IFR blog > Practice tips > Creating a new music practice > Special for beginners learning to improvise
Improvisation exercise 'Sun and Moon' in major and minor tonal centers

In the IFR exercise Sun and Moon we explore the two most important harmonic environments in Western music, commonly referred to as "major" and "minor". Cristina Pérez demonstrates the exercise on the clarinet.

Developing freedom of movement on the fingerboard

I have bought your learning materials and I am reading your e-book right now. For Exercise 1, I notice that there are special versions for guitar and bass. How about for violin? Should I use the version for guitar?

How to finger the Cloud exercise on upright bass

Can you explain how I should finger the Cloud exercise on an upright bass? Thanks!

Cloud exercise for guitar

In this free sample lesson from Deep Foundations for Guitar, you will learn the very first step to developing complete freedom of movement on the fretboard.

Beyond CAGED

Thank you for writing your book. I really like your philosophy. Can you explain the difference between the IFR system and the CAGED system?

Piano for Non-Pianists 2

In this lesson you'll learn to move around the piano keyboard by whole steps. When we combine this whole step movement with the half step movement that you mastered in the previous lesson, you can begin to create tonality and harmony directly on the piano keyboard.

Free sample lesson 4

In this lesson we begin our creative exploration of the first harmonic environment of the major scale. This is how the notes of the major scale sound to our ear when note 1 is acting as the tonal center.

How to avoid getting lost in songs

One of the most common frustrations that all beginning improvisers experience is getting lost in the middle of a tune. In this video I'll give you three concrete strategies that you can follow to make sure this never happens to you again.

Intervals vs. tonal ear training

In this video I demonstrate why tonal ear training is so much more powerful than listening for intervals, especially over long or complex chord progressions.

IFR video lesson: How to study chords

In this video I show you a complete system for studying new chords so that you can improvise over them with confidence, use them in your compositions and learn to recognize them by ear in the music of other people.