[Festus]

All,
I have been using a certain instructor's teaching material for the past ~4 years where the instructional material (chorales) are graded from 1 - 10, with each level increasing in difficulty.

This has caused me to wonder about:
1) What music is above grade 10?
2) Is grading used only for instructional purposes?
3) Are there rules for how to grade music?

Thanks!

 

[Taggart]

1) What music is above grade 10?

Lots of very difficult pieces

2) Is grading used only for instructional purposes?

Yes. Basically it's a way of making sure that the student should be able to attempt the piece without too much trouble. No point in putting people off with something too difficult.


3) Are there rules for how to grade music?

Sort of. It follows on from your tutorial pattern. As you progress through scales and arpeggios and improve your speed then you can play more pieces more easily. As you work though pieces you pick up various techniques e.g. pedalling, slurs and so forth.

However, you will find skilled players get far more out of an intermediate piece than a student would e.g. look at various performances of Bach's 2 and 3 part inventions. These are intermediate grade pieces suitable for a student with three or four years experience but .. in the proper hands you can get so much more out of them.

 

[pianozach]

Grades. Hmm.

I learned with the John Thompson books, and got through grade 3 or 4 before my piano teachers started giving me music from the regular piano repertoire. Sonatas from Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Brahms Intermezzos, Ginastera, Schumann piano works, etc. Debussy and stuff.

I'd guess that's where you go after "Grade 10".