Piano Week 31: Intro patterns toolbox

Weekly Focus

Week 31 builds an intro toolbox you can call from memory in performance: rubato, vamp, and pickup entries.

Success this week means you can launch a tune decisively with at least three intro types and clean handoff into tempo.

Repertoire & Chord Map

Primary song is Fly Me to the Moon, with Misty as transfer. Keep intro length intentional and avoid drifting before bar 1.

Core intro-entry loop:

iiim7 | VI7 | iim7 | V7 Imaj7 | VI7 | iim7 | V7

Daily map task: start with chosen intro type, then enter bar 1 on a fixed count with no hesitation.

Reference Listening (Pick One)

• Frank Sinatra - Fly Me to the Moon (Count Basie Orchestra)
• Diana Krall - Fly Me to the Moon
• Ahmad Jamal - Poinciana (intro pacing and setup feel)

Style Swap Constraint (Anti-Autopilot)

• Run one full form of Fly Me to the Moon as Bossa Nova.
• Keep your intro logic intact, but swap groove and articulation.
• Do one take at original swing feel and one take at Bossa feel.

Supplementary Listening & Ear Training (Required)

This selection is deliberate for “Intro patterns toolbox” and should feed immediately into your comping/improv decisions.

Weekly listening pick:

• A Night in Tunisia — Dizzy Gillespie

Why this track now: It highlights latin-to-swing contrast and dominant color, which matches Week 31’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

Which intro types now feel performance-safe, and which still cause hesitation at bar 1? Carry one reliable intro and one weak handoff into Week 32.