Piano Week 43: Play-by-ear challenge 1

Weekly Focus

Week 43 starts play-by-ear challenge mode. The goal is full-song playing with minimal chart reliance by tracking melody and bass through listening.

Success this week means you can complete one full form mostly by ear while holding time and harmonic direction.

Repertoire & Chord Map

Primary tune is Fly Me to the Moon, with Misty as transfer. Delay chart use until after first ear-mapping pass.

Core ear-led loop:

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

Daily map task: recover melody and bass landmarks by ear first, then verify chord choices.

Supplementary Listening & Ear Training (Required)

This selection is deliberate for “Play-by-ear challenge 1” and should feed immediately into your comping/improv decisions.

Weekly listening pick:

• Lonely Woman — Ornette Coleman

Why this track now: It highlights free phrasing and tonal gravity without strict cadence, which matches Week 43’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 ear-led playing feel confident, and where did you revert to chart dependency? Carry one strong ear-mapped section into Week 44.