Do you know RO ④ ③ ② ①?

By Ian Campbell

Welcome to Try This! Your weekly exploration of musical patterns applied to partimenti. This week, we will start exploring the Rule of the Octave ④ ③ ② ①.

[FREE WORKSHOP] Improvise a Classical Phrase

📅 April 21-25, 2025 | ⏰ 11:00-11:30 AM CST | 📍 Live on Zoom

Unlock the secrets of classical improvisation with partimenti, the creative tool used by Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven (and so many others)! In this free, week-long workshop, you’ll learn to craft elegant phrases from scratch—no prior improvisation experience needed.

🎵 Explore harmony & counterpoint at your instrument

🎵 Build musical fluency & creativity

🎵 Connect with a supportive Slack community

🔹 You’ll need: Early intermediate playing skills + basic scale & interval knowledge (prep materials provided).

📹 Recordings available for all participants!

Ok, {{contact.first_name}}, grab your instrument and let’s try it!

The RO ④ ③ ② ①

Play ④ ③ ② ① in G major.
Add the intervals shown above each note.
Now try the ‘Prinner’.
Try one more
Now explore all of the possibilities! Try whole notes against the bass and half notes too. Make as many version as you can!

Are you up for a challenge?

Try transposing the this pattern to D major or F major.

Next Week

We will look at some Bach and Simon & Garfunkel that use this bassline.

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THE PARTIMENTI WORKSHOP

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The Partimenti Workshop is a safe place that welcomes people of all races, religions, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, and body types. We respect, celebrate, encourage, and nurture the unique musical and creative possibilities of each individual.

We acknowledge that we are gather, teach, make art and music on ancestral lands, on Treaty One Territory and that the land on which we gather is the traditional territory of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation and that our water is sourced from Shoal Lake 40 First Nation.