3
Developing

Grade 3 — Real repertoire begins

A noticeable step up in musical depth. The left hand has real work to do. Pieces require genuine musical character and the first signs of sustained stylistic awareness.

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What to expect at this grade

Grade 3 is where the music starts to feel like real repertoire. Pieces are longer, harmonically richer, and require sustained concentration across more pages. The left hand is no longer just keeping time — it has its own musical contribution.

The most important technical focus is the Alberti bass and similar accompaniment patterns: keeping them even, quiet, and rhythmically rock-solid while the right hand sings above. If the left hand is uneven, nothing else sounds good regardless of what the right hand does.

When your sight-reading has genuinely improved and you can manage a piece across several weeks, your skill coverage for Grade 3 is strong. Grade 4 pieces will look intimidating at first — the jump is real — so push your reading ahead of your performance level.

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Technical skills — what your hands and arms need to do
TechnicalFinger Independence — Both Hands
Clean finger control in both hands simultaneously. Accompaniment patterns run quietly and evenly without conscious effort.
Training exercises
Hanon exercises 1–20
Czerny Op. 599 Nos. 30–50
Czerny Op. 849 Nos. 1–10
Repertoire examples
Bach — Invention No. 1 in C, BWV 772
Clementi — Sonatina Op. 36 No. 1
Kuhlau — Sonatina Op. 55 No. 1
TechnicalWrist Mobility — Alberti Bass
Small wrist rotations to keep Alberti bass and LH accompaniment patterns relaxed and even.
Training exercises
Alberti bass drills on C and G major triads
Broken chord patterns with rotational wrist movement
Repertoire examples
Clementi — Sonatina Op. 36 No. 1 (Alberti bass LH throughout)
Haydn — German Dance in D major, Hob. IX:22
L. Mozart — Menuet in F (Nannerl-Notenbuch)
TechnicalScale Technique — Minor Keys
Harmonic and melodic minor scales. The melodic minor changes on the way down — this catches many students by surprise.
Training exercises
A, D, E minor scales two octaves (harmonic and melodic)
Hanon scale exercises in minor keys
Repertoire examples
Handel — Gavotte in G major, HWV 491 (shifts to minor)
Bonis — Compliment à grand'maman (minor key throughout)
TechnicalTexture Control — Consistent Voicing
A singing right-hand melody floating above a contained left-hand accompaniment throughout.
Training exercises
Practice LH alone at p, RH alone at mf — combine while maintaining balance
Repertoire examples
Tchaikovsky — Italian Song (Chanson italienne), Op. 39 No. 15
Burgmüller — Arabesque, Op. 100 No. 2
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Musical skills — interpretation and expression
MusicalPhrase Shaping
Four and eight-bar phrases shaped with direction — crescendos toward harmonic peaks, breathing spaces between phrases.
Training exercises
Mark phrase peaks in pencil before practising
Sing before you play — match the shape to your voice
Repertoire examples
Bonis — Compliment à grand'maman
Tchaikovsky — Italian Song (Chanson italienne), Op. 39 No. 15
Burgmüller — Arabesque, Op. 100 No. 2
MusicalStylistic Awareness — Baroque vs Romantic
Distinctly different touch for Baroque and Romantic repertoire.
Training exercises
Play the same scale passage in Baroque style then Romantic style back to back
Listen to professional recordings of both styles
Repertoire examples
Handel — Gavotte in G major, HWV 491 (light, detached Baroque touch)
Schumann — Wild Horseman, Op. 68 No. 8 (driving Romantic energy)
MusicalDynamic Range
A wider dynamic spectrum — genuine piano to full forte — with controlled gradations between them.
Training exercises
Scale crescendos from pp to ff over two octaves
Play the same phrase at four different dynamic levels
Repertoire examples
Farrenc — Étude No. 11, Op. 50 (25 études faciles)
Bonis — Compliment à grand'maman
Stepping stones
Accessible pieces to start with — manageable challenges that build confidence at this grade.
Gavotte in G major, HWV 491
G. F. Handel
Toccatina, Op. 27 No. 12
D. Kabalevsky
Grade benchmarks
If you can play these convincingly, you have genuinely mastered this grade.
Étude No. 11, Op. 50 (25 études faciles)
L. Farrenc
Compliment à grand'maman
M. Bonis
Performance pieces
Worth learning beyond the exam — pieces that reward an audience and stay with you.
Italian Song (Chanson italienne), Op. 39 No. 15
P. I. Tchaikovsky
Arabesque, Op. 100 No. 2
J. F. Burgmüller
Ready for the next step?
Grade 4 — Technique meets expression
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