Piano Week 40: Fast chord recognition

Weekly Focus

Week 40 starts Q4 with fast chord recognition. The goal is instant functional recognition and immediate voicing choice without pauses.

Success this week means you can react to chord function in real time while keeping steady groove.

Carry-forward rule: keep a 2-3 minute fast-recognition micro-drill in every later week.

Repertoire & Chord Map

Primary tune is Fly Me to the Moon, with Misty as transfer. Emphasize function-first thinking over shape memorization.

Core recognition loop:

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

Daily map task: call function aloud, then play nearest voicing immediately.

Supplementary Listening & Ear Training (Required)

Use this track as the ear-training backbone for “Fast chord recognition”, then transfer what you hear to piano the same day.

Weekly listening pick:

• Lullaby of Birdland — Sarah Vaughan

Why this track now: It highlights up-tempo functional hearing and cadence spotting, which matches Week 40’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

Where did your recognition become immediate, and where did hesitation still appear? Carry one fast-reaction drill and one weak progression into Week 41.