This 250 page illustrated e-book contains the complete IFR method for all instruments. Master the art of musical improvisation through creative exercises that empower you to explore and discover our musical system for yourself.
Getting Started
All of our learning materials work together. Start with the IFR e-book for the complete method.
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- ALL INSTRUMENTS
- Value Pack
The ideal starter kit for your new improvisation practice. The Improvise for Real e-book contains the complete IFR method for all instruments, and our sequential jam tracks will lead you all the way up to improvising over your first chord progressions.
$59
IFR Video Courses - Level 1: Deep Foundations
Master the musical landscape of your instrument and master the seven harmonic environments of the major scale.
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- MELODIC INSTRUMENTS
- SOLOING
Have you always dreamed of improvising your own music — freely, confidently, and with real understanding? Improvise for Real will show you how. You'll learn to express your own musical ideas effortlessly in any key, and you'll master improvising over all seven chords of the major scale which are the foundation of all modern popular music.
$150 -
- PIANO
- SOLOING
- COMPING
This step-by-step video course is a complete introduction to musical creativity at the piano. You will learn to visualize the notes of any key and to improvise freely with these sounds. You will master the seven chords of the major scale which are the foundation of all popular music. And you will learn to improvise with both hands together at the piano.
$150 -
- GUITAR
- SOLOING
- COMPING
If you’ve ever felt stuck playing scale patterns that don’t sound like real music, this course will show you a more musical path. You’ll learn how chords and melodies fit together in any key on the guitar, how to move freely across the fretboard, and how to connect your ear to everything you play — so you can improvise your own music with confidence, melodic creativity, and real understanding.
$150
IFR Video Courses - Level 2: Pure Harmony Essentials
Master the art of improvising over chord progressions, expressing yourself with complete melodic freedom over changing chords.
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Building on what you learned in Introduction to Improvising on the Guitar, in this course we will explore the art of improvising over songs and chord progressions. You'll learn to improvise your own melodies over changing chords across the entire fretboard, and you'll learn to express your own musical ideas in a way that truly connects with your musical imagination.
$150 -
- MELODIC INSTRUMENTS
- SOLOING
If you’ve ever wanted to improvise confidently over songs and chord progressions, this course will show you how. You'll learn how chords and melodies work together in any key, how to hear the changes as you play, and how to improvise with complete melodic freedom even as the chords are changing all around you. By the end of the course, you'll be improvising beautiful solos over songs and chord progressions, weaving your own melodies effortlessly through the chords.
$112
Ear Training Video Courses
Learn to recognize melodies and chords by ear with our complete multimedia video courses.
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- ALL INSTRUMENTS
- EAR TRAINING
Imagine being able to listen to a song and recognize every note of the melody by ear. What would that do for your musical creativity and improvising? In this video course you will learn how to develop this ability, adding a whole new creative dimension to your improvising.
$150 -
- ALL INSTRUMENTS
- EAR TRAINING
Imagine being able to listen to any song and recognize all of the chords by ear. You could instantly play these songs in any key on your instrument. And you could improvise your own solos at jam sessions without even having to ask what the chords are.
$150
IFR Jam Tracks
The IFR Jam Tracks lead you through the entire world of modern harmony in an organized path.
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- ALL INSTRUMENTS
- IMPROVISING
This is the first set of jam tracks that all IFR students should have. You will learn the seven harmonic environments of the major scale, which will prepare you for improvising over chords and chord progressions.
$24 -
- ALL INSTRUMENTS
- IMPROVISING
In Pure Harmony Essentials, you will begin improvising over your first chord progressions. You'll learn the most important chord progressions that appear in popular music and you'll learn to weave your own melodies through the chords.
$24 -
- ALL INSTRUMENTS
- IMPROVISING
In Pure Harmony Advanced you will learn the more exotic chords of the major scale that appear in modern jazz, blues, R&B and latin styles. We will also take a deep dive into the 2-5-1 chord progression, the most important chord progression in jazz music.
$24 -
- ALL INSTRUMENTS
- IMPROVISING
In Mixed Harmony Essentials you will begin improvising over chords that use notes from outside the key of the music. This opens up a truly infinite palette of colors for your improvising, and it also enables you to create some of the most beautiful sounds in popular music.
$24
Ear Training Audio Courses
Our Sing the Numbers audio courses teach you how to play the sounds you imagine.
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- ALL INSTRUMENTS
- EAR TRAINING
Sing the Numbers is IFR's artistic ear training course designed just for improvisers. The course teaches you to recognize melody notes by ear and to play the sounds you imagine, using beautiful songs and melodies that were specifically designed to train your ear.
$24 -
- ALL INSTRUMENTS
- EAR TRAINING
Take your ear training to the next level with this deep exploration of the seven harmonic environments. You will learn to recognize all of these sounds by ear, and you will discover a rich vocabulary of beautiful sounds and melodies that you can use in your improvising.
$24 -
- ALL INSTRUMENTS
- EAR TRAINING
In this course we explore the most important chord progressions in popular music using the IFR exercise Melody Paths. You'll see the "inner workings" of each chord progression, and you'll learn to hear the chord notes melodically so that you can use them in your improvising.
$24
Exploring Music Styles
These courses for advanced IFR students explore the beautiful world of jazz and blues music.
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- ALL INSTRUMENTS
- IMPROVISING
Even if you are a complete beginner to the blues, this course will give you everything you need to truly master blues harmony and enjoy improvising over the blues. Learning to play the blues will enrich every aspect of your playing, and it will give you countless opportunities for creative jamming with other musicians.
$49 -
- ALL INSTRUMENTS
- IMPROVISING
Master the complete chord progressions to five of the best-known jazz standards commonly played in jam sessions. See the "inner workings" of the harmony and learn to improvise with confidence over these beautiful songs. Includes complete harmonic analysis, creative insights and backing tracks in all 12 keys.
$20 -
- ALL INSTRUMENTS
- IMPROVISING
IFR Standards Workout 2 focuses on developing your creative freedom as an improviser. You'll learn many new harmonic concepts and you'll learn different techniques for seeing beyond the written chord changes. You'll also master five beautiful new standards with complete harmonic analysis, creative insights and backing tracks in all 12 keys.
$20
IFR Video Courses - Special Topics for Guitar
Learn the art of solo guitar improvisation combining chords and melodies with complete creative freedom.
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- GUITAR
- CHORD MELODY
Master the art of solo guitar improvisation. Learn how to control melody lines, chords and bass notes simultaneously in your music so that you can play totally unaccompanied solo guitar and create a complete musical experience for your listeners.
$150 -
- GUITAR
- CHORD MELODY
Building on the skills you learned in Chord Melody Guitar 1, this advanced course is a deep exploration of the 2-5-1 chord progression in both major and minor. Advanced topics include suspended chords, the use of outside notes in your melodies, and composing your own music.
$150
IFR Video Course Packages
Accelerate your learning with our complete multimedia video courses for each instrument family.
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- BRASS AND WOODWINDS
- Value Pack
The ultimate package to unlock your creative freedom as an improviser. Our step-by-step video course "Deep Foundations for Brass and Woodwinds" will get you jamming and improvising right away, with step-by-step video lessons and lots of musical demonstrations to inspire your creativity. And the Improvise for Real e-book will give you a deep understanding of modern harmony that will serve you for a lifetime.
$179 -
- PIANO
- Value Pack
The ultimate package to unlock your creative freedom on the piano. Our step-by-step video course "Deep Foundations for Piano" will get you jamming and improvising right away, building a solid mastery of the first levels of the method. And the Improvise for Real e-book will give you a a roadmap for your musical journey that will serve you for a lifetime.
$179 -
- GUITAR
- Value Pack
The ultimate package to unlock your creative freedom on the guitar. Our step-by-step video course "Deep Foundations for Guitar" will get you jamming and improvising right away, building a solid mastery of the first levels of the method. And the Improvise for Real e-book will give you a roadmap for your musical journey that will serve you for a lifetime.$179