4
Developing

Grade 4 — Technique meets expression

Both hands carry independent musical lines. Keys, tempos, and styles widen. Practice discipline becomes the decisive factor.

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What to expect at this grade

Grade 4 is pivotal. The pieces require real musical commitment — longer, more complex, demanding genuine independence between the hands.

The most important technical focus is sustaining the melody above the accompaniment across an entire piece — not just when things are easy, but through fast passages, position shifts, and technically demanding bars.

When you are comfortable with the sustain pedal, your skill coverage for Grade 4 is strong. Pedalling becomes a Grade 5 expectation, so start getting familiar with it now.

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Technical skills — what your hands and arms need to do
TechnicalFinger Independence — Running Passages
Running passage work in both hands at Grade 4 tempos, free of tension in the forearm.
Training exercises
Hanon exercises 1–31
Czerny Op. 849 Nos. 10–25
Repertoire examples
Bach — Invention No. 1 in C, BWV 772
Clementi — Sonatina Op. 36 No. 3, 1st mvt
Kuhlau — Sonatina Op. 55 No. 1, 1st mvt
TechnicalScale Technique — Complete Keys
Reliable scales in all keys to 4 sharps and flats — major and minor.
Training exercises
All required scales at examination tempo
Chromatic scale two octaves from any note
Repertoire examples
Clementi — Sonatina Op. 36 No. 1, 1st mvt (RH scale runs)
Kuhlau — Sonatina Op. 55 No. 1, 1st mvt
TechnicalTexture Control — Sustained Voicing
Melody projection maintained even through technically demanding passages.
Training exercises
Practice LH alone at p, add RH at mf — maintain balance throughout the whole piece
Repertoire examples
Tchaikovsky — Italian Song (Chanson italienne), Op. 39 No. 15
Chaminade — Canzonetta No. 3
TechnicalWrist Mobility — Fluent Accompaniment
Smooth, relaxed Alberti bass and broken-chord patterns at Grade 4 tempos.
Training exercises
Alberti bass in all required keys at increasing speeds
Repertoire examples
Clementi — Sonatina Op. 36 No. 1, 1st mvt (Alberti bass at speed)
Haydn — Sonata in C, Hob. XVI:1, 1st mvt
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Musical skills — interpretation and expression
MusicalPhrase Shaping — Multi-section Forms
Shaping longer pieces with an overall arc — not just bar-by-bar, but across whole sections.
Training exercises
Map the emotional journey of a piece before practising it
Identify the single loudest and quietest moment and work outward from them
Repertoire examples
Farrenc — Étude No. 11, Op. 50 (25 études faciles)
Burgmüller — Ballade, Op. 100 No. 15
Chaminade — Canzonetta No. 3
MusicalStylistic Awareness — Classical Clarity
Clean Classical articulation: detached quavers, precise rests, minimal pedal.
Training exercises
Play Classical pieces with zero pedal first
Focus on rest values — silence is as musical as sound in this style
Repertoire examples
Clementi — Sonatina Op. 36 No. 1, 1st mvt
Haydn — German Dance in D major, Hob. IX:22
MusicalDynamic Range — Gradation
Controlled crescendos and diminuendos — smooth, graduated transitions.
Training exercises
Scale crescendos and diminuendos pp–ff over four octaves
Repertoire examples
Chaminade — Canzonetta No. 3
Farrenc — Étude No. 11, Op. 50 (25 études faciles)
Stepping stones
Accessible pieces to start with — manageable challenges that build confidence at this grade.
Italian Song (Chanson italienne), Op. 39 No. 15
P. I. Tchaikovsky
Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18
J. F. Burgmüller
Grade benchmarks
If you can play these convincingly, you have genuinely mastered this grade.
Toccatina, Op. 27 No. 12
D. Kabalevsky
Canzonetta No. 3
C. Chaminade
Performance pieces
Worth learning beyond the exam — pieces that reward an audience and stay with you.
Étude No. 11, Op. 50 (25 études faciles)
L. Farrenc
Für Elise, WoO 59
L. van Beethoven
Ready for the next step?
Grade 5 — The crossroads
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