The Intermediate’s Practice

Template
How To Structure an Effective Practice session

List of things to master as an intermediate.

• Blues Scale - Hands separately two octave

• Pentatonic Scale - Hands separately two octave

• Dominant Seventh, Major Seventh, Minor Seventh, Diminished

Seventh, Augmented Seventh chords should be practiced -
blocked, broken, and arpeggiated.

• Ear Training

• Chord Progressions ( Seventh Chords and Ninth Chords)

• Repertoire (based on your preference)

As an intermediate, your focus should now be shifted to

building on the fundamentals learned when you were a
beginner. If you have not gone through The Beginner’s
Practice Template I highly recommend you do so before
going though this practice template.

This template is structured for one-hour practice sessions,

but you can scale each session-time based on your personal
preference and availability.

Categories Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Technique - • C & G Blues • D & A Blues • E & F Blues • Bb & Eb Blues

15mins Scale
Scale
Scale
Scale

Hands Separately Hands Separately Hands Separately Hands Separately

5-7 minutes total
5-7 minutes total
5-7 minutes total
5-7 minutes total

• C & G Major • D & A Major • E & F Major • Bb & Eb Major

Seventh and Seventh and Seventh and Seventh and
Dominant Dominant Dominant Dominant
Seventh Chords Seventh Chords Seventh Chords Seventh Chords
blocked, hands blocked, hands blocked, hands blocked, hands
separately. 5-7 separately. 5-7 separately. 5-7 separately. 5-7
minutes total. minutes total. minutes total. minutes total.

Ear Training - 10 Interval Interval Interval Interval

mins recognition. recognition. recognition. recognition.
Practice Singing Practice Singing Practice Singing Practice Singing
the following the following the following the following
intervals intervals intervals intervals
ascending and ascending and ascending and ascending and
descending; major descending; major descending; major descending; major
3rd, minor 3rd, 3rd, minor 3rd, 3rd, minor 3rd, 3rd, minor 3rd,
perfect 4th, perfect 4th, perfect 4th, perfect 4th,
perfect 5th, major perfect 5th, major perfect 5th, major perfect 5th, major
6th, major 7th, 6th, major 7th, 6th, major 7th, 6th, major 7th,
octave, and major octave, and major octave, and major octave, and major
9th.
9th.
9th.
9th.

Practice singing Practice singing Practice singing Practice singing

arpeggios of major arpeggios of major arpeggios of major arpeggios of major
chords and minor chords and minor chords and minor chords and minor
chords. chords. chords. chords.

Progression Start for the first Start for the first Start for the first Start for the first
Practice - 10mins few weeks with few weeks with few weeks with few weeks with
7ths, then add the 7ths, then add the 7ths, then add the 7ths, then add the
9th after around 5 9th after around 5 9th after around 5 9th after around 5
weeks.
weeks.
weeks.
weeks.

Key of C - I VI V Key of C - ii V I Key of C - I vi ii Key of C - I iii vi

I V I IV
Categories Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Repertoire - Work on a Continue the same Continue the same Continue the same
25mins maximum of two songs until songs until songs until
songs in each completed. completed. completed.
practice session.
Be sure to start
adding sevenths
and ninths to
these songs

Categories Friday Saturday Sunday

Technique - 15mins • Ab & Db Blues Scale

• F# & B Blues Scale
• Day Off :)
Hands Separately 5-7 Hands Separately 5-7
minutes total
minutes total

• Ab & Db Major • F# & B Major Seventh

Seventh and and Dominant
Dominant Seventh Seventh Chords
Chords blocked, blocked, hands
hands separately. separately. 5-7
5-7 minutes total. minutes total.

Ear Training - 10 mins Interval recognition. Interval recognition. • Day Off :)

Practice Singing the Practice Singing the
following intervals following intervals
ascending and ascending and
descending; major 3rd, descending; major 3rd,
minor 3rd, perfect 4th, minor 3rd, perfect 4th,
perfect 5th, major 6th, perfect 5th, major 6th,
major 7th, octave, and major 7th, octave, and
major 9th.
major 9th.

Practice singing Practice singing

arpeggios of major arpeggios of major
chords and minor chords and minor
chords. chords.

Progression Practice - Start for the first few Start for the first few • Day Off :)
10mins weeks with 7ths, then weeks with 7ths, then
add the 9th after around add the 9th after around
5 weeks.
5 weeks.

Key of C - IV vi V I Key of C - V iii IV I

Categories Friday Saturday Sunday

Repertoire - 25mins Continue the same Continue the same • Day Off :)

songs until completed. songs until completed.

NOTE: By now you should be choosing repertoire that is a little

more challenging that incorporates the use of sevenths and
ninths. You can often find the chords to most songs by merely
typing into Google “Chords for (insert title of the song, and
the name of the artist).” Or you can find song breakdowns on
my Youtube channel and website.

Tips for working on songs

• Learn the lyrics and melody to the song as if you were learning
it to sing ( you don’t have to learn it entirely perfect, but know it
well enough). When you know the lyrics and melody of the
song, you’ll also understand the structure, and this is when
you’ll begin to see the harmonic and melodic patterns ( which
is a crucial skill for speed learning as an intermediate player).

• Learn how to play the melody of the song in the right hand,
and the chords in the left hand. By doing this, you’ll begin to
understand more about melodic harmonization.

• Once you can do that comfortably, start experimenting with

both chords and melody in the right hand, while playing bass
and seventh in the left.

• Lastly, when you feel you can play the song(s) reasonably
comfortable, try playing along to the actual recording. If you
can do this, then you have thoroughly learned the song(s), and
it is time to move on to other songs.

Now that you’ve completed your first week of structured

practice, I’m sure you’re feeling motived, excited, and
accomplished (as you should). It's a beautiful feeling, isn’t it?

What should you do next?

Well, if you’re not feeling as comfortable as you’d like with the

materials you’ve been practicing over the past six days, my
recommendation is that you repeat the week as many times as
needed until you are comfortable. And don’t feel bad if you need
to repeat the week, this is not a contest or a race - you’re saving
your future-self the time, energy and heartache from having to
redo this grunt work months or years from now, so take your time
to get comfortable with the material.

Once you’re comfortable ( whether it took you one week or four

weeks), then it is time to start switching out the scales, keys,
progressions, and songs for new ones. You should keep the
same practice structure, but practice new materials.

Tips as you progress weekly:

1. Spend a minimum of two weeks with the structure outlined
above before making any changes.

2. Once you’re comfortable with the above outline, you can start
to make changes. For the technique section, switch out
Dominant Seventh and Major Seventh chords and replace
them with Minor and Diminished Seventh chords etc.

3. Once you’re comfortable with the Blues Scales, replace them

with the Pentatonic scales. NOTE: Don’t spend months
working a single scale in hopes to “master.” Scale
mastery take years, so the MOST IMPORTANT thing is to
expose yourself to different scales. Moving on to work on
other scales doesn’t mean you return to that scale.

To help you dive deeper into how you can effectively execute
each category listed in the practice template, I have provided
some resources below that can be found on my website.

Resources:
https://pianolessonwithwarren.com/intermediate-courses/

• The Early Intermediate’s Guide

• Building Technique

• Seventh-Chords 12-weeks practice regimen

• Everything Blues

• Soul Chords - Mastery Of The Ninth Chords