We'd love to help! Email us at support@improviseforreal.com and tell us about your instrument, your current level, and what you're hoping to achieve. We'll write back to you personally (no AI!), and figure out together a good strategy for you.
Also check out the Student Questions in the Library—you'll find helpful guidance about the lessons, the method, and the concepts you're learning.
Start with the Student Questions section in the Library, where you’ll find helpful guidance about the lessons, the method, and the concepts you’re learning. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, feel free to write to us at support@improviseforreal.com—we’ll get back to you personally.
We regularly update the Library with questions we receive from students, so don’t be shy about asking. Your question might end up helping other students too!
Our mission is for this website to be your personal music paradise, with everything you need for a beautiful creative practice. Our goal is to give you all the tools you need to practice and grow as a musical artist, with nothing more to purchase ever. So we don't have "upsell" offers or restricted "premium" content, and we're not trying to sell expensive additional services like private coaching.
But if you need help getting started in your new creative practice, please write to us! All members have access to unlimited email support at no additional cost, and we have lots of experience helping our students build personalized practice plans that are exciting, enjoyable and effective. Together we can design the ideal learning path for you based on your current skills and musical goals. Then you'll know precisely where to begin and how to move forward with everything the site has to offer.
If you need help getting started or if you have any questions about the lessons, just write to us at support@improviseforreal.com — we're always happy to help.
To enable or disable subtitles, look for the "CC" button at the bottom right of the video player and click it.
You can adjust the video speed by clicking the gear icon (⚙️) located at the bottom right of the video player. This will open a settings menu where you can select slower or faster playback speeds.
Click the fullscreen button at the bottom right of the video player—it looks like four arrows pointing outward.
Here are a few things to check:
The Master Player gives you access to all IFR audio tracks—every jam track and Sing the Numbers audio track—in one place.
Key features:
✓ Filter by collection and key
✓ Search for specific chords or harmonic concepts (e.g., "3D," "seventh harmonic environment")
✓ Shuffle tracks randomly to practice finding keys by ear
It's designed to give you quick, flexible access to exactly what you want to practice.
The Master Player brings together all the jam tracks and audio ear training collections from our courses, so you can explore IFR's complete audio content from one place.
FILTERS
Use the filters above the player to choose the key and/or harmonic content you want to explore today. If you want to eliminate a filter, just click on it again to toggle it off, or click the "×" on the filter chip.
PLAYER CONTROLS
Use the controls to play/pause, skip forwards/backwards, shuffle the playlist, or choose repeat track / repeat playlist.
All IFR jam tracks are available in the Master Player and organized into collections based on harmonic complexity. Think of them as progressive levels of harmony:
Drones
In music, a drone is a continuous, unchanging harmonic background with a clear and stable tonal center. Because it's so pure and simple, it's a powerful tool for both ear training and improvisation, giving you a spacious, uncluttered environment to explore the sounds.
Seven Worlds
In the Improvise for Real method, the Seven Worlds are the seven harmonic environments that come from the major scale. Each "world" is built on one note of the scale and has its own unique feel. At this level, we also study the seven chords of the major scale in isolation.
This collection includes all the jam tracks from IFR Jam Tracks Level 1: Seven Worlds and from the video courses Ear Training for Musical Creativity 1 & 2.
Pure Harmony Essentials
In IFR, Pure Harmony is the study of chord progressions using the natural chords from the major scale: 1, 2-, 3-, 4, 5D, 6-, and 7-b5.
In the "Essentials" collection, we focus on just four chords—1, 4, 5D, and 6-—because these are the most fundamental chords in Western harmony and the foundation for more complex harmonic movements. Mastering these essential chords gives you a solid understanding of harmony.
This collection includes all the jam tracks from IFR Jam Tracks Level 2: Pure Harmony Essentials and also from the video course Recognizing Chords by Ear.
Pure Harmony Advanced
In Pure Harmony Advanced, we study the remaining chords of the major scale: 2-, 3-, and 7-b5.
Mixed Harmony
Mixed Harmony is the study of chord progressions that include chords from outside the key of the music. These sounds come from mixing and rearranging the chord shapes you learned in Pure Harmony, giving you the tools to understand and play the songs you love.
Blues Mastery
This collection includes all tracks from the Blues Mastery Course. Most of these tracks are at the level of Mixed Harmony because they include chords that borrow notes from outside the key of the music.
Jazz Standards
This collection includes all the jazz standard songs from Standards Workout 1 & 2. All of these songs are at the level of Mixed Harmony because they include chords that borrow notes from outside the key of the music.
Sing the Numbers
This player also includes all the Sing the Numbers courses:
Sing the Numbers is our ear training sing-along collection where you learn to sing and recognize each note of the major scale by its function in the harmony. Through simple call-and-response exercises and focused listening, you gradually internalize the sound of every scale degree and its relationship to the tonal center, building a clear, intuitive connection to the tonal map that supports all your improvising and musical creativity.
The Master Player contains nearly 2,000 tracks! To keep things running smoothly, it loads only the tracks that match your selected filters rather than loading the entire library at once.
This means there will be a brief loading period each time you adjust your filters while the player retrieves and organizes the relevant tracks.
If the player seems slower than usual:
If you're experiencing other problems with the Master Player, contact us at support@improviseforreal.com and we'll help you troubleshoot.
You can update your password anytime from your "Account" page. Just follow these steps:
If you need help resetting your password, contact us at support@improviseforreal.com.
You can update your email anytime from your "Account" page. Just follow these steps:
If you need help resetting changing your account settings, don't hesitate to contact us at support@improviseforreal.com.
You can manage your billing information and payment method from your "Account" page. Just follow these steps:
If you need help with billing or changing your payment method, don't hesitate to contact us at support@improviseforreal.com.
Yes! You can switch to Yearly billing at any time through your account dashboard. When you make the switch, your current subscription will be cancelled and you'll complete checkout for your new billing plan. The payment is prorated—you'll only pay the difference between what you've already paid and the new plan cost, with credit applied for the time remaining in your current billing period.
To change from Yearly to Monthly billing, first cancel your current Yearly subscription. You'll keep full access for the entire year you've already paid for. When your year ends, simply return to the website and subscribe with Monthly billing. If you need help with this, please don't hesitate to write to us at support@improviseforreal.com. We are here to help!
Yes. Your subscription will automatically renew at the beginning of each billing period unless you cancel it.
Important note about canceling:
To properly cancel your subscription, you need to cancel it from your Account page on our website.
Check your Account page to confirm there's no active subscription. Contact us at support@improviseforreal.com if you need assistance.
We'd encourage you not to dabble—really commit to a video course and give it some time. The way IFR teaches can feel different at first, but learning to improvise is a journey, and the breakthroughs often happen when you stay with the method long enough to let things sink in.
If you're unsure which course to start with or need any guidance along the way, we're here to help. Just write to us at support@improviseforreal.com.
That said, we understand that IFR might not be the right fit for everyone. If you explore the method during your first 30 days and feel it's not for you right now, just let us know and we'll happily refund your payment. No pressure. After that, you can cancel your membership anytime from your "Account" page.
You can easily cancel your membership at "Account" page. Just follow these steps:
After cancelling, you keep full access until your subscription period ends. No future charges will be made. Your account will display "Active" until then because you're still using your paid time.
If you need any help or have questions about canceling, contact us at support@improviseforreal.com.
When you cancel, you'll continue to enjoy full access through the end of your current paid period—nothing changes immediately. After that, automatic payments will stop and you won't be charged again. Your account will show the subscription as "Active" while you're still using the time you've paid for, which is completely normal.
Within your first 30 days: Yes! We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you cancel within 30 days of joining, you can ask for a refund. If IFR is not the right fit, just write to us within the first 30 days of your membership and we'll give you a full refund.
After 30 days: You won't receive a prorated refund for unused time, but here's what happens with each plan:
Monthly Plan: Cancel anytime and you won't be charged again. You'll keep access through the end of your current billing period.
Yearly Plan: If you cancel, you'll keep full access for the remainder of your paid year. However, we don't offer prorated refunds for unused months since the yearly plan is prepaid at a discounted rate.
If you need help with your membership, don't hesitate to write to us at support@improviseforreal.com. We are happy to help!
If you cancel and change your mind, contact us right away at support@improviseforreal.com and we'll help you get everything sorted out quickly.
You can reach out to us anytime via email at support@improviseforreal.com. We try to answer all messages within one business day and we're always glad to help you with any questions about your musical journey with Improvise for Real.
David Reed
Co-founder and teacher at Improvise for Real
David Reed is a professional guitarist based in New York City and the co-founder of Improvise for Real. A musician for more than 30 years, his unique perspective on music and creativity is drawn from his experiences playing and teaching music in New York, Los Angeles, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. David is the author of “Improvise for Real” and the creator of the IFR method for guitar. His video lessons combine soloing, comping and chord melody playing to give you a complete mastery of both harmony and the guitar.
Mireia Clua
Co-founder and teacher at Improvise for Real
Mireia Clua is a professional violinist based in New York City and the co-founder of Improvise for Real. Mireia is the creator of the entire IFR ear training program including our Sing the Numbers audio courses. She has personally taught hundreds of IFR students in live workshops, and she has more than 20 years of experience teaching music to both children and adults. Mireia is especially focused on creating a safe learning environment where each student feels respected, nurtured and encouraged.
Jelske Hoogervorst
Teacher at Improvise for Real
Jelske Hoogervorst is a professional jazz saxophonist and improvisation coach based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Jelske has been teaching the IFR method for more than 10 years to private students and group workshops. Her video lessons include lots of playing activities like “trading fours” where you get to play along with her, taking turns improvising melodies. This opportunity to improvise in a musical dialogue with a professional jazz artist is both inspiring and educational, and it’s one of the most popular features of Jelske’s IFR courses.
Paul Bourque
Teacher at Improvise for Real
Paul Bourque is a professional pianist and composer based in New York City. Paul teaches the IFR video lessons for piano, with a special focus on how to incorporate the left hand into your improvisation practice right from the beginning. Paul is a truly gifted teacher who creates the ideal learning environment for musical creativity at the piano. His lessons are beautiful, meditative and deeply inspiring.
Ben Bourque
Teacher at Improvise for Real
Ben Bourque is a professional guitarist, bassist and trombonist based in New York City. Ben teaches the IFR video 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. Ben has a special passion for both music theory and ear training. His video lessons for bass include lots of creative exploration, jamming with backing tracks, and learning to hear and sing the sounds you play.
We don’t have a community forum—and this is a very intentional choice.
Our goal with Improvise for Real is to offer a calm, centered way of studying music, where the most meaningful discoveries come from your own listening, experimentation, and reflection. The heart of the method is your personal practice with music itself.
While we considered creating a forum, we ultimately decided against it for a few reasons:
We want to encourage you to step away from the screen and spend your time actually making music.
We aim to keep the learning environment simple, focused, and free from noise or distraction. In an open forum, it’s difficult to preserve the tone, culture, and quality of exchange we care about.
We prefer to devote our energy to creating high-quality learning materials and offering thoughtful, personal support, rather than moderating a large online community.
That said, you’re never on your own. You’re always welcome to write to us with questions, and we’re happy to support you directly.
We’re here to help! Please don’t hesitate to email us at support@ImproviseForReal.com.
We try to answer all messages within one business day and we’re always glad to help you with any questions about your membership and your musical journey with Improvise for Real.
