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.
Practice tips
Start with just one octave. The key to the exercise is to stay in just one octave on your instrument, using note 6 as both the floor and ceiling of your musical range. This helps your ear to feel note 6 as the tonal center which is what causes you to feel the sixth harmonic environment as you are improvising.
Discover the beauty of each note. As you practice the exercise, try not to become obsessed with just the technical part of creating these sounds on your instrument. That's an important skill to have, but it won't do any good if you don't have anything of your own to express with these sounds. So take the time to really explore each harmonic environment and to discover the unique beauty of each note of our musical system. To understand this point more deeply, here is an explanation of how IFR embodies the philosophy of Bill Evans in teaching music as a creative art form.
Give your full attention to each note that you play. More than just learning to create these sounds, Seven Worlds is really about listening to the sounds and discovering what each one means to you. These personal discoveries are what it really means to understand harmony. You can learn more about this concept in this chapter from Improvise for Real on the power of direct experience.
Download “Improvise for Real” and begin YOUR creative journey today!
The complete “Improvise for Real” method is available as a 250 page illustrated e-book and jam tracks which you can download and use on any smartphone, tablet or computer. Just click the link below to begin enjoying a fun and creative daily practice that will show you how music and harmony really work. Discover your own musical creativity and play the music inside you!
