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Elissa Milne - Cockatoo (No. 9 from Very Easy Little Peppers)

ABRSM Grade 1 – C1

In this witty character piece in jazz style, the composer poses the challenge of playing double notes in the right hand. She does so in a way that encourages free and natural movements of the hand. Cockatoo not only captures the imagination, it is also an effective study for the elementary pianist.... 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 >>

Schumann - Melodie (No. 1 from Album für die Jugend, Op. 68)

ABRSM Grade 1 – B1

Robert Schumann’s Album for the Young is a treasure trove of 42 pieces written for young people. Melodie features a melody in the right hand with a gently flowing quaver accompaniment in the left. This piece requires sensitivity to touch and tone, and the ability to phrase and project a singing line. ... Read >>

JL Dussek - Gavotte in F

ABRSM Grade 2 – A2

A gavotte is a pastoral folk dance in duple time that originated in France, common during the 18th century. The dance quality in this piece can be brought out by playing the crotchets detached, apart from in bar 4, etc., where a drop-roll slur is effective. Give melodic shape to the quavers lines, hiding the repeated thumb Cs in the left hand from bar 17 - 22 by playing them more softly than the other left hand notes. As with any piece of music, dynamic contrasts bring colour and variety to our sound. ... Read >>

Brahms - Intermezzo in B minor (Op. 119 No. 1)

In 1893, Brahms wrote his last work for the piano, a set of four piano pieces, op. 119. The Intermezzo in B minor is the first piece of the set. As a composition it is full of riches, arousing keen interest in composers and scholars (including Arnold Schoenberg) as they have attempted to analyse it bar by bar. It requires from the performer the ability to play expressively at a very slow tempo, warmth of tone and control of texture and pedalling. This piece will appeal to the mature player. Please ... Read >>

Reger - Versöhnung (Reconciliation) (No. 20 from Aus der Jugendzeit, Op. 17)

Max Reger’s Versöhnung (Reconciliation) demands from the player a vivid imagination, the ability to tell a story in sound. This delightful late Romantic piece describes a character asking someone to be their friend again after a disagreement – pleading, commiserating and even dancing to win back their affection. In the video, I show how project a melody line while at the same time voicing the texture to bring out the expressive harmonic features. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) Resources & links Raise... Read >>

Czerny - Feodora (from Album élégant des dames pianistes, Op. 804)

We pianists strive for a true singing style, creating magic from our percussion instrument. How exactly is this achieved? A clingy legato at the bottoms of the keys goes some way to describing the mechanics involved, but we need to start off by actually singing the line until we have found its shape and meaning. In this fun piece by Czerny, we are faced with a technical challenge in the left hand too – how to play repeated chords accurately and freely. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) ... Read >>

Mozart - Theme, Var. 1 and Var. 5 (from 12 Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, maman", K. 265)

ABRSM Grade 5 – A10

The French melody Mozart used for his 1785 set of twelve variations, Ah, vous dirai-je, maman first appeared in 1761, and has been used for many children's songs since. The innocent theme presented in the right hand can be coloured by some imaginative articulation in the left hand, with the possibility of some overholding (finger pedalling) in spots to create a harmonic carpet. The semiquaver patterns in the first variation require not only careful control but also contouring and phrase shaping. The fifth variation is all about dialogue between the hands, the one interrupting the other in playful fashion. The... Read >>

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 >>