IFR blog > Practice tips > Mastering your instrument > Video modal improv in 5th harm env en

Modal jam in the 5th harmonic environment

Enjoy this great jam in the 5th harmonic environment recorded at the iconic jazz club Robadors 23 in Barcelona, Spain.

The musicians are Miguel 'Pintxo' Villar on tenor sax and Juan Pablo Balcazar on upright bass. I included this video clip in the category 'Mastering your Instrument' because both of these musicians represent to me what true mastery means. Notice that there is no showing off. There are no ultra-fast scale runs or other flashy acrobatics. Just two musicians at the top of their craft putting all their effort into making great, swinging music.

The harmonic material that the musicians are using is nothing more than the major scale with note 5 as the tonal center. Modal improvisations like this one are one of the first things that you will learn in the Improvise for Real method.

IFR students use a variety of creative exercises to master this harmonic material. You can see an example in this video demonstration of the exercise 'Seven Worlds Expanded'.