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Farrenc - Mouvement de valse (No. 15 from 25 études faciles, Op. 50)
ABRSM Grade 4 - A2
This graceful waltz is a study in lightness of touch (leggiero), both in the right hand figuration and in the left hand accompaniment. The extended semiquaver passagework requires careful consideration of the keyboard choreography involved, as well as suitable practice methods to create a sound that is even yet contoured. This piece offers a good opportunity to explore how a composer uses standard harmonic progressions to form phrase structures. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) ... Read >>
Handel - Allegro in F, HWV 488
ABRSM Grade 4 - A3
This lively courante-style Allegro in F major opens with a descending scale in a rhythm that might form the basis for scale practice in other keys too. As is typical in Baroque music, the performer needs to supply their own dynamic colouring and articulation according to “good taste”. Some of the notes in the quaver patterns might be slurred (to create an accent), others played short. Crotchets may be played legato, or slightly separated. Experiment with adding a crescendo in the ascending sequence at the start of the second half and find a special colour for the arrival in the... Read >>
Chaminade - Idylle (No. 1 from Album des enfants, deuxième série, Op. 126)
ABRSM Grade 4 - B2
Cecile Chaminade composed around 200 piano works that have become popular because they are manageable by intermediate-level pianists. This picturesque, contented piece paints a pastoral scene in which the melodic line is exclusively in the right hand, the left hand accompanying with broken chord patterns. We achieve the singing style not only by projecting the melody over the accompaniment, but also by shaping the line by phrasing, breathing, and intonation (taking a tiny bit of time over larger intervals). Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) ... Read >>
Tchaikovsky - La nouvelle poupée (No. 6 from Album pour enfants, Op. 39)
ABRSM Grade 4 - B3
This beautifully constructed miniature is based on just one rhythmic pattern in the left hand - each bar is made up of a two-note repeated chord and a rest. Above this, the right hand sings (in four-bar phrases) and dances (two-note slurs). The middle section features many accidentals in the frequent modulations, demanding full attention from the player. The New Doll will not suffer from being played completely without the pedal. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) ... Read >>
Pescetti - Presto (3rd mvt from Sonata No. 6 in C minor)
ABRSM Grade 4 – A1
Pescetti was an Italian composer of the Baroque era, known for his many operas and some keyboard pieces written for the harpsichord and early piano. The term “presto” tells us to play very fast; we find triplets almost throughout in the right hand that require considerable dexterity to bring off. To bring out the energy of this piece, make the suggested dynamic contrasts very clear, adding quick breathing places for punctuation. Enjoy the difference in character and resonance depending on which register of the keyboard we are playing in. Preview (please log-in... Read >>
Bartók - Pentatonic Tune (No. 29 from For Children, Vol. 1)
ABRSM Grade 4 – C1
Bartók’s For Children is a large collection of folksong arrangements written between 1908 and 1910, revised in 1943. Pentatonic Tune is based on Hungarian folk tunes, the term “pentatonic” referring to the five-note scale so often found in folk music. The first tune appears starkly, in unison between the hands in different registers of the piano, sometimes fragmented. We find two arrangements of the second tune, both featuring the melodic line in the left hand with a chordal accompaniment in the right hand. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video)... Read >>
F. Price - Ticklin’ Toes
ABRSM Grade 4 – C3
Florence Price’s catchy Ticklin’ Toes is based on African-American dances, its syncopated rhythms and off-beat accompaniment patterns creating a lively, playful mood. Despite the editor’s caveat that players might prefer a slower tempo to the given crotchet = 138, a fast tempo is required to bring the music fully to life. A foolproof recipe for success in controlling fast tempos is an initial bout of very slow practice, ensuring complete accuracy in notes, rhythms and fingerings, followed by short bursts of the music at ever-faster tempos punctuated by deliberate stops or pauses. This might involve practising beat by beat to... Read >>
Benda - Allegro assai (3rd mvt from Sonata in G)
ABRSM Grade 4 – A1
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 4 publication here. Open domain editions are also available here. You can listen to a... Read >>
Cimarosa - Sonata in G, C.34
ABRSM Grade 4 – A2
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 4 publication here. Open domain editions are also available here. You can listen to a recording of this piece and others from... Read >>