Piano Week 24: Comp behind melody

Weekly Focus

Week 24 is about supportive comping behind melody. The goal is lighter voicing density, clear spacing, and restraint.

Success this week means melody remains foreground while comping still provides harmonic and rhythmic support.

Repertoire & Chord Map

Primary tune is My Romance, with Fly Me to the Moon as transfer. Keep comp voicings to shells or 3-note shapes while melody is active.

Core support loop:

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

Daily map task: comp only in melody gaps or with low-density attacks under sustained melody notes.

Supplementary Listening & Ear Training (Required)

Use this track as the ear-training backbone for “Comp behind melody”, then transfer what you hear to piano the same day.

Weekly listening pick:

• Round Midnight — Thelonious Monk

Why this track now: It highlights chromatic color and tension-release hearing, which matches Week 24’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

Did your comping leave enough space for melody to lead? Carry one reliable low-density texture and one weak overplaying trigger into Week 25.