Elementary

Bartók - Dialogue (from First Term at the Piano)

ABRSM Initial Grade – B3

The great Hungarian composer Béla Bartók was an important educator, writing piano music for all levels, including the very early stages. Dialogue comes from a set of elementary pieces entitled First Term at the Piano. It features the two hands in conversation with each other, the right hand leading and the left hand imitating a bar later. Each hand stays in its own hand position throughout; the player’s task is to manage the five-finger positions with flexibility of phrasing and hand movements, avoiding locking the wrist by adjusting it laterally in order to align the arm behind the finger that... Read >>

Burgmüller - 9. La Chasse (Hunting Song) in C Major (from 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, Op. 100)

The previous two studies were about delicacy and control of sound in the softer dynamic levels; La chasse has all the energy and colour of a hunt, with a dynamic range from pp to f. The form is rondo (A-B-A-C-A), with an introduction and a coda. We clearly hear the hunting horns and the galloping of horses’ hooves, and we feel the excitement of the occasion. Do we also detect a certain compassion for the poor fox in the troubled B section (dominant minor, poco agitato) and the expressive C section in the relative minor, marked dolente (sadly)? The staccato... Read >>

Joplin (arr. Önaç) - The Entertainer

ABRSM Grade 3 - C3

Scott Joplin’s The Entertainer is surely among the most well-known rags of all time. This clever arrangement by David Önaç makes the piece accessible to the elementary player. Problems feeling the syncopations in the right hand can be solved by clapping the rhythm of the melodic line while counting the four beats of the bar out aloud. A steady left hand is essential to bring out the character. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) ... 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 >>

Béra-Tagrine - Conversation

Trinity College - Initial

Nathalie Béra-Tagrine’s Conversation is an excellent little study in combined touches. It begins with three-note drop-roll slurs in the right hand against a legato line in the left. There is plenty of articulation detail to work on here between the hands. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) ... Read >>

Bartók - The Highway Robber (from For Children, Sz. 42)

This descriptive piece contains three different settings of the same folk tune, each with its own unique harmonisations, dynamic levels and articulations. The prevailing drum rhythm in the left hand punctuates these. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) 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... Read >>

M. Helyer - Dragonflies (from The Greenwood Tree)

ABRSM Grade 1 – A2

Marjorie Helyer’s Dragonflies comes from The Greenwood Tree, a suite of miniatures designed to conjure up musical images for young players. The piece is built from a line that passes smoothly from one hand to the other with some accompanying broken chords. We can clearly see the dragonflies darting gracefully up and down, zigzagging as they go. The main challenge is to shape both hands delicately at a prevailing dynamic of piano, maintaining physical freedom while avoiding avoid lumps and bumps. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video)... Read >>

Praetorious - Old German Dance

In the C major five-finger position in both hands throughout, this Renaissance dance offers scope for variety of touches between the hands, as well as some dynamic contrasts. Once learned and memorised, it would make an excellent exercise in transposition (from memory) for a more advanced player keen to develop this skill. 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... Read >>

Ailbhe McDonagh - Anastasia (from It’s a Piano Thing, Book 2)

ABRSM Grade 3 – B3

This beautiful chromatic waltz calls for a legato cantabile in the right hand, and control of balance between the bass line and accompanimental chords in the left hand. The player will need to listen for accuracy in the pedalling. Resources & links Piano Exam Pieces 2021 & 2021, Grade 3 is available from the ABRSM online shop here. The syllabus upon which these Practising the Piano Online Academy materials are based is © by The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and is... Read >>