Music — 12-Week Practice Schedule¶

30 minutes daily, 5–6 days a week. Calibrated to: intermediate pianist, slow sight reading, little theory.

The 30 minutes split: - 5 min ear training (Tenuto / Functional Ear Trainer) - 5 min sight reading (new material 1–2 grades below comfort, no stopping) - 10 min theory + chord work (today's specific topic) - 10 min composition (capture or develop a fragment)

Daily over weekends

Daily 30-min sessions consistently beat 2-hour Saturday marathons. The brain consolidates between practices. Skip a session, log it, move on. Don't make up missed days — that's how injuries happen.

Week 1 — Foundations and capture habit¶

Day 1: Quickstart
Day 2: C major scale hands together; intervals 1–5 from C
Day 3: G major scale; intervals 1–5 from G; ear training: m3 vs M3
Day 4: F major scale; ear training: P4 vs P5
Day 5: D major scale; build I–V–vi–IV in all four keys studied
Day 6: Voice-memo composition session — record 3 fragments

Week 2 — Major scales + diatonic chords (4 keys)¶

Day 1: Bb major scale; build the 7 diatonic chords (I ii iii IV V vi vii°)
Day 2: Eb major scale + diatonic chords
Day 3: A major scale + diatonic chords
Day 4: E major scale + diatonic chords
Day 5: Sight read 3 hymns hands together; don't stop at errors
Day 6: Compose: write a 4-bar phrase over I–IV–V in any key from this week

Week 3 — All 12 major keys + relative minors¶

Day 1: Cycle through 4 new keys (Ab, Db, Gb, B)
Day 2: Cycle through F# minor, C# minor, G# minor, D# minor
Day 3: Drill key signatures on Tenuto until 100% accurate
Day 4: Sight read in 3 different keys; observe difficulty difference
Day 5: Memorize the circle of fifths (sing the order)
Day 6: Compose: take last week's 4-bar phrase and transpose to 3 different keys

Week 4 — Project: first complete short piece¶

Day 1: Pick a chord progression you like (e.g., vi–IV–I–V)
Day 2: Write an 8-bar verse melody using mostly chord tones
Day 3: Write an 8-bar chorus melody — should feel "higher energy"
Day 4: Refine; sing both aloud; cut what doesn't sing
Day 5: Record a piano + (optional) voice demo to your phone
Day 6: Listen back next morning; journal what worked and what didn't

Week 5 — Inversions and voice leading¶

Day 1: Play C major triad in root, 1^st, 2^nd inversion; same for F, G
Day 2: I–IV–V–I with smooth voice leading (top voice walks 1–2–1–1)
Day 3: Drill same in G, D, A
Day 4: Sight read with focus on bass line shape
Day 5: Re-harmonize "Twinkle Twinkle" using inversions
Day 6: Compose: rewrite Week 4's piece with smoother voice leading

Week 6 — 7^th chords¶

Day 1: Build maj7, dom7, m7, half-diminished on C
Day 2: Same on F, G, A, D
Day 3: Play ii–V7–I (Dm7–G7–Cmaj7) — the jazz cornerstone
Day 4: Drill ii–V7–I in 6 keys
Day 5: Ear training: identify maj7 vs m7 vs dom7
Day 6: Compose: rewrite Week 4's piece using 7^th chords throughout

Day 1: Play all 7 modes from C (white keys, different starting notes)
Day 2: D Dorian vamp (Dm to C, repeat); improvise over it
Day 3: G Mixolydian vamp (G to F, repeat); improvise
Day 4: E Phrygian vamp (Em to F, repeat); improvise
Day 5: F Lydian vamp (F to G, repeat); improvise
Day 6: Compose: write a 16-bar piece in one mode of your choice

Week 8 — Borrowed chords and color¶

Day 1: Read borrowed chords
Day 2: Try I → bVI → IV → V (e.g., C → Ab → F → G); play in 3 keys
Day 3: Try I → iv → I (C → Fm → C); the "saddest chord change"
Day 4: Try I → bVII → IV → I (C → Bb → F → C); rock vibe
Day 5: Re-harmonize an existing piece using borrowed chords
Day 6: Compose: a new 8-bar phrase using at least one borrowed chord

Week 9 — Melody craft¶

Day 1: Read melody fundamentals; contour, range, rhythm
Day 2: Take a chord progression; write 3 different melodies over it
Day 3: Vary rhythm only across 3 versions of the same melody
Day 4: Extreme constraint: write a melody using only 4 different pitches
Day 5: Read Hook craft; identify the hook in 5 of your favorite songs
Day 6: Compose: write a chorus with a memorable hook

Week 10 — Form and structure¶

Day 1: Read Song form; listen to 5 songs and identify their forms
Day 2: Sketch verse / pre-chorus / chorus / bridge for a new song
Day 3: Verse melody (lower register, simpler)
Day 4: Chorus melody (higher register, hookier)
Day 5: Bridge (contrasting harmony or melody)
Day 6: Glue them together; play through end-to-end

Week 11 — Lyrics and demo¶

Day 1: Read Lyrics primer; pick a song to write lyrics for
Day 2: Lyric draft 1 — verse 1
Day 3: Lyric draft 1 — chorus + verse 2
Day 4: Edit ruthlessly; cut clichés; check stress alignment
Day 5: Record a piano + voice demo on your phone
Day 6: Listen back; journal what you'd change

Week 12 — Ship + reflect¶

Day 1: Pick the best song from the quarter
Day 2: Open MuseScore or a DAW; lay down a cleaner demo
Day 3: Iterate
Day 4: Final demo recorded; export MP3
Day 5: Share it with one person you trust; collect honest feedback
Day 6: Quarterly review — update now.md with Q3 plan

After Week 12¶

By now you should: - Have written 4+ complete short pieces. - Recognize chord progressions in songs you listen to. - Read music meaningfully faster than when you started. - Know which direction (jazz, pop, classical, electronic) you want to deepen next.

Reasonable Q3 directions: - Pop songwriting deeper — collaborate, release on Bandcamp, go to open mics. - Jazz piano — start the Jazz Theory Book properly; learn 5 standards by ear. - Classical composition — counterpoint, four-part writing, score-study. - Production — pick a DAW, learn it for a quarter, produce one of your songs.

Whichever you pick, finishing more songs dominates everything else.