what the title suggests.
• Who Says There’s Time?
  (original draft) — I was doing some writing for the school musical theme show (Northwestern’s Waa-Mu yearly extravaganza)… and I wrote three pieces… two of them serious-type numbers, and this third one as a joke. Take a wild guess which one got picked, goofy lyrics and all. I was pretty embarrassed, but amused 🙂 Here’s the original silly draft that I submitted, and below, you can hear how it cameout.
• Who Says There’s Time? – (orchestra / performance version)
  Another fella did the arrangement of this and I wasn’t one of the guys performing this brilliant masterpiece.

Theme music I wrote for a friend’s class project sitcom, called “The Good Life.”

(mostly “electric guitar” and “piano”)

• Main Theme – Okay, you’ll note one main thing… that I am really lousy with synth percussion. I hope to get better at this soon, though.
• Themelets: gl1 gl2 gl3 gl4 gl5 gl6 gl7 gl8 gl9 gl10 gl11 (missing or miscounted) gl12 gl13
  Mini “pieces” on the main theme for interludes and scene changes.
• Move It! – One of the larger themelets, and indeed, one of my favorites for whatever reason. Back in the days of answering machines, I once used this as the backdrop for my outgoing message :).

Music with “guitar” and “flute”

• Bird – Written and arranged by me sometime around 1989… sappy ballad type 🙂
• Scarborough Fair – By Simon and Garfunkel, my arrangement and performance.
• Men of Music – A re-arrangement of an original piece I wrote for a serenading men’s chorus.
• My Country ‘Tis of Thee – The famous patriotic song… but arranged and performed in a more mellow fashion by me.
• Meadow – Very short and upbeat interlude.
• Weather – The beginnings of an original composition… hoping to actually work more on this one.