Welcome to Try This! Your weekly look at a partimenti rule. This week we are going to start with the Rule of the Octave (RO)! If you don’t know the RO it is the most useful musical pattern that shows up in music from Bach to Taylor Swift.
The Rule of the Octave
Don’t think of the RO as a rule or even one rule. Think of the RO as the most common collection of intervals (we usually call a collection of intervals a chord) above each scale degree that is moving by step. Also don’t think of it as the rule, I prefer to think of it as 15 discreet rules that work together.
If you want to know more about the RO, it’s history, and use in composition check out Early Music Sources episode on the RO here.
But lets not get distracted from with what the RO, lets get down to learning it!
So {{contact.first_name}}, grab your instrument and let’s try it!
RO ① ⑦ ① up to ⑤
- Play ① ⑦ ① ② ③ ④ ⑤ in D major.
- Try first position, find the most neutral line starting at the 8v. Above ① add an 8v, above ⑦ add the 3rd, above ① come back to the 8v, above ② add the 6th, above ③ add the 6th, above ④ add the 5th, and above ⑤ add the 3rd.
- Try second position, find the most neutral line starting at the 3rd. Above ① add an 3rd, above ⑦ add the 5th (yup, it’s going to be a tritone), above ① come back to the 3rd, above ② add the 3rd, above ③ add the 8v, above ④ add the 6th, and above ⑤ add the 5th.
- Try third position, find the most neutral line starting at the 5th. Above ① add an 5th, above ⑦ add the 6th, above ① come back to the 5th, above ② add the 4th, above ③ add the 3rd, above ④ add the 3rd and above ⑤ add the 8v.
- Now put all of those together into chords!
Are you up for a challenge?
- Try transposing the RO to C major and B flat major.
- Try playing the whole notes in the bass with one note, any of the given intervals, in the upper voice (whole notes against whole notes).
- Try playing the whole notes in the bass with two notes, any of the given intervals, in the upper voice (half notes against hole notes). You could even add three or four notes above the bass. See what kind of melody you could weave!
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Every Friday you will receive:
- a emailed partimenti lesson in your inbox
- learn sequences, the Rule of the Octave, and cadences
- learn how to deconstruct and reconstruct the patterns at your instrument
- see how great composers use these elements in their compositions
- then we’ll put the elements together and create a musical phrase.
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