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Beach - Arctic Night (No. 1 from Eskimos, Op. 64)

ABRSM Grade 5 – B1

This descriptive piece by American composer Amy Beach is full of colour and expressive possibilities. The player will need to respond to the changes in the bleak landscape, using the pedal sensitively. Resources & links Piano Exam Pieces 2021 & 2022, Grade 5 is available from the ABRSM online shop here. Click here to view open domain editions for this work (external link). The syllabus upon which these Practising the Piano Online Academy materials are based is © by The... Read >>

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 >>

Daquin - Le coucou (Rondeau: 1st mvt from Troisième suite)

ABRSM Grade 7 – A3

Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) 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 7 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 this link. ... Read >>

Clementi - Vivace (3rd movt from Sonatina in C, Op. 36 No. 1)

ABRSM Grade 3 – A2

Elementary players are bound to encounter Muzio Clementi on their musical path. His music is always beautifully written for the instrument - educational and fun to play as well as an audience favourite. Full of life, this charming Vivace from his Sonatina in C (Op. 31 No. 6) calls for dexterity in the right hand as it moves across the keyboard, the left hand accompanying. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) Resources & links This piece is available for digital download individually from the... Read >>

Mel Bonis - Il pleut

ABRSM Grade 8 – A2

Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) 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 8 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 this link. ... Read >>

JS Bach - Prelude & Fugue in E Major, BWV 854

Many players are confused by the subject of pedalling in Bach. Should we use it, or should we avoid it? While it is certainly true that none of Bach’s keyboard instruments had any type of device to sustain the sound after the finger left the key, piano sound without pedal can be dry and academic-sounding. I suggest learning the piece with no pedal until we have found the best sound, and then add short, shallow dabs of pedal in those places where we feel the need for some extra resonance or colour. ... Read >>

Chopin - Mazurka in G minor (Op. 67 No. 2)

ABRSM Grade 6 – B1

The mazurka is based on the Polish folk dance that originated in Mazovia, near Warsaw. Chopin wrote more than 50 mazurkas and listening to a variety of them will help develop a sense of the characteristic style. This example, in G minor, was written in the last year of Chopin’s life (1849). Resources & links Piano Exam Pieces 2021 & 2022, Grade 6 is available from the ABRSM online shop here. Click here to view open domain editions for these works (external link).... Read >>

Sam Wedgwood - Shark Soup (from Sam Wedgwood’s Project, Book 2)

ABRSM Grade 4 – C3

This entertaining contemporary jazz-style piece presents challenges in rhythm and articulation. It will take a keen eye and a measure of concentration to play this piece as precisely as the composer has indicated. Resources & links Piano Exam Pieces 2021 & 2021, Grade 4 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 reproduced by permission of the copyright... 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 >>