Piano ABRSM Performance Exam for all Grades 1- 8.
Step by Step to present and pass your exam.
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ABRSM is a very prestigious examiners association of the United Kingdom that structures a progressive program of beginner to advanced musician. These exams are divided into four types: Performance Grade, Practice Grade, Music Theory Grade and ARSM Diploma, each of these types of exams are divided into 8 levels or as they call them Grades. In addition to these types of exams they also have jazz exams with 5 levels and the possibility of preparatory exams without grades to have a previous idea of the operation of this type of exam.
In this blog we concentrate specifically on the Performance Grade exáms, which allows evaluation from a video record at any time of the year. Although we refer to the piano, all the information of this blog will be useful for any instrument that wishes to present the ABRSM exam since I will tell you step by step about the preparation, registration, recording and sending of files processes.
Exam by Levels.
There are no prerequisites to take the exams from grades 1 to 5, this means that if you consider that you have the ability to prepare and present the repertoire required for level 5 you can do so without any problem, however, if you want to take the exams for Performance Grades 6 and above, you must have first passed the exams for grades 5 and in Practical Grade, Music Theory Grade or Jazz Instrument.
You can read more about the exams in this link. Keep in mind that on the official page of the ABRSM you will find all the necessary information to take the exams you want, however the amount of information is overwhelming, that is why the objective of this blog is to show you in a clearer, more direct and summarized way the step by step to take the Performance Grade exam. We share the links to the documents and information so that you do not get lost when browsing the ABRSM page.
The Repertoire
What are the General Conditions?
ABRSM provides three lists (A, B and C) with the repertoire corresponding to each Grade. In order to take the exam you must choose 4 different pieces, one from list A, another from list B and one from list C. For the fourth piece you have the freedom to choose between another piece of these three lists or one of your choice, in this case you must take into account some conditions.
The piece must be of the same level or higher than the pieces on lists A, B and C.
The piece cannot last less than the time defined for each Grade.
Grade 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Time minimum 00:25 00:30 00:35 00:45 01:00 01:30 02:00 03:00
The piece can be the participant's composition or arrangement, but like the first condition, it must be of the same level or higher.
The piece must be written in a traditional score in a clear and legible way.
The piece can be for solo piano or duet as long as it is the only duet in the repertoire.
In addition to these specific characteristics, you must also take into account the general characteristics related to the selection of repertoire:
The duration of the presentation must not exceed the maximum time limit assigned for each grade.
Grade 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Time maximum (min) 6 7 8 10 12 15 20 25
Up to a maximum of two pieces by the same composer can be performed.
One of the four pieces may be a Duet.
¿What pieces can I play in my exam?
It is always important that you check the official ABRSM website for changes regarding the Syllabus. This year ABRSM published the new books for the academic program or Syllabus 2023-2024 that will be valid from January 1, 2023, in these books you will not only find the same repertoire of the current program but also new repertoire. Depending on the date you choose for the presentation of your exam, you must be selective with your repertoire, although, as we mentioned before, if you acquire the book corresponding to the Syllabus 2023-2024 you will find all the pieces of the Syllabus 2021-2022, you cannot play during 2022 the new repertoire designated for 2023. For more information about the repertoire in general and specific to other grades, you can visit this link.
The repertoire for all grades in all types of exams and for all instruments can be found in the official ABRSM store. The scores and books for the current repertoire, which I will share with you below, of the Grade 5 Piano Syllabus for the year 2021-2022 can be found here. However, if you want to buy the books through Amazon and support this blog, you can do it through the affiliate links that I put in each piece, with which I can receive a commission without adding value to your purchase.
An important note regarding the “Piano Exam Pieces” books published by ABRSM: as you will see below, the three lists A, B and C add up to 30 pieces in total, but each book contains only 9 pieces spread over 3 pieces from the list A, three from list B and three from list C. Taking into account that your repertoire must have only 4 pieces for the exam, it is enough to purchase this book, however the final decision of which repertoire you must present for your exam depends on you and your teacher.
List A
J. F. F. Burgmüller - La chevaleresque (No. 25 from 25 études faciles et progressives, Op. 100) - Piano Exam Pieces 2021 & 2022, Grade 5 (ABRSM)
T. A. Arne - Presto (2nd movt from Sonata No. 6) - Piano Exam Pieces 2021 & 2022, Grade 5 (ABRSM)
Handel - Toccata in G minor, HWV 586 - Piano Exam Pieces 2021 & 2022, Grade 5 (ABRSM)
J. S. Bach - Invention No. 8 in F, BWV 779 - J. S. Bach: Two-part Inventions (ABRSM) or J. S. Bach: Inventions and Sinfonias (Henle) or Core Classics, Grades 5–6 (ABRSM)
Beethoven - Bagatelle in G minor, Op. 119 No. 1 - A Keyboard Anthology, 1st Series, Book 3 (ABRSM) or Core Classics, Grades 4–5 (ABRSM) or Classics for the Developing Pianist, Book 3 (Alfred)
J. H. Fiocco - Andante (from Pièces de clavecin, Op. 1) - J. H. Fiocco: Eight Keyboard Pieces (ABRSM)
Haydn - Allegro (1st movt from Sonata in G, Hob. XVI:G1) - Pp. 41–43 from Haydn: Selected Keyboard Sonatas, Book 1 (ABRSM) or Essential Keyboard Repertoire, Vol. 5 (Alfred)
Hummel - Allegro in C (No. 2 from Six pièces très faciles, Op. 52) - Hummel: 16 Short Pieces (ABRSM)
J. L. Krebs - Toccata in Eb - Essential Keyboard Repertoire, Vol. 6 (Alfred)
Mozart - Theme, Var. 1 and Var. 5 (from 12 Variations on “Ah vous dirai-je, maman”, K. 265) - Mozart: 12 Variations on “Ah, vous dirai-je Maman”, K. 265 (Henle) or Mozart: “Ah, vous dirai-je Maman”, 12 Variations in C major, KV 265 (Bärenreiter)
List B
A. Beach - Arctic Night (No. 1 from Eskimos, Op. 64) - Piano Exam Pieces 2021 & 2022, Grade 5 (ABRSM)
Nevada - Starry Dome (No. 15 from Piano Meditation) - Piano Exam Pieces 2021 & 2022, Grade 5 (ABRSM)
Tchaikovsky - Douce rêverie (No. 21 from Album pour enfants, Op. 39) - Piano Exam Pieces 2021 & 2022, Grade 5 (ABRSM)
R. R. Bennett - Little Elegy - R. R. Bennett: Little Elegy (Novello)
Granados - La huérfana (No. 9 from Cuentos de las juventud, Op. 1) - Granados: Stories of the Young, Op. 1 (ABRSM)
S. Heller - Study in E minor, Op. 47 No. 15 with repeat - S. Heller: 20 Miscellaneous Studies (ABRSM)
Massenet - Mélodie (No. 5 from 10 Pièces de genre, Op. 10) - French Romantic Repertoire, Level 1 (Faber)
Mompou - La barca (from Impresiones íntimas) - Mompou: Impresiones íntimas (Unión Musical Ediciones) or Mompou: Música para piano (Unión Musical Ediciones)
Pachulski - Prelude in C minor, Op. 8 No. 1 - A Romantic Sketchbook for Piano, Book 3 (ABRSM)
Schumann - Von fremden Ländern und Menschen (No. 1 from Kinderscenen, Op. 15) - Schumann: Kinderscenen, Op. 15 (ABRSM) or Schumann: Scenes from Childhood, Op. 15 (Henle)
List C
Gillock - Mister Trumpet Man (from New Orleans Jazz Styles) - Piano Exam Pieces 2021 & 2022, Grade 5 (ABRSM)
Heather Hammond - Changing Times (from Cool Piano 5) - Piano Exam Pieces 2021 & 2022, Grade 5 (ABRSM)
Prokofiev - Tarantella (No. 4 from Musiques d’enfants, Op. 65) - Piano Exam Pieces 2021 & 2022, Grade 5 (ABRSM)
Agay - Blue Waltz - The Joy of Boogie and Blues (Yorktown Music Press)
Alwyn - The Sea is Angry - Pianoworks Collection 2 (OUP)
Bartók - Winter Solstice Song (No. 38 from For Children, Vol. 1) - Bartók: For Children, Vol. 1 (Boosey & Hawkes)
Victoria Borisova-Ollas - Silent Island - Spectrum 3 (ABRSM)
Ludovico Einaudi - Elegy for the Arctic this edition only - Pp. 7–9 from Ludovico Einaudi: Extra Elements (Chester)
Pinto - March, Little Soldier! (No. 3 from Scenas infantis) gliss. optional - Pinto: Scenas infantis (G. Schirmer)
Catherine Rollin - Love Theme (from Lyric Moments, Book 2) - Catherine Rollin: Lyric Moments, Book 2 (Alfred)
The Exam
Depending on which country you are in and the type of exam you want to present, you have the possibility of doing it in person, but you can also do it online with a pre-recorded video that must meet certain conditions, you must also fill out a form where you write the pieces in the order in which they will be interpreted. The exam must be recorded in a single take and there should be no post-production editions, however the date on which you can present your exam is decided by you, which gives you the freedom to prepare as long as you consider necessary.
Some technical elements that you must take into account during the preparation of the exam are the use of the pedal and the repetition marks. Regarding the use of the pedal, its use should be careful and timely, the evaluators do not usually pay attention to whether or not the pedal is used as it is written in the score, but rather the contribution it gives to the interpretation, that is why it is important to know what repertoire you choose, since if you still have trouble using the pedal well, it is best to choose a piece where its use is minimal.
For the repetitions, ABRSM is quite clear, in the Syllabus you can find in the pieces the specification of whether the piece should be repeated or not, in the event that this indication does not come, it is up to the student if he wants to play with the repetition or not, but he must take into account the exam time limitations for each Grade. However, the indication D.C. al Fine should always be followed, unless otherwise stated in the Syllabus.
The Video
Once you have your repertoire ready with all the technical indications, with the dynamics and the phrasing, you can start recording.
The first thing you must do is to show the a form with the repertoire in front of the camera in the order that you are going to perform it and announce it verbally, for grades 6 to 8 you must also show a form of identification with a photograph, since this can help you in the case of applying to a Diploma or University Degree.
Once your repertoire has been presented and the necessary documents have been shown, you can begin to interpret all the pieces. You must keep in mind the maximum duration of your exam starts from the first musical note that sounds and ends with the last note, spaces and silences. between the pieces are also taken into account.
For more specific information check this recording guide on the official ABRSM website.
Final Elements
The conditions of payment and delivery of your exam may vary from year to year, for this reason I recommend that before recording or even before starting to prepare your repertoire, you review the information and conditions on the ABRSM website so that you do not waste your time. .
I am aware that there is too much information on the ABRSM website and it is easy to get lost along the way, that is why this blog has given you a better idea of how the ABRSM exams work and how you can if you are interested , prepare for this exam in any of its grades. If you want to know more about the process with ABRSM and take online piano lessons with me, do not hesitate to contact me, I will gladly answer your questions.
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