C4 – Armstrong: Sunlight Through the Trees.Once again, the repertoire in the alternative lists is, in my view, far more interesting, so I’m perplexed as to why ABRSM choose arrangements of traditional songs in favour of contemporary and original works (other than, of course, copyright and cost). Grade 1 still feels very child-orientated, and a child of the 1950s at that. Whilst arrangements are welcome, given many people do not explore pieces on the alternative lists, the books of Selected Pieces could be used to encourage diversity of repertoire. Two of the arrangements and the anonymous piece are to be found in the book of Selected Pieces for the grade. Of the 30 pieces at Grade 1 one is anonymous, and four are arrangements. I sighed heavily as I looked at the list of pieces in the book. David Blackwell’s arrangement of Down by the valley gardens opens with an effective passage with LH keys depressed silently however, this will only be accessible to those with acoustic pianos. Schumann’s Melodie (B1) is noticeably harder when played alongside the other pieces in the book. I’m not sure that ABRSM really hits the spot this time round. I always think of Grade 1 like the opening lines of a novel: you have to grab the reader’s attention. Overall, a candidate who completes the Initial Grade is likely to progress quickly to Grade 1. Only C major and D minor are required however, pieces include G major and A minor. It is worth noting that the scale requirements do not necessarily match the keys pieces are in. Adair’s The Lost Bone (B1), with staccato chords in the RH and a legato melody in the LH throughout is close in standard to Grade 1. That said, there is a good deal of variation between the difficulty of pieces here. Pieces are predominantly in a five-finger position, with minimal shifts of hand position. Overall, Initial Grade lays the foundations for Grade 1. I shall cover the these in more detail in my next post.Īs at all grades, nine pieces are included in the book of Selected Pieces, and a further 21 are given on the alternatives list. The format of the new Initial Grade is the same as Grades 1-8 with marks apportioned for three pieces(3×30), scales and arpeggios (21), sight-reading (21) and aural tests (18). ABRSM will continue to offer the Prep Test as an informal option in advance of Grade 1. The new Initial Grade, much as with LCM’s Step 1 and 2, and Trinity’s Initial exam, is designed to offer a more formal pre-Grade 1 assessment. In this post, I will cover the repertoire selection at each grade in turn, and as proved popular with my review of the 2019/20 ABRSM piano syllabus, my top three picks (generally from the books of Selected Pieces) at each grade.

This post focusses purely on the repertoire, and tomorrow’s post will focus on the supporting tests and publications.

A range of new supporting publications.Īs there are quite a number of changes, I will be dealing with these in two separate posts.

A one-year overlap with the 2019/20 syllabus valid until 31.12.21.

A duet option at Initial Grade, and Grades 1-3.A revised list structure defined by characteristics rather than musical period.A new Initial Grade providing a more formal pre-Grade 1 assessment.In addition to a refreshed and more varied repertoire selection, 2021 will see a number of changes to the ABRSM Piano syllabus, including:

Arsm violin repertoire list