You tried to improvise before and it sounded.... not great.
You improvised in a few classical pieces here and there, but after years and years of training never really learned how to jam out to a Frank Sinatra tune at your retirement home gig.
Jazz Theory sounds confusing to you, and you just wanna know what to do with those chord symbols in your music.
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You want to play more gigs and not have to spend hours and hours researching “more popular music” to play.
I know how you feel!!
Improv was hard for me at first, but got easier over time with guidance and good teachers (i.e. my dad!). I went on to major in both classical and jazz performance in college.
I firmly believe improv made me a better musician.
Some teachers didn’t understand me doing both genres. But it helped me be more creative, work well in duo and chamber group settings, and have more creative projects for myself combining genres
(like my Bridges album, see recording below).
Ana and father Bill Nelson in action!​
Through Virtual Woodwind Academy, I’ve helped
1200+ adults
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learn how to improvise.
Many of whom were starting from scratch.
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Now it’s your turn.
“Holy crap I can’t believe you had me improvising in my first lesson with you….it’s honestly so much fun!! I had no idea what I was missing. I LOVE MUSIC AGAIN I can’t thank you enough ðŸ˜ðŸ’œ”
“Thank you for making modes so approachable. This is the best way I’ve seen it done, and I understand how it works now.”
Improv Academy
the new monthly membership
The Improv Academy includes 2 masterclasses each month, tune of the month, a community for learning, sheet music and backing tracks...
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**And for a limited time only, 1:1 support through our Facebook group!!**
Topics included
1. Melodic Shapes & Patterns – Explore improvisation using major scales, rhythmic variations, and drone pitches to build fluency.
2. Common Progressions – Demystify essential harmonic patterns like ii-V-I and I-IV-V, commonly found in jazz, pop, and improvised music.
3. The Blues – Learn the foundations of blues harmony, phrasing, and feel—the heart of jazz improvisation.
4. Chords & Scale Theory – Focus on the essential scales and chord structures you actually need (without getting lost in endless theory).
5. Phrasing & Solo Crafting – Shape your solos with compelling musical sentences, space, and intention. Learn what kind of phrasing structure to use when improvising to be creative and musical.
6. Reading Lead Sheets & Putting It All Together – Learn how to interpret lead sheets, connect your skills, and confidently improvise.
Membership Levels
Regular Member
2 Improv Masterclasses per month
Full access to Creative Strings Classes (5+ classes)
Private Facebook group for feedback
cancel anytime.
VIP Access
All the regular member perks
One private lesson with Ana each month
Extra lesson notes and lesson recordings
cancel anytime.
Wynton Marsalis
“[Ana Nelson’s] playing showed emotional maturity, technical accuracy, harmonic sophistication, depth of understanding, beauty, range, thematic consistency, and someone whose playing moved us, inspires us, and you've got to have an original sound with a lot of feeling…”
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