I have a music composition degree from Columbia College Chicago, under the direction of the late jazz composer/arranger William Russo. I studied jazz and classical intensely during this period, as well as aleatory and experimental methods (which I still do to this day). Working as Russo`s copyist for a number of years, I also gained a wealth of knowledge about orchestration.

I write and play music like a painter paints, i.e. I go through periods, I do sketches, studies, I experiment. Since I like the visual arts almost as much as I like music, the domains are always cross-pollinating. I particularly like to apply avant garde techniques, but often retreat to song forms.

I have written hundreds of compositions over the years in a myriad of genres. I self-produced 10 or more albums of music, primarily ambient music or film music. (See my website leebarry.net for a discography)

In the early 90s, I experimented heavily in altered tunings for bass (and guitar), and in 1992, self-published a book on alternate tunings.