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Reinagle - Minuet (No. 10 from 24 Short and Easy Pieces)
Trinity College - Grade 1
Alexander Reinagle’s expressive Minuet in C is full of interesting features, and a variety of different dynamics and texture changes for a piece only sixteen bars long. With an emphasis on active listening, touch and phrase shaping, this video explores minuet style and models good practice techniques.... Read >>
Rocherolle - La chapelle (from Souvenirs du château)
Trinity College (Alternative) - Grade 7
This evocative piece by American pianist and composer Eugénie Rocherolle is somewhere between Romantic and musical theatre in style, making full use of the pedal to build up sonorities from sustained bass notes and rolling harmonies. It is music from the heart, calling for the ability to play freely with rubato and plenty of feeling. It makes a very effective recital piece and will be popular with players and listeners alike. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) Resources & links Souvenirs Du Chateau is... 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 >>
Crosland - Hand in Hand
Trinity College - Grade 1
Based on the twelve-bar blues, this interesting piece from Ben Crossland’s Get Set Jazz! Grades 0-2 will surely be a popular choice. It gives the opportunity to learn about the primary chords (I, IV and V), which could be used as a basis for improvisation in lessons. The player will need to observe accent and phrasing marks in the right hand, the left hand outlining the basic chords shapes.... Read >>
Löhlein (arr. Haas) - Balletto
Trinity College - Grade 2
The main challenge in Georg Simon Löhlein’s Balletto is the thirds, played both staccato and legato in the right hand (the left hand providing modest support). Perfect synchronisation of both notes is most important. This early Classical piece uses just two chords throughout – tonic and dominant, and two dynamics – mf and p.... Read >>
Graham - Between the Fingers
Trinity College - Grade 3
Peter Graham’s clever Between the Fingers could be used as a preliminary study for mastering a two-against-three cross rhythm – this is the effect created by the interplay between the hands. The notes are fairly straightforward; the given pedalling will need some consideration.... Read >>
Turina - Fiesta (from Miniatures)
Fiesta is one of a set of eight pieces entitled Miniatures by Spanish composer Joaquín Turina. It makes a very effective recital piece for the intermediate pianist, containing elements of showmanship (especially in the repeated notes) and display but also calling for imagination and the ability to paint a picture in sound. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) ... Read >>
Kallmeyer - Six-Eight-Prelude (from The Cool Cat Piano Goodies)
Trinity College - Grade 8
This Prelude comes from a collection of easy to moderate piano pieces in different popular idioms, Cool Cat Piano Goodies by German composer Ulrich Kallmeyer. The mood is relaxed, possibly even a little lazy. There is quite a lot going on in the left hand as it jumps from the upper register to the lower in the A section, all of which needs to be done with a light touch. To hold it all together we need to clearly feel two dotted crotchet beats per bar. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to... Read >>
Grieg - Waltz in A minor
Grieg’s Waltz in A minor is on the alternative list for Trinity Grade 4, and will be a popular choice. It is full of character and contrasts, and not without its challenges - especially concerning how to use the pedal. Grieg instructs “con pedale” (with pedal) but does not indicate anything further. In this video I show how to organise the pedalling in order to make some of the joins possible without covering over Grieg’s slurs and staccato markings, and also how to pedal for colour and resonance. Preview (please log-in or... Read >>