Elementary

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 >>

Beyer - Melody in G (No. 39 from École préliminaire de piano, Op. 101)

ABRSM Initial Grade – B1

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 Initial Grade publication here. Open domain editions are also available here. You can listen to a recording of this piece and others from this grade on Spotify using ... 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 >>

Iles - I’m Late!

Beautifully written for the piano, and full of contrasts in touch and texture, this humorous jazz piece describes the moment in Alice in Wonderland where the White Rabbit goes for his job interview with the Duchess, and Alice follows. Resources & links Click here to purchase sheet music form the Trinity College online store (external link). Click here to view... Read >>

Daquin - Suite de la réjouissance (Gavotte en rondeau from Premier livre de pièces de clavecin)

ABRSM Grade 2 – A3

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. Open domain editions are also available here. You can listen to a recording of this piece and others from this grade on Spotify using ... Read >>

Shruthi Rajasekar - Virginia Hall

ABRSM Grade 1 – C1

Dedicated to Virginia Hall, a famous secret agent, this piece uses a repeated ostinato motif to create suspense and a sense of busyness from beginning to end. What is going on in the storyline when the sinister left hand theme comes in? And what do the ff chords at the central climax tell us? Perhaps the detective stumbles across an important new clue in her investigation. The player has plenty of scope to come up with a narrative for this piece, allowing the imagination to aid the fingers in communicating its message. Loading... Read >>

Handel - Sonatina in G, HWV 582

ABRSM Grade 3 – A1

Handel's Sonatina in G is part of a new series on the ABRSM syllabus designed for youngsters, or elementary players. This series of articles provides a step-by-step (or phrase-by-phrase) approach to learning the piece thoroughly and securely, building a solid foundation for performance in an exam, or if you are... Read >>

Couperin - Les coucous bénévoles

The right hand features the call of the cuckoo in this delightful, descriptive piece; the left hand will need to be very secure rhythmically to support what is happening above. A successful performance needs precision in articulation, and careful organisation of the tricky ornament. 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... Read >>

Trad. (arr. Önaç) - What shall we do with the drunken sailor?

ABRSM Initial Grade – A2

The melody of this traditional sea shanty in the dorian mode is clearly presented with some accompanimental material in the left hand. David A. T. Önaç’s clever arrangement presents some useful technical challenges, such as passing a line smoothly from one hand to the other, and changes in touch from staccato to legato. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) Resources & links This piece is available for digital download individually from the ABRSM shop here or in print as part of the... Read >>