I am wondering if there is a "method" for using the major scale in a melodic way rather than playing the scale notes randomly?
When you're studying the notes of a chord, should you be thinking relative to the key (e.g. "note 1 in the 6 chord")? Or should you be thinking relative to the chord (e.g. "the flatted 3rd of the 6 chord")?
To recognize chords by ear, is it helpful to listen to one particular instrument or should we be listening for something else?
I play the guitar and in order to avoid getting lost on the fretboard I say the numbers of the scale out loud. So I literally say "1, 2, 3" etc out loud as I'm playing. Will this be like a crutch in the future where I can't move around unless I count the notes?
Are you curious about looping? In this video I'll show you how the looper pedal works and how easy it is to create your own loops with what you already know from your IFR practice.
Should I study the most important harmonic environments first? Or is it better to study all seven harmonic environments in order?
In this video we sing Melody Paths over a long chord progression which includes the beautiful b7 chord. All of the chords in this chord progression come directly from the key of the music except for the b7 chord and the 3D chord, which both introduce notes from outside the key.
To understand music by ear, should we try to hear each note relative to the chord of the moment or relative to the overall key of the song?
In this video I show you how you can use the exact same sounds that you're studying in Seven Worlds in a different way to create some of the exotic sounds of “outside playing”.
In this video I illustrate the concept ‘Sound, Map and Instrument’ from my book Improvise for Real. This principle guides our practicing and ensures that as our musical knowledge grows, our ear doesn’t get left behind.