Pieces for Sale
View information about each piece here, and use the order form below if you would like to purchase a download.
Scroll down further for a complete list of my works.
Scroll down further for a complete list of my works.
For a speaking percussionist
Commissioned by [and dedicated to] Dr. John Lane, Associate Professor of Percussion and Director of Percussion Studies, Sam Houston State University, Texas [2016]
The download is a .pdf performance score with notes and instructions
Percussion and backing tape, one player
For multi percussion and tape [1984] the piece relies on the artistry of the performer to absorb and learn the rhythms - transcribed directly from Vietnamese speech - then fashion a unique realisation.
DOWNLOAD CONTAINS:
Full score Performance instructions Program note Master tape part, .mp3 and .aif formats Demo performance by GL, .mp3 &.aif "'...and now for the news' is the original spoken word piece for the modern age. By taking the rhythms and sonic aspects of a newscast in Vietnamese and making it into a sonic partner for a percussionist/improvisor Graeme Leak invites the performer to engage in a multi-lingual, multi-disicplinary, multi-perspective journey. It's a wild ride! What a fabulous musical experience! Most recommended." - Steven Schick, Distinguished Professor of Music, University of California, San Diego "Because of its freeness, I strongly recommend this piece to any percussionist, young or old, looking to develop some improvisation chops. This is a piece that will remain in your repertoire for years to come, allowing it to develop as you develop as a musician." - Cory Hills, independent percussionist and composer 
Percussion quartet
Percussion Quartet for Xylophone, Marimba, Drums, Harmonicas, Keyboard, Melodica and Slap String Guitar*, commissioned by Synergy Percussion, 1990.
*one string guitar set up on its back with a high bridge and played with sticks THE DOWNLOAD CONTAINS
Full score with performance and program notes, parts for Player One, Player Two, Player Three and Player Four. It is recommended to print the score on A4 sized paper and enlarge to A3 (or print on A3 if possible) 
Multi-percussion, one player
My Opus One, written for my graduating ASCM Recital at the Sydney Conservatorium in 1978, this piece is now on the AMEB Percussion Syllabus in Australia. It is as yet unrecorded - the demo below features very ordinary midi instruments played by a robot.
THE DOWNLOAD CONTAINS
pdf score with performance notes |
A manual for music workshops [BOOK]
"Leak takes a fresh approach to musical learning by using the body as a performance instrument. It’s a technique that defies the constraints of more conventional ways of learning music which focus on a particular instrument or style. Based on extensive experience as a musician and teacher, Leak’s unique ‘performance-making’ process builds musical skills and imagination, transforming students into composer–performers. This book shows how to run a performance-making workshop (everything from setting up a workspace to managing group dynamics), and offers a wide range of warm-up techniques plus challenging exercises on pulse, metre, rhythm, tone, timbre and more."
AVAILABLE VIA CURRENCY PRESS AUSTRALIA 
Marimba, feet, voice, one player
Yo Yp Man [1991] began as a transcription of 'Xylophone Solo #1' from a record I bought it when I was about twelve titled 'Music and Musicians of the Angolan Border' (Lyrichord LLST-7311).
The percussive rhythms in the track are transferred to the feet and the marimba lines are approximate versions of the original, ad lib, and I added a vocal/whistling melody. WHAT'S IN the DOWNLOAD: 6 page pdf score, includes performance instructions and a suggested arrangement 
Marimba and voice, one player
for marimba and voice, one player, 1991
music by Graeme Leak text by Frankie Lee A story with marimba accompaniment in the style of the African Griots, running approximately 5-6min.
Much of the text is verbatim from overheard conversations in Sydney nightclubs. Although first written and performed in 1991, the issues in the story (around music likes, dislikes and the extent that these are linked to fashion and image) are just as relevant today. The performer is encouraged to work with an actor, vocal coach or theatre director to develop a relaxed, confident and conversational deliver. 
Marimba, melodeon, one player
The LH plays marimba, while RH keys the melodeon. The piece is a reflective and slightly mournful meditation on absence
What's in the download:
.pdf score (only one more page than what you see below...) |
Piano and tuba OR solo piano
Exhibit B and Exhibit F (2010) for piano, tuba, seed pods and toy piano, one or two players was commissioned by Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey for Constellation, a durational chamber work for 12 or 13 composers in a three-week exhibition with performance interruptions July 1 to 18, 2010
* the ethereal drones and dripping water atmospheres audible in the recordings were added by Maddie and Tim. They are from my installation 'The Dripolator', featured in Gauge
The download is a .pdf of the score 
Percussion trio
'Hello?...' [2007] is a theme and variations on four Nokia ringtones that were popular in the year 2007. It was commissioned for performance by the B'Tutta ensemble as part of the Musica Viva In Schools program
Instrumentation
Player 1: mp3 files, Glockenspiel, Agogo Bells, Small kit bass drum and pedal, Snare drum (snares off), Medium Suspended Cymbal Player 2: Vibraphone Player 3: Marimba (1st player), Vibraphone Player 4: Marimba (2nd player) There is only one marimba and one vibraphone in the set up - they are shared between the players Kit bass drum not too damped and with two heads if possible - a bit ringy like a small concert BD Footnote, 2014 Hello? [a ringtone fantasy] was commissioned by the Musica Viva In Schools program in 2007. The brief was to write a piece that would be played in schools and discussed in classrooms as part of this excellent program. I wanted to create a work that would make a direct connection with students and provide a useful springboard for classroom discussions and music-making activities. After toying with a lot of approaches I finally settled on exploring ringtones as musical compositions: a) because they were universally and instantly recognisable; and b) nearly every school child I knew had a phone. In 2007 smart phones were not around. I based the piece on the popular Nokia ringtones and auditioned all 43 melodies available on a Nokia 1100, rating their popularity with the help of my children and their friends. I chose Kick, Jumping, Nokia Tune* and Samba and wrote a theme and variations around the central question.. Where might this ringtone go if it didn’t stop? Now, I have to acknowledge that Hello? obviously dated very quickly. The once instantly recognisable ringtones have become quaint memories. I am hoping that they will soon do the usual cyclic thing and enjoy a retro-hip, global renaissance. * the Nokia tune is in fact the 19th Century Spanish guitar piece Gran Vals by Francisco Tarrega. INCLUDED IN THE DOWNLOAD Full score All parts mp3 files for playback/triggering 
Minimum 4 drummers, can double
DRUMSONG (1989) was written for the Sydney band Jump Back Jack and was first performed at Kinsela's nightclub as part of the music/dance celebration Gravity. The four drum parts from high to low fit together to become a mesmeric, joyful, communal groove. It can be played with just four players or parts can be doubled ad infinitum for larger ensembles.
The score contains patterns and fills for the group to arrange. A sample arrangement is included. Changes are called by a leader, who can either play one of the drum parts or add an optional double bell pattern. The piece is primarily about feel and groove and needs lots of repetition in rehearsal to get to the point where the players are relaxed. INCLUDED IN THE DOWNLOAD
Five page score Suggested arrangement Performance notes Program note Demonstration .aiff and .mp3 audio files 
SSAA children's choir, 4 percussion
OR SSAA children's choir, perc for Gondwana Choirs and Synergy Percussion
Voices: Soprano 1 Soprano 2 Alto 1 Alto 2 Juniors Percussion: Shaker, Tamborim, Tin-Cans (marimba at end) Bongos, Snare Drum, Glockenspiel Vibraphone, Woodblocks Marimba, Tom-Toms *NB a version for piano and percussion exists please contact me if you would like to purchase it What's in the download
SCORE (B4 landscape - can be printed on A4) VOCAL SCORE combining Juniors, S1, S2, A1, A2 (A4 Landscape) INDIVIDUAL VOCAL PARTS for Juniors, S1, S2, A1 and A2 (A4 portrait) PERCUSSION PARTS (all A4 portrait) 1. Egg Shaker, Tamborim, Tin Cans, Marimba (at end) 2. Bongos, Snare Drum, Glockenspiel 3. Vibraphone, Woodblocks 4. Marimba, Tom-Toms |
for a complete list of all my works please scroll down