IFR blog > Practice tips > Creating a new music practice > Special for beginners learning to improvise
IFR modal improvisation exercise demonstration 'Seven Worlds'

For IFR students practicing Exercise 2: Melody, this is a demonstration of the exercise Seven Worlds in the sixth harmonic environment. Miguel 'Pintxo' Villar explores the harmonic environment on tenor sax.

How to think about chord shapes

I'm confused about how to understand chord shapes in relation to the major scale. For example, the 3 chord would be notes 3, 5, 7, 2. In learning to see this as a minor chord shape, should I be able to think of this as 3, 5, 7, 2 and 1, b3, 5, b7 at the same time?

The IFR Tonal Map

In this free sample lesson from Deep Foundations for Guitar, you will learn how to build the notes of any key across the entire fretboard.

Piano for Non-Pianists 6

In this lesson we explore the sensations of tension and release in the second harmonic environment of the major scale.

IFR Playalong: Blues progression

Grab your instrument and practice improvising over this blues progression with me!

Alison

The Elvis Costello song "Alison" contains just one chord from outside the key of the music. This is the beautiful b7 major chord that we study in IFR Jam Tracks Level 4: Mixed Harmony Essentials.

Am I too advanced for these workshops?

"I don't know if my musical experience is already beyond the level that your ear training video courses are designed for. Can you tell me the topics covered in each of your courses so I can decide if they would help me?"

Finding the key of the music by ear

In this video demonstration with tenor sax and piano, we demonstrate how IFR students are able to instantly find the key of the music by ear.

Becoming a music philosopher

In this personal video, I explain why I believe that you should pursue your OWN musical ideas and fascinations just as seriously as you study anything you learn from your music teachers.

Harmonic and melodic minor scales in IFR

A student asks whether harmonic minor and melodic minor scales are included in IFR. The answer is an enthusiastic YES and in this video I show you how.