Elementary

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 >>

JC Bach - Aria in F, BWV Anh. 131

ABRSM Grade 1 – A1

JC Bach's Aria in F 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... Read >>

Trad. German (arr. Blackwell) - Muss i denn

ABRSM Grade 1 – 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 1 publication here. Open domain editions are also available here. You can listen to a recording of this piece and others from this grade... Read >>

Andrew Eales - Fresh Air

ABRSM Grade 1 – B1

Andrew Eales’ Fresh Air features a gentle tune in the right hand with a chordal accompaniment in mostly long notes below. Here and there the lower right hand fingers are called upon to hold onto a harmony note, presenting a technical challenge that adds to the piece’s value. As the composer points out in the footnote, the chords mostly lack their bass note, which gives the music a sense of weightlessness, as if floating. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) Resources & links This... Read >>

Böhm - Minuet in G (from Clavierbüchlein für Anna Magdalena Bach)

This dance movement is in two voices (we might imagine a duo between a violin and a cello), and needs a variety of different articulations to bring it to life. Not marked in by the composer, it is up to the player to decide which notes to join and which notes to separate. 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). ... 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 >>

Amit Anand - Cyberspace Detective

ABRSM Grade 1 – C1

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 1 publication here. You can listen to a recording of this piece and others from this grade on Spotify using this link. ... Read >>

Burgmüller - 1. La Candeur (Openness) in C major (from 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, Op. 100)

The quaver patterns require the cultivation of a legato cantabile touch and tonal gradation. Begin with the voice and sing the lines, shaping expressively and giving some space where the music breathes. Fingers need to be close to the keys, and the wrist flexible and mobile. As you glide through the five-finger positions sense the alignment of the arm behind each finger. You’ll feel this either as a tiny lateral movement in the wrist in the direction of travel, or as a small wrist circle (either is fine). Don’t overlook the chordal accompaniment in the LH; a solidly prepared background... Read >>

June Armstrong - Under the Acacia Tree (from Safari)

ABRSM Initial Grade – B2

Sourcing images of African acacia trees will stimulate the imagination to conjure up the right mood for this reflective, dreamy piece. The left hand moves between two main hand positions in broken fifths, the right hand phrases shaped expressively above. Towards the end we find a longer phrase and a new harmony, an interesting feature that breaks the symmetry the composer has set up from the start. A touch of pedal in the final bars adds a lovely touch of extra resonance.... Read >>