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Pure Harmony Essentials
for Melodic Instruments

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.

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Pure Harmony Essentials for Melodic Instruments

  • Would you love to improvise your own solos over songs and chord progressions?
  • Do you struggle to "keep up with the changes" when there are too many chords in a song?
  • Are you trying to land on chord tones but not really sure what you're doing?
  • Do you long for more creative and melodic approach to improvising?

Improvise with freedom, confidence and real understanding - now over chord changes!

Building on what you learned in Seven Worlds for Melodic Instruments, in this second level course you will learn how you can improvise with the same melodic freedom over changing chords. You’ll learn to improvise your own solos over songs and chord progressions, weaving your own melodies effortlessly through the chords.

You’ll learn to see the chord tones all around you when you are improvising. You’ll learn to use these chord tones to create tension and release in your improvising. And you’ll learn to play beautiful melodic solos that take your listeners on a musical journey.

What’s special about Improvise for Real is that you’ll learn to see all of these sounds on a single map of the musical terrain. You won’t have to scramble to mentally change keys for each new chord, because all of the sounds will be right there in front of you. You’ll be able to improvise with confidence and clarity, seeing the entire musical landscape that surrounds you.

Course Features:

  • Structured Lessons: 12 comprehensive video lessons totaling over 3.5 hours of content.
  • Interactive Practice: Play-along sessions with professional backing tracks to apply concepts in real-time.
  • Expert Instruction: Led by Jelske Hoogervorst, a seasoned jazz saxophonist and educator.
  • Flexible Learning: Suitable for saxophone, violin, trumpet, cello, flute, clarinet, and other melodic instruments.

Here are some of the skills you will learn:

  • Learn how to improvise over changing chords with complete melodic freedom.
  • Master 12 of the most important chord progressions in all popular music.
  • Learn how to hear the chord tones melodically, and bring out these sounds in your music.
  • Learn how to use tension and release in your melodies to take your listeners on a musical journey.
  • Learn how to trade fours with other musicians, engaging in a true musical dialogue.
  • Learn how to develop themes and motives that tell musical stories in your improvising.
  • Learn how to connect your ear with your instrument, playing directly from your musical imagination.

More than 3.5 hours of video lesson content

The total lesson time of this course is just over 3.5 hours. The course is divided into 12 units. Each unit introduces the next level of the method, including step-by-step video lessons, beautiful playing demos and special “play-along” videos where you can take turns improvising with the instructor. Each lesson is accompanied by IFR Jam Tracks that let you practice improvising in a real musical setting.

This course is for all melodic instruments (saxophone, violin, trumpet, flute, cello, clarinet, etc.).

 

Learn from a professional musician and experienced teacher

Learn from a professional musician and experienced teacher

Jelske Hoogervorst is a professional jazz saxophonist and educator based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Jelske teaches all of the video lessons in this course, including lots of creative jamming exercises and beautiful playing examples to inspire your creativity. Jelske has personally taught hundreds of IFR students in private lessons and workshops, and she brings a wealth of her own teaching philosophies and techniques to her role as an IFR instructor.

What students say about this course

"I searched the internet for someone who could teach me how to improvise on jazz chords. And there I discovered Jelske who introduced me to the IFR method and I was immediately captivated by it. This was exactly what I was looking for and needed. The approach is so clear and simple, why didn't I know about this before? I finally understood how improvising over standards worked! The IFR method is explained so well, so understandable, logical and in such a stimulating environment with good teachers and beautiful backing tracks to improvise with. IFR has helped me enormously to jam and improvise on jazz standards and other songs."
Annemarie PostSaxophone — Amsterdam, Netherlands
Annemarie Post
"I have been playing saxophone for about ten years after a thirty year hiatus. In all my past education I never experienced anything like the IFR method. IFR has completely upended how I practice, from focusing on music theory and technical exercises to focusing on my own creative expression with the sounds. This is very personal. Now, rather than working on something that is external to myself, I am working on something that is internal to myself. The music comes from within. This extends directly to the saxophone. To discover this has been absolutely exhilarating."
George ShinnSaxophone — Kirksville, MO, USA
George Shinn
"There's something unique about the IFR vision of pedagogy: its clarity and consistency. There are no levels to validate. The musical landscape is there, fully available without excessive theory, ready to be joyfully discovered. Just like in real life, I can pull the thread that interests me and move forward at my own pace. Thanks to this course, I'm learning about harmony through my own exploration. And Jelske taught me how to tell my own musical stories, drawing on my own imagination and sensations."
Annie BeuclerLyon, France
Annie Beucler

What students say about this course

"I searched the internet for someone who could teach me how to improvise on jazz chords. And there I discovered Jelske who introduced me to the IFR method and I was immediately captivated by it. This was exactly what I was looking for and needed. The approach is so clear and simple, why didn't I know about this before? I finally understood how improvising over standards worked! The IFR method is explained so well, so understandable, logical and in such a stimulating environment with good teachers and beautiful backing tracks to improvise with. IFR has helped me enormously to jam and improvise on jazz standards and other songs."
Annemarie Post
Annemarie PostSaxophone — Amsterdam, Netherlands
"I have been playing saxophone for about ten years after a thirty year hiatus. In all my past education I never experienced anything like the IFR method. IFR has completely upended how I practice, from focusing on music theory and technical exercises to focusing on my own creative expression with the sounds. This is very personal. Now, rather than working on something that is external to myself, I am working on something that is internal to myself. The music comes from within. This extends directly to the saxophone. To discover this has been absolutely exhilarating."
George Shinn
George ShinnSaxophone — Kirksville, MO, USA
"There's something unique about the IFR vision of pedagogy: its clarity and consistency. There are no levels to validate. The musical landscape is there, fully available without excessive theory, ready to be joyfully discovered. Just like in real life, I can pull the thread that interests me and move forward at my own pace. Thanks to this course, I'm learning about harmony through my own exploration. And Jelske taught me how to tell my own musical stories, drawing on my own imagination and sensations."
Annie Beucler
Annie BeuclerLyon, France

Get this course free with your membership!

When you join, you’ll have complete access to our entire library of video courses, audio courses, jam tracks, and ear training lessons. Everything works together as one unified method to help you master the art of musical improvisation.

Your membership is completely risk-free. Explore everything IFR has to offer, and if you don’t feel it’s the right fit within your first 30 days, just send us an email and we’ll refund your payment in full — no questions asked.

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