Piano Week 13: Q1 checkpoint recording

Weekly Focus

Week 13 is the Q1 checkpoint week. The objective is to capture one clean, musical no-stop take from material you already own.

Success this week means you finish with a keeper take and one concrete upgrade target for Q2.

Repertoire & Chord Map

Primary recording tune is Fly Me to the Moon, with Misty as alternate checkpoint option. Keep arrangement practical: clear intro, form clarity, short solo, convincing ending.

Checkpoint loop reminder:

vim7 | iim7 | V7 | Imaj7 IVmaj7 | viio7 III7 | vim7 VI7 | iim7 V7

Daily map task: keep the same structural plan across all takes so comparisons are meaningful.

Supplementary Listening & Ear Training (Required)

Link this listening directly to this week’s theme “Q1 checkpoint recording” so ear work supports your keyboard work.

Weekly listening pick:

• Song for My Father — Horace Silver

Why this track now: It highlights Latin-jazz groove with clear harmonic anchors, which matches Week 13’s goals.

Ear tasks (10–15 min, at least 3 sessions this week):

1. Listen once without the instrument and name the key center by ear (major/minor/modal). Then verify the key at piano.
2. Find one cadence or arrival point, then play: root + shell ii-V-I (or closest functional equivalent) in that key.
3. Lift a short 4–8 bar fragment by ear, play it slowly, and record ~30s so you can compare your hearing vs. the recording.

Extra challenge (optional): transpose your lifted fragment to the weekly priority ladder when possible (F → Eb → G → Bb → C).

End-of-Week Reflection

What made your keeper take work musically, and what still held it back from consistency? Start Q2 with one specific timing goal and one specific voicing goal from this recording.