Elementary

Burgmüller - 13. Consolation in C Major (from 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, Op. 100)

The thirteenth étude, Consolation (Comfort), returns to the familiar key of C major. Marked dolce lusingando (sweetly and caressingly), it calls for careful control of tone as we balance melody and accompaniment not only between the two hands, but also within each hand. There are many beautiful, expressive moments in this etude that we need to enjoy and savour as we play them. The harmonic progression in bars 5 and 6 that enhances chord ii in what would otherwise be a standard sequence of chords is one example, the modulation to E minor (bars 14-15) another. The semibreves in the... Read >>

Pete Letanka - Way Out West

ABRSM Grade 2 – C2

Resources & links This piece is available for individual purchase as a digital download here or in print as part of the Piano Exam Pieces 2025 & 2026 Grade 2 publication here. You can listen to a recording of this piece and others from this grade on Spotify using this link. ... Read >>

Beethoven (arr. Czerny) - Écossaise in G, WoO 23

ABRSM Grade 2 – A1

In this bouncy Écossaise by Beethoven the player needs to distinguish between two different types of staccato - the ordinary dot and the sharper, more accented dash (or wedge). We find several slurs, to be played using a down-up motion generated by the arm; release the final note of each slur, making it softer and slightly shorter than its written value. Bring out the humour of the piece by enjoying Beethoven’s cheeky dissonances and high-spirited syncopations. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) ... Read >>

Beethoven - Sonatina in G (2nd mvt - Anh. 5 No. 1)

This walkthrough of the second movement of Beethoven’s popular Sonatina in G will help students to assimilate essential elements of the Classical style: articulation, balance, ornamentation, and clear phrasing. The series of reduced scores provides students with a step-by-step approach to learning the piece, and makes it easier for teachers... Read >>

Trad. English (arr. Blackwell) - This Old Man

ABRSM Initial Grade – A3

That all English children are bound to know this nursery rhyme will certainly make the note learning easier. In David Blackwell’s clever arrangement, the right hand moves between five-finger positions on D and C, the left hand staying in the C position. The player will need to master varying touches between the hands and keep a close eye on the differences when the same phrases return, varied.... Read >>

Burgmüller - 16. Douce Plainte (Tender Appeal) in G Minor (from 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, Op. 100)

Douce plainte (Gentle Complaint) is a study in expressive playing, requiring very careful listening indeed. In the key of G minor, and marked dolente (sadly), we find expression not only in the melodic line that passes from one hand to the other, but also in the rises and falls in the accompaniment figuration (we respond by adding our own gentle hairpins, with no accent on the final quaver of the slurred groups). Playing a melodic line in legato cantabile style involves not merely projecting it over the accompaniment, but also paying attention to how one note relates to the next... Read >>

Burgmüller - 17. La Babillarde (The Chatterbox) in F Major (from 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, Op. 100)

La babillarde (Chatterbox) is a tuneful and humorous study in repeated notes, useful because both hands get the chance to develop this important skill. Only 35 bars long, there is great value in observing the repeats once the study has been mastered. Allegretto tells us the tempo is lively, but not too fast. The original French edition gives a tempo of 72 per dotted crotchet, rather on the fast side. I suggest experimenting with various different tempi starting from 60 per dotted crotchet. It is not always the case that repeated notes must be played with a change of finger,... Read >>

Burgmüller - 18. Inquiétude (Restlessness) in E Minor (from 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, Op. 100)

In Inquiétude (Restlessness) we find just one basic pattern – left hand staccato chords on each beat of the bar and scurrying semiquaver groups in the right hand, off the beat. It makes sense to begin learning the notes with the left hand, the conductor. The wedged staccato dashes tell us to play short and emphatically, with energy in the tips of the fingers. The right hand groups need to be played close to the keys, yet with a sense of shaping and mobility in the hand and wrist. The wider intervals, such as we find in bars 5-6, and... Read >>

Daniel Gottlob Türk - Arioso

In the expressive style, with sighing appoggiaturas and chromatic touches, this piece requires a singing right hand with lots of shaping and nuances. Resources & links Click here to purchase sheet music form the Trinity College online store (external link). Click here to view open domain editions for these works (external link). Click here to view the index for our Guide to the Trinity College Piano Syllabus. Click here to view a... Read >>