Improvise for Real: The Complete Method for All Instruments Paperback – February 27, 2013

This book isn't for everyone. That should be very clear. Only for those who are willing to have everything from bach, to beethoven, to billy joel completely demystified, and have the power of harmony at their fingertips. For many, ignorance is bliss. And that's okay, but if you're looking for true musical mastery, this book will help. You won't be asking for the chords to a progression anymore before entering a jam, or find yourself mentally flipping through memorized licks to show off. Every note possible on your instrument and every combination of notes will be perfectly familiar to you. That's the goal of this book. That doesn't mean you wont keep learning. There's always more to learn... after all, Bach didn't know what jazz what at his time, but he knew everything that was there for him to know.

This book should be a must-read for every music student on the planet. If you've ever felt frustrated or discouraged with music lessons in the past, this book will show you another path. Learning music can and should be a natural and fun process from the beginning.Yes, it's about improvising, but it's a lot more than that too. It's about how to play the songs you love by ear (rather than relying on painstaking memory, or having to use sheet music & charts). Sheet music & charts have an important role, but if you can't make music without them, you'll never have the satisfaction that comes from expressing your own ideas in music.With Improvise for Real, you'll learn how to play the sounds you hear, both in your own imagination and in music you love. Connecting with music in this way will give you a lifetime of pleasure and enjoyment. Perhaps you think it won't work for you because you aren't a creative or musical person. But I promise you that this gradual & systematic approach works for everyone, and it can work for you too if you are willing to give it a chance.David Reed presents the theory behind his approach, along with a systematic set of instructions and activities that anyone can follow. There are instrument-specific suggestions as well, but the overall approach is geared to musicians of all instruments.Of all the music books I own (and there are quite a few), this is the only one I revisit on a regular basis. I can't recommend it highly enough. And if you want support for the ideas in the book, be sure to visit their website and check out the workshops, resources, and courses that are available to support you on your journey.Don't let this life-changing opportunity pass you by.

This was a great book for deviating from pure music theory. There is theory present, but it is not presented in the typical format. This makes the book an approachable, seemingly less technical guide that supplements more rigorous theory based books. I recommend it as a complement to sight reading studies, theory studies, and unguided free improvisation.

Improvise for real is a ticket to travel the world of music. With it everywhere becomes accessible and you can understand anything in music. Because of this I've been exploring the sounds that really really excite me. By doing this I have gained fluency with music that I had only ever dreamed of before, and now that dream is my life.I've been absolutely OBSESSED with the sixth harmonic environment and the "minor blues". When I play the guitar It feels like an extension of my own voice. My legs twist, my face squinches up, my heart beats faster and music comes directly out of me like a dream. The physical difficulty becomes nothing after a certain point of literacy with the fretboard, and I have a direct connection from my imagination to the real world as I play the sounds. It's amazing the sounds that come out of me and it's a joy to see how they change as I grow ever fluent. I now realize that this is improvising, and it should be absolutely amazing all the time.Improvise for real brings any sound I learn into this world of complete connection and competence as I make the world of music my own. This is my new bar for what is available to me and any new sound I learn I will bring here!I was never a musical person growing up but deep down I always dreamed to play music like I do now, and Improvise for real was the key to that. If I can learn to improvise you can too!