Thinking Music

Notes on partimenti, musical creativity, improvisation, and learning to think in music.

These essays explore historical traditions of musical training, practical tools for improvisation and composition, and reflections on how musicians learn to create.

Teach, History, Sound Before Sight, Creative Practice Ian Campbell Teach, History, Sound Before Sight, Creative Practice Ian Campbell

COMING SOON! Forever-Free Workshop: Introduction to Partimenti

Many musicians who discover partimenti feel the same thing: curiosity, followed by confusion. Because partimenti was historically taught as an oral tradition, the earliest steps were rarely written down. This post explores why that gap exists and introduces a new, forever-free workshop designed to rebuild those missing first steps.

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Teaching, Creative Practice Ian Campbell Teaching, Creative Practice Ian Campbell

Inventing Music at the Keyboard

Inventing Music at the Keyboard is a new resource designed to help beginner pianists move beyond simply playing notes toward understanding how music works from the inside out. Built around scales, intervals, listening, and creative exploration, the series aims to cultivate musical fluency, improvisation, and compositional confidence from the very beginning.

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