Welcome to Try This!—a space for exploring old ideas that still have something to teach us. This year, I’m expanding Try This! with monthly articles about partimenti—the fascinating 18th-century teaching tradition that challenges us to rethink music history and reconsider how we teach and learn music today. Lately, I’ve been reading and thinking about Joseph […]
Welcome to Try This! Your weekly exploration of musical patterns applied to partimenti. This week we’re going to look at how two master composers—JS Bach (1685–1750) and Paul Simon (b 1941)—realized these patterns in their music. Here is last weeks post introducing the ④ ③ ② ①. Share This! If you know anyone who you
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
Once upon a time, in the Kingdom of Naples, a land of sunlit streets and lively piazzas, musicians created an ingenious way to learn, teach, and create music. This method was not only efficient, and effective but—perhaps most importantly—fun! Just like kids build castles with Lego bricks, mixing shapes and colours to build an unlimited
Welcome to Try This! Your weekly exploration of musical patterns and partimenti rules. Let’s Play! This week we are going to play with two basslines using the ① ④ ⑤ ①. Here’s the process both of these basslines: Bassline 1 Bassline 2 Share This! If you know anyone who you might like Try This!, please
Welcome to Try This! Your weekly exploration of musical patterns and partimenti rules. This week we’re going to look at how two master composers—Arcangelo Corelli (1653 – 1713) and Beethoven (1770 – 1827)—realized these patterns in their compositions. Here is last weeks post introducing the ① ④ ⑤ ①. Romantic Bassline Project Is there a
Welcome to Try This! Your weekly exploration of musical patterns and partimenti rules. Romantic Bassline Project Is there a harmonic moment that you love in Chopin, either of the Schumann’s Brahms, or Mahler. I’m in the process of analyzing all sorts of romantic period repertoire and creating basslines from that repertoire to explore, improvise with,
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I hope you and your family are well, that you’ve had the chance to spend time with people you love, and have had the chance to enjoyed some yummy food! I was the Music Director at St Mary’s Cathedral in Winnipeg for eleven years. One of my favorite parts of
This week we are going to work on the third phrase starting in bar 10. This is the last phrase we’ll look at here because the last phrase is the same as the first. So this week we will wrap up our work with Zingarelli’s first partimento. Here’s the whole partimento, make sure to play
Part 3 of 3: Zingarelli’s Libro Primo, Partimento No 1Read More »
Partimenti Here is my completed realization of Zingerelli’s first partimento. I kept this realization really simple, but it’s still tuneful and develops the opening idea. You’ll notice a couple things: Try It! and Get a Free Partimenti Lesson You’ve seen my realization, try one yourself. Grab a sheet of manuscript paper or copy the bassline
My Realization of Zingarelli’s Libro Primo, Partimento No 1Read More »
