Improvise for Real: The Complete Method for All Instruments

I love this book, ( i wished the ebook was out when I brought mine) it has helped me so much to get to core of playing music. I have had to spend time devloping my ear over my life and this has helped to apply intervals in creatively easily especially "Melody Paths". I use the great videos on youtube to help gain a richer understanding and practice everyday. I sing the intervals when even take the dog for a walk. I can not recomend this book enough, give your brain a rest from even thinking of improvising from a dorian mode to a Lydian doniant 7th mode and connect to the sounds. You don't have time to inlectually process the theory it becomes a handicap. \So if you don't know the theory of dorian etc this is a massive help, and a great book. If you do this will help free your mind to apply it in a musical way. After all we all want to be artistic and creative. Alternative become a musi profressor and never write a song or play a spontaneous solo, IFR would be in my top music books ever , buy it you will not regret it a great investment

Here's the short version: if you're looking for a method that's simple and enjoyable, and at the same time actually trains your ear and teaches you how to improvise, then buy this book!Long version: I've only had this book about 2 months, and I'm already seeing improvements in how I approach improvising and playing the piano. I've been an amateur musician for about 12 years, and my practice routine till now has consisted of learning other people's music and then playing these pieces over and over again. And learning scales and music theory.I never knew how to improvise, and I always looked at playing by ear and improvising as black magic - something reserved only for the elite or gifted players. David Reed's IFR program has given me a completely different perspective. I'm now incorporating ear training exercises and improv into my routine, and I'm enjoying the process a great deal!Buy this book, and check out the other materials too on the Improvise For Real website.

I have not worked through the whole book yet as this will take some time. However, I have found the approach is very 'user-friendly' and really uncluttered with little concern for musical theory. Therefore, it is very easy to get started and grasp the basic ideas. No doubt, as will everything, progress will be dependent on how much time the student regularly gives to the exercises. I have yet to find out how it will end, but it is so far very promising and a most interesting approach to approaching improvisation.

This book is great for another angle of approach to learning an instrument, it allows you quite quickly to explore your instrument in a musical fashion as opposed to what can be the mechanical repetiton of scales when learning theory. I have been learning the saxophone for 3 yrs and was getting a little bogged down with the music theory. I actually stopped playing for 6 mounths ! I have since realised (due to this book) that I have not been paying enough attention to the instrument its self. For me this approach is just what I needed , I am back playing again and I know in the last 2 weeks my playing and my enjoyment of it has come on in leaps and bounds. I now believe that I really can be the player that I once hoped I could be !!!! I look forward to progressing along with the book as I am only on page 70 yet. I would highly reccommend this book to anyone who may feel daunted or bogged down by the music theory aspect of learning an instrument - whether you are a beginner or further advanced. If you dont want to learn music as a foreign language then this book is for you.!!

Improvise For Real is the best music improvisation method i have encountered. Unlike most (all?) other methods available IFR encourages the learner on his/her own path to discovering the sounds of the music we hear around us. Much more than a mere method it is a complete course in understanding and recognising what we hear, through a series of musical self development exercises which encompass listening, ear training, thinking, translating the sounds onto our instrument of choice, and many other musical benefits besides. This is the way i believe improvisation should be learnt and taught. This book contains a lifetime of musical enjoyment and rewarding practice, which will benefit everyone from improvising novices to experienced improvisers. Highly recommended.