Don Gansert

My music training began at the age of seven with piano lessons. After a few short years my repertoire included pieces by Bach, Rachmaninoff, Ravel and Mozart. While still in my teens I was playing solo engagements, big musical events and began working with local bands. During that time I developed improvisational skills that eventually progressed into a jazz style consisting of a series of imaginative melodies. And it was this ability to improvise that opened the door for developing a new musical venture consisting of a variety of melodic phrases for different musical modes. I began to jot down the notes and soon had a file of melodic phrases that when coupled together would form interesting themes. This turned out to be my first venture into music writing.

Today, when I get set to write a new song, I often listen to my earlier melodic work. And I find it encouraging that these bits and pieces from my original files can serve as a creator of ideas for a new song. This has resulted in many delightful moments for me, such as working with D.J.’s and on many occasions hearing my music played on the radio… and of course, having the pleasure of hearing several of my songs recorded by HillTop Records.