Spiridionis a Monte Carmelo’s Nova instructio pro pulsandis organis […] (Bamberg, 1670) is a noteworthy source for keyboard improvisation in the south German, Italian-fashioned style. This handbook, which is located directly in Frescobaldi’s legacy and which often quotes him, offers tools to master musical forms that are useful for liturgical improvisation. Conceived as a compendium of musical patterns, the publication contains few textual elements. It allows the player full freedom to combine, assimilate and create his own music with musical elements such as cadentiae, passaggi and canzonette. This paper attempts to describe how such a source can be brought to life through a personal practice which involves both experience and analysis.