IFR blog > Instrument blogs > Piano blog > Free sample lesson 2 whole steps
How to compose bass riffs on the spot?

I play in a blues band and quite often I need to compose bass riffs spontaneously to support the guitarist. How can I get better at doing this?

Mobility, part 2 (whole steps)

In this free sample lesson from Deep Foundations for Guitar, you will learn a slight alteration to the Mobility technique that allows you to move freely around the entire fretboard by whole steps.

Piano for Non-Pianists 5

In this lesson you'll learn one of the keys to creating beautiful melodies, which is to notice the feelings of tension or relaxation produced by each note of the harmonic environment.

What I hope to give you

This short sample chapter from the book "Improvise for Real" provides a nice overview of everything you will learn.

IFR video lesson: 'Follow your Voice' for horn players

The IFR exercise "Follow your Voice" is something we normally practice on a keyboard so that we can sing the notes as we play them. But in this video I'll show you a great variation on this exercise that you can practice with your saxophone.

IFR video lesson: How to study the modes

In this video I teach you how you can study the modes creatively and learn to make your own music with these beautiful sounds.

Best way to analyze standards in a minor key

I understand that you always want us to see where we are in the overall key of the music. So you have us think of the relative minor as note 6. But over the years I learned to think of the root of each harmonic environment as its own “note 1”. Do you think it's better to always connect back to the parent key?

How does IFR address pentatonic scales?

I enjoy the Improvise For Real method very much. Just wanted to ask, with pentatonic scales being so important in music around the world, and particularly loved by guitarists, how can we incorporate them into our practice?

Jeremy Chapman on musical creativity

This great Ted Talk by Jeremy Chapman offers many surprising insights about musical creativity. His talk includes improvisation with the audience and guest musicians, and he even mentions Improvise for Real about halfway through the talk.

How to build a strong sense of tonal orientation

"When I'm practicing Seven Worlds, sometimes I lose my orientation and I can't feel the tonal center anymore. So for example note 2 doesn't feel like home anymore. Instead my ear keeps wanting to resolve to note 1. Do you have any tips for this?"