6
Intermediate

Grade 6 — Music of substance

The gap between Grades 5 and 6 is real. Pieces have genuine musical weight. Polyphony, advanced harmony, and sustained interpretive focus are expected.

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What to expect at this grade

Grade 6 is a genuine step change. The repertoire includes Bach Two-Part Inventions, early Beethoven sonata movements, and Romantic character pieces of real complexity. Technical ability is assumed; musical intelligence is what the grade tests.

The most important focus is polyphonic awareness — the ability to hear and balance multiple independent voices simultaneously. This is a completely new cognitive skill and takes time to develop.

When you can hear each voice in a Two-Part Invention independently, and when your Romantic piece has a genuine emotional arc rather than just accurate notes, your skill coverage for this grade is strong.

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Technical skills — what your hands and arms need to do
TechnicalPolyphonic Control — Two Voices
Balancing two independent voices when both are in the same hand. The definitive technique challenge at Grade 6.
Training exercises
Bach Two-Part Inventions — each voice separately, then combined
Voicing exercises: practice each voice at different dynamic levels
Repertoire examples
Bach — Invention No. 1 in C, BWV 772 (two equal voices)
Bach — Invention No. 4 in D minor, BWV 775
TechnicalFinger Independence — Sustained Speed
Fast, even passage work sustained over longer pieces without tension accumulating.
Training exercises
Hanon exercises 1–31 at increasing tempo
Czerny Op. 740 selected studies
Repertoire examples
Scarlatti — Sonata in D minor, K. 9 (fast, even hand crossings)
Beethoven — Sonata in G major, Op. 49 No. 2, 1st mvt
TechnicalPedal Technique — Harmonic Pedalling
Pedal changes that track harmonic rhythm — not just legato but as a musical tool.
Training exercises
Harmonic progression pedalling in all keys
Play with pedal, without pedal, and listen to the difference
Repertoire examples
Grieg — Arietta, Op. 12 No. 1 (atmospheric pedal)
Chopin — Nocturne in E♭ major, Op. 9 No. 2 (sustain pedal as a compositional element)
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Musical skills — interpretation and expression
MusicalStylistic Awareness — Four Periods
Convincing performance practice in Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and C20 styles within a single programme.
Training exercises
Compare recordings of the same piece by different pianists of different eras
Play the same phrase in four different styles
Repertoire examples
Bach — Invention (Baroque: no pedal, even articulation)
Beethoven — Sonata movement (Classical: precise, rhetorical)
Grieg — Arietta (Romantic: singing, expressive)
Prokofiev — Marche (C20: dry, percussive)
MusicalPhrase Shaping — Structural Awareness
Understanding harmonic structure and making it audible in performance.
Training exercises
Analyse the harmonic structure of each piece before performing it
Map tension and release points and plan the dynamics accordingly
Repertoire examples
Bach — Invention No. 1 in C, BWV 772
Beethoven — Sonata in G major, Op. 49 No. 2
Stepping stones
Accessible pieces to start with — manageable challenges that build confidence at this grade.
Invention No. 1 in C, BWV 772
J. S. Bach
Sonata in G major, Op. 49 No. 2 (1st mvt)
L. van Beethoven
Grade benchmarks
If you can play these convincingly, you have genuinely mastered this grade.
Arietta, Op. 12 No. 1
E. Grieg
Invention No. 4 in D minor, BWV 775
J. S. Bach
Performance pieces
Worth learning beyond the exam — pieces that reward an audience and stay with you.
Nocturne in E♭ major, Op. 9 No. 2
F. Chopin
Sonata in D minor, K. 9
D. Scarlatti
Ready for the next step?
Grade 7 — Where technique becomes art
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