We’re pleased to announce a big set of additions to our collection of video lessons for the 2023 & 2024 ABRSM examination syllabus. These new lessons feature works from across all levels by Bach, Kuhlau, Haydn and Martínez to name a few!
In this blog post we highlight and provide video previews for a selection of these new lessons for works from the elementary and intermediate grades, including a Lullaby by Charles Stanford, a study by Loeschhorn and two movements from sonatas by Pescetti and Haydn.
New Videos
ABRSM Grade 2 B2: Stanford – Lullaby (No.5 from Six Sketches)
Stanford’s Lullaby offers the player the opportunity to develop quality of tone and phrasing in soft dynamics, p and pp. In this excerpt, Graham Fitch shows how to avoid “ghost notes” (notes that don’t sound) when playing softly:
ABRSM Grade 3 B2: Loeschhorn – Study in F (No. 25 from 48 Etüden in fortschreitender Ordnung, Op. 65)
This study from the Romantic period features a melody line in the right hand in singing style, supported by an accompaniment in broken chords in the left. The secret to playing it beautifully lies not only in projecting the melody line but also in shaping it while keeping the accompaniment soft. In this excerpt, Graham introduces the piece and gives tips for practising the left hand alberti bass:
ABRSM Grade 4 A1: Pescetti – Presto (3rd mvt from Sonata No. 6 in C minor)
Pescetti was an Italian composer of the Baroque era, known for his many operas and some keyboard pieces written for the harpsichord and early piano. In this excerpt, Graham explores possibilities for articulation, touch and colour in the opening theme:
ABRSM Grade 5 A2: Haydn – Minuet and Trio (2nd mvt from Sonata in D, Hob. XVI:4)
In the Classical Period, a minuet was a stylised dance in triple time, elegant in character. It was customary to follow a minuet with a trio, after which the minuet was repeated (creating an overall ABA structure). In this video excerpt, Graham plays the trio from this work and discusses possibilities for articulation and shaping:
Click here for links to view the full videos on the Online Academy!
Other Videos
The videos featured in this blog post are only a small selection from our recent updates – click here to view the full index of available videos, including links to several from previous and other syllabuses (further information on our project for the previous 2021 & 2022 syllabus is available here).
We’ve now published video lessons for almost 50 pieces from the latest ABRSM syllabus with many more already recorded and currently in the various stages of the editing process. Please click here to sign-up to our mailing list for updates and notifications on this project and our resources for piano examinations.
Practising the Piano Online Academy
The Practising the Piano Online Academy is the ultimate online resource for mastering the piano. It features a constantly growing library of thousands of articles, videos and musical excerpts on topics including practising, piano technique and performing from leading experts. Please click here to find out more about the Online Academy or on one of the options below to subscribe:
- Monthly subscription – Subscribe for £9.99 a month to get full, unlimited access to all Online Academy articles and updates (click here to sign-up for this option)
- Annual subscription – Save over 15% on the monthly subscription with an annual subscription for £99.99 per year and get free eBooks and editions worth over £70! (click here to sign-up for this option)