Moderate
A list
Diabelli ~ Allegretto in C (A1) is an old favourite. On the face of it, it's easy enough. However, younger children often find coordinating their fingers to play three-note chords a little challenging, at least in order to be able to play them with an even, crisply defined articulation, whilst not playing too loudly. The musical challenge is to achieve a pleasing well phrased flow - it's all too easy for the playing to sound accentuated and bumpy.
Marjorie Helyer ~ Dragonflies (A2) is one of those delightful pieces with a timeless charm. Its challenge lies in coordinating right and left hand takeovers smoothly, whilst achieving a graceful flow of phrasing. It is most likely best to adopt a consistent 2-3-1 left hand fingering on the D-C-B natural patterns.
Pianist ~ Peter Noke
Reinagle ~ Minuet in C (A3) is not difficult but does need to flow at a reasonable one-in-a-bar if it is to have musical credibility. An early understanding of basic rotary technique will help the student on their way to a more even and hopefully quieter rendition of the left hand Alberti bass moments.
Dennis Alexander ~ Sonatina (A4) (piano duet) is an engaging piece with contrary motion quavers and some imitation.
Helyer ~ Haymaking (A8) is a lovely piece with some hand position changes and plenty of imitation between the hands. Find out more here:
https://www.pianoandtheory.co....
Türk ~ Arioso in F (A9) is a great introduction, at this beginner level, to playing in the Classical style. The piece requires a gentle lyrical approach, with some supple phrase shaping.
There are usually opportunities to play early grade pieces with lots of variety in dynamics and articulation and Hook ~ Gavotte in C (A11), which has featured before in ABRSM syllabi, is no exception.
Mozart ~ Allegro (A12) is a more eloquent piece than Türk's Arioso and, if you have a suitably sensitive pupil who would engage well with the expressive poise needed here, this could be a great choice.
Whilst there are hand position changes here in Purcell ~ Minuet in A Minor (A13), the articulations are mirrored in each hand, which makes for a more readily achievable sense of phrasing.
B list
Eales ~ Fresh Air (B1) has a gentle modal feel to it, although strictly speaking it is in C major. Musical success relies on bringing through the top line cantabile in a calm and well-sustained manner with good note lengths and legato through the semibreves.
Dennis Alexander ~ Reflections (B4) (duet) does just that! It's the kind of earworm that hangs around for some time, with the various twists and turns of its melodic lines, There is opportunity to act as accompanist to the secondo part midway and it's the kind of piece which certainly requires careful listening to achieve a successfully flexible performance.
Richard Rodney Bennett ~ Friday (B6) is a gem of a miniature. Its wispish musical lines drift reflectively across the musical landscape to a gentle and tender climax point through right hand double thirds, before finally subsiding back to the home key. It can be just as effective played at a slower tempo.
Jessie Blake ~ Little White Cloud (B7) is a pensive chromatic piece that requires a fairly consistent right hand lyrical legato while the left hand accompanies with gentle staccato chords.
Borislava Taneva ~ Small Valse (B10) is very similar in tempo and style to Chee-Hwa Tan's The Swing (2021 - 22 Syllabus), if a little longer and more chromatic.
Agnieszka Lasko ~ Fountain (B11) is a slightly lengthy descriptive piece, which needs to flow along at a fairly good tempo and requires some pedal to add sustain to some of the passages.
Alan Menken ~ Beauty and the Beast (B12) is a great arrangement for anyone wishing to recall moments from the famous musical.
Siegmeister ~ Song of the Dark Woods (B13) is a reflective and relatively introspective minor key piece that requires good lyrical legato playing.
C list
Using the pedal for creative purposes is always a great way to get young children, in particular, to listen to what they are playing in an imaginative way. Caroline Tyler ~ Little Whale Explores the Calm Sea (C3) works really well. The pedal is indicated to be held throughout the piece until bar 21 where it should come up. Remember that the character comes about also on account of the one-in-a-bar feel. Too slow a tempo will have the opposite effect from that intended.
Pianist ~ Peter Noke
Another entrancing piece that is reliant on using pedal is June Armstrong ~ Sunlight Through the Trees (C4). The dappled colours are created through a piano and sometimes pianissimo tone - something which needs to be firm and even when it comes to performance.
Character pieces based around animals can be a sure way to encourage playing which is full of musical shape and vivid communication, through a very direct way into a child's imagination. From 'March Hare' to 'Grasshopper' (in the previous syllabus) here we have Elias Davidsson ~ The Frog (C5), a light-legged little creature that is nowhere happier than hiding in amongst the tall grass around the pond and waiting to surprise and enchant the next human to wander along.
Imaginatively written, Alison Mathews ~ Woodland Folk Song (C6) makes use of a mix of modal and major key harmonies, with rhythms tapped on the piano fall, to create a piece of interesting texture. Alternating use of B natural with B flat helps to keep the tonality fluid.
Trad. Jamaican ~ Mango Walk (C10), like many other such pieces, requires a solid sense of groove if the performance is to be fun and persuasive.
Being comfortable playing syncopated rhythms is a must for any jazz-style piece and that is also true for Carol Barratt ~ Cheesecake-Walk (C11). As with all rhythm work, it is both fun and effective to devise lots of games with the teacher playing and the pupil clapping. There are many ways to use backing tracks and other recorded audio to customise one's ear.
William Gillock ~ Swinging Beat (C12) possibly refers more to swinging from the trees and having fun than actually being in swing time itself. Here the quavers are played straight and the bold groove is established in the left hand part. Musically it is straightforward and demands plenty of dynamic variety along with a really solid sense of pulse.
Other content in “Grade 1”
-
Current: Moderate