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.

Do It Yourself Canon, Musical Canon, Musical Creativity, Music Pedagogy, Partimenti, Improvisation, Composition, Music Education, Creative Practice, JS Bach, Clara Schumann, William Byrd, Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Olivia Rodrigo, Musical Identity Ian Campbell Do It Yourself Canon, Musical Canon, Musical Creativity, Music Pedagogy, Partimenti, Improvisation, Composition, Music Education, Creative Practice, JS Bach, Clara Schumann, William Byrd, Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Olivia Rodrigo, Musical Identity Ian Campbell

A Do-It-Yourself Canon

Build your own musical canon from the music that speaks to you. Instead of inheriting a fixed tradition, explore, play with, and internalize the sounds you love—from Bach to Bad Bunny. When you get inside the harmony and structure, those ideas become yours to shape, transform, and carry forward into your own music.

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