Month 3 Piano Plan: Adapt
Anchor song: The Thrill Is Gone / Minor Blues and Arranged Electric-Blues Laboratory
Piano role this month: Shape arrangement density and emotional arc with simple textures.
Minor blues on piano:
In Month 3, the piano moves to A minor blues or C minor blues as the primary environment.
A minor blues in C (relative minor — piano-friendly):
Bar 1: Cm7 | Bar 2: Cm7 | Bar 3: Cm7 | Bar 4: Cm7
Bar 5: Fm7 | Bar 6: Fm7 | Bar 7: Cm7 | Bar 8: Cm7
Bar 9: G7 | Bar 10: Fm7 | Bar 11: Cm7 | Bar 12: G7
The minor 7th chords (Cm7, Fm7) have a different emotional gravity than dominant 7ths. The left-hand shell for Cm7: C (root) + Bb (7th). The quality feels heavier and more inward than major blues.
Full Internal Band integration on piano (Month 3):
Piano's Internal Band coordination in Month 3:
- PDC — Ask before every section: what does this moment need? Groove anchor? Harmonic color? Melodic answer? Silence?
- Blues Root — The left hand carries this always — it does not disappear when the right hand gets busy
- Rhythm Cells — Right-hand rhythmic placement: on-beat, anticipated, stopped, or silent
- RXP — Whole-form feel on piano: does the performance build over the full 12 bars? Does it breathe?
- TPS — Register and inversion choices for right-hand triads: low = dense, high = clear, spread = open
- SHAPE — Every melodic fill is a composed phrase, not a scale run
- CAS-ARC — The full performance has an Aim, a Route, and a Complete
Comp vs. single-voice vs. full voicing decisions (CAS-ARC):
| ARC position | Piano approach |
|---|---|
| Aim | Left-hand roots only or shells, right hand silent or minimal — establish the ground |
| Route | Add right-hand triads, build density, vary placement — develop the energy |
| Complete | Reduce density, final phrase lands on root, space opens at the end |
This is arrangement thinking on piano. The decision is not "what chord voicing?" — it is "what density serves this moment in the arc?"
Month 3 piano study versions:
| Version | What to play |
|---|---|
| A | Left-hand minor-root anchors only — maximum space |
| B | Sparse right-hand chords — beats 2 and 4 only, no fills |
| C | High-register right-hand response phrase — one melodic answer per four-bar phrase |
| D | Capstone skeleton: intro (roots only), body (shells + triads), fill (SHAPE), ending (resolve to root, silence) |
Month 3 week-by-week piano focus:
Week 9 — Piano: Play the same four-bar section three ways: groove lead (left hand pulse, right hand minimal), harmonic lead (both hands framing the harmony, no melody), melodic lead (right hand melodic fill, left hand anchoring). Write one sentence about each PDC choice.
Week 10 — Piano: Sparse, medium, and full on piano. Sparse: roots only in left hand, right hand two notes per four bars. Medium: shells + right hand on beats 2 and 4. Full: shells + triads + occasional melodic answer. Record all three.
Week 11 — Piano: Design one complete piano chorus as a mini-composition. Write the arc before playing: where does it begin (register, density)? Where does the energy peak (bars 9–10)? Where does it resolve (bar 12)? Record and compare to the plan.
Week 12 — Piano Capstone: A complete piano performance — 12-bar or minor blues — demonstrating all Internal Band members at their Semester 1 level. The piano version may be simpler than the guitar capstone in texture, but it should reveal the harmony and form more clearly. Record in one continuous take.
Piano-Specific Definitions of Done
Month 1 End — Piano
- Can play the 12-bar form in Bb or C with left-hand roots at 60–70 BPM without losing place
- Left hand and right hand can each complete the form independently before combining
- Has one shell voicing that functions as harmonic support (not just a memorized shape)
- Can play one spread triad and identify the emotional difference from a closed triad
- Has one two-to-four-note top-line phrase that fits in a natural pause
- Can record without the recording process causing disruption to the practice
Month 2 End — Piano
- Can voice-lead between Bb7, Eb7, and F7 using guide-tone connections (smooth half-step or whole-step movement)
- Can place right-hand chord on three different positions: on-beat, anticipated, and with a stop
- Can execute support role and answer role distinctly in two separate choruses
- Has one motif that can be played in three rhythmic variations
- Can record a two- or three-chorus route where the route is audible
Month 3 End — Piano
- Can play a complete minor blues (C minor or A minor) with stable form and feel
- Can apply comp / single-voice / full voicing decisions within one performance based on ARC position
- Can reduce density intentionally — silence and sparse textures are available tools, not accidents
- Can describe what PDC chose and why in any section of a recording
- Has a complete capstone recording demonstrating all Month 3 goals
Appendix: Piano Troubleshooting
Problem: Left hand and right hand fall apart when combined Root cause: Neither hand is fully automatic yet — coordinating them adds cognitive load that disrupts both. Fix: Return to hands-separate practice. Practice the left hand until it runs on autopilot (you can recite the form out loud while playing it). Only then add the right hand.
Problem: Tempo rushes when the chord changes approach Root cause: Anticipating the change — the hands move early and drag the tempo with them. Fix: Practice arriving late to the chord. Deliberately play the chord on beat 2 of bar 4 (one bar late). Feel the difference. Then return to the correct placement.
Problem: Both hands are in the same register — muddy sound Root cause: Right hand drifting into the bass register or left hand creeping upward. Fix: Establish register ownership. Left hand lives below middle C. Right hand lives above middle C. This is a rule, not a suggestion, in Month 1.
Problem: Spread triad sounds thin or disconnected Root cause: The interval is too wide for the register. Spread triads work best in the upper-middle register, not in the bass. Fix: Move the spread triad up one octave. Thin = too low. The spread shape needs resonance from the piano's upper register to sound full.
Problem: Wrist soreness after practice Root cause: Wrist collapsing during chord grips, or tension from excessive key pressure on acoustic/weighted keys. Fix: Check wrist position — it should be floating, not sunk below the keys. Reduce key pressure. Simplify: if a full triad causes tension, practice with two notes only until the grip is comfortable.
Problem: 027 sounds wrong or forced Root cause: Placing it on a strong beat where the harmony should be clear, or using it too frequently. Fix: 027 creates ambiguity. Use it on a weak beat or in a transition (between bars), not on bar 1 of the I chord. Use it once per chorus maximum in Semester 1.