IFR Deep Foundations is a 12 week online workshop focused on the first two layers of the IFR method. You will learn to move around your instrument effortlessly in any key, and we will explore the seven harmonic environments of the major scale with video lessons for each instrument, ear training, creative exercises and personal coaching.
At Improvise for Real, we are huge fans of Musical U. Many of our most enthusiastic students are also members of Musical U, and we're excited to show you what we do.
The way we teach music at Improvise for Real is a perfect match for Musical U. Each program can take you to different places, but we use many of the same principles. So we think that you will feel right at home with our teaching, and this workshop is the perfect way to get started.
We are so excited to share this with you that we want to offer you a $50 discount just for being part of the Musical U community. (We'll explain more about that below.)
If you've been curious about Improvise for Real, this is the perfect way for you to get started! Our entire team of IFR instructors has worked together to create what we believe is the ideal experience for the beginning IFR student. This workshop will give you the perfect foundation for a lifetime of creative improvising.
The workshop will be led by 5 different IFR instructors with video lessons for each instrument family. There will also be special ear training video lessons, audio lessons, backing tracks and more. All materials are included and are yours to keep forever.
The workshop begins September 16 and runs through December 10, 2023. This online group workshop will be very physical and a lot of fun. The workshop focuses on the first two layers of the IFR method:
IFR Exercise 1: Landscape is where you will learn how to move around your instrument effortlessly in any key. This life changing ability is how IFR students are able to play and improvise over any song they know in any key. But it's also an essential part of our ability to connect with our ear and play the sounds we imagine.
IFR Exercise 2: Seven Worlds is a deep exploration of the seven harmonic environments of the major scale. You will discover a vast new repertoire of beautiful sounds to use in your improvising, and you will learn how to build the connection between your ear, your imagination and your instrument.
This workshop is open to all instruments and ability levels:
The workshop begins September 16, 2023 and we hope you'll join us! There will be video lessons with step-by-step demonstrations for each instrument, special ear training activities with both video and audio lessons, and many different creative exercises with backing tracks. All video lessons are new for this course and have never been published elsewhere.
This workshop will also be very interactive. You are invited to upload videos of your practicing to receive personal feedback and coaching from our IFR instructors. And we will have an online student forum for group discussion and Q&A as we go through this transformational journey together.
Every few days we will publish a new video lesson that you can watch at your own convenience. We use video lessons instead of live sessions to make the course easily adaptable to your schedule. Each lesson will teach you the next level of our music practice and will be accompanied by backing tracks, audio lessons and other practice tools. You can practice on your own schedule and participate in our student forum whenever you like. And even after the workshop is over, you will have all of the lesson materials available to you forever in your member's area at our website.
For the first time ever, in this workshop we will have specialized video lessons for each instrument family. There will be video lessons and demonstrations for all of the following instrument categories:
Video lessons for brass and woodwinds
Jelske Hoogervorst is a professional jazz saxophonist and improvisation coach based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Jelske will be teaching the instrument lessons for brass and woodwinds, demonstrating each exercise on the saxophone.
Video lessons for piano
Paul Bourque is a professional pianist and composer based in New York City. Paul will be teaching the instrument lessons for piano, with a special focus on how to incorporate the left hand into your improvisation practice right from the beginning.
Video lessons for guitar
David Reed is the co-founder of Improvise for Real and a professional guitarist based in New York City. David will be teaching the instrument lessons for guitar with a special focus on learning to easily visualize and combine notes on the fretboard.
Video lessons for bass
Ben Bourque is a professional guitarist, bass player and trombonist based in New York City. Ben will be teaching the instrument lessons for bass with a special focus on applying the IFR harmonic concepts to the unique role of the bass, creating riffs and walking lines in addition to soloing.
These specialized instrument lessons will show you exactly how to practice each exercise on your instrument, and give you inspiration and ideas about how to take advantage of the unique capabilities of your instrument. Then we can all practice the exercises together and share our experiences in the discussion forum. In this way we can all get inspired by what the other instruments are doing. In addition, every student is welcome to take advantage of all of the different instrument lessons.
As you know, everything we do in IFR is 100% integrated with our ear. As part of our Deep Foundations workshop there will be a special series of lesson videos on exploring the sounds by ear, taught by Mireia Clua.
Ear training video lessons
Mireia Clua is the co-founder of Improvise for Real and a professional violinist based in New York City. Mireia is the creator of the entire IFR ear training program, and she will be teaching the ear training lessons in this course. These video lessons are for all instruments and will be supported by audio lessons and creative exercises.
This workshop will be led by five different IFR instructors. Throughout the entire course you'll be able to ask questions, discuss your challenges and even record videos of your practicing so that we can give you personal coaching and feedback. You can send us these videos privately if you don't want anyone else to see them. Or you can share them with the entire group so that you can also get feedback and ideas from other students in the course.
We will also have a student forum where the entire community can get together to exchange ideas, ask questions and give each other encouragement. If you don't want to participate in the group, you can just work on the lessons at your own pace and we will work with you individually to make sure you're successful. But in past IFR workshops the student forum has been one of the most valuable and popular resources of the course. So I think you'll really enjoy it, and you'll be surprised how many great practice ideas come out of the student forum!
For everyone else visiting our website, the cost of this workshop is $300. But on this special page just for Musical U, you can sign up for the complete workshop for just $250. Please join us and together we will add a whole new dimension to your Musical U experience!
If you have any questions about the workshop, please send me an e-mail at david@improviseforreal.com and I'll be happy to answer any questions you have.
