Balakauskas completed his studies at the Vilnius Pedagogical Institute in 1961 before enrolling in Borys Lyatoshyns'ky's composition class at Kiev Conservatory in 1969. During his initial years at the conservatory, Balakauskas drew inspiration from the works of Stockhausen, Boulez, Xenakis, Webern, and Messiaen. Nevertheless, by the 1960s, he developed his own unique harmonic system that was dubbed the "Balakauskas tonality" and differed greatly from the atonality and serialism popularized by the Second Viennese School. His revolutionary system utilized specific subsets of notes from the twelve tones and often featured the simultaneous use of both minor and major thirds, which lent his compositions a jazz-like quality, although the composer has been quick to clarify that this was merely a coincidence.