7
Intermediate

Grade 7 — Where technique becomes art

Full concert repertoire begins. Technical command is no longer the challenge — musical depth and interpretive commitment are.

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What to expect at this grade

Grade 7 sits at the threshold of the concert repertoire. The pieces — Bach Sinfonias, early major Beethoven, Romantic showpieces — are works that professional musicians perform. Technical accuracy is the floor, not the ceiling.

The most important focus is interpretive commitment. A Grade 7 piece played safely but without personality is not a Grade 7 performance. Take musical risks. Have an opinion about the music.

When you can maintain consistent musical presence across an entire performance — not just in the easy passages but at all times, including technically demanding sections — your skill coverage for this grade is strong.

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Technical skills — what your hands and arms need to do
TechnicalArm Technique — Octaves and Chords
Powerful octaves and chords using full arm weight. The arm drives, the wrist absorbs, the fingers are firm.
Training exercises
Octave scales in all keys — arm weight, not wrist force
Chord voicing with arm weight — outer voices project
Repertoire examples
Schumann — Toccata, Op. 7 (octave stamina)
Beethoven — Sonata in C minor, Op. 10 No. 1 (chords with arm weight)
Brahms — Intermezzo in A major, Op. 118 No. 2
TechnicalPolyphonic Control — Three Voices
Three independent voices across both hands — each with its own dynamic level and character.
Training exercises
Bach Sinfonias — each voice separately, then pairs, then all three
Repertoire examples
Bach — Sinfonia No. 9 in F minor, BWV 795
Bach — Sinfonia No. 11 in G minor, BWV 797
TechnicalFinger Independence — Maximum Speed
Passage work at examination tempo with complete control — no notes blurred, no tension.
Training exercises
Czerny Op. 740 selected studies at full tempo
Hanon 1–43 at maximum clean speed
Repertoire examples
Scarlatti — Sonata in A minor, K. 149 (fast repeated notes and hand crossings)
Beethoven — Sonata in C minor, Op. 10 No. 1, 1st mvt (fast running passages)
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Musical skills — interpretation and expression
MusicalInterpretive Commitment
A fully formed musical personality in performance — knowing what each piece is about and communicating it.
Training exercises
Write a paragraph about what each piece means to you before learning it
Record every run-through and ask: is there a point of view here?
Repertoire examples
Brahms — Intermezzo in A major, Op. 118 No. 2 (Romantic warmth and nostalgia)
Beethoven — Sonata in C minor, Op. 10 No. 1 (Classical strength and drama)
MusicalStylistic Mastery
Each style period rendered convincingly and distinctly — Baroque, Classical, Romantic, C20 — within a single programme.
Training exercises
Listen to three different professional recordings of each piece on your programme
Repertoire examples
Bach — Sinfonia (Baroque counterpoint)
Scarlatti — Sonata in A minor, K. 149 (Baroque keyboard brilliance)
Beethoven (Classical gravitas)
Brahms (Romantic depth)
Stepping stones
Accessible pieces to start with — manageable challenges that build confidence at this grade.
Capriccio in G minor, HWV 483
G. F. Handel
Marche (Musiques d'enfants, Op. 65 No. 10)
S. Prokofiev
Grade benchmarks
If you can play these convincingly, you have genuinely mastered this grade.
Child Falling Asleep (Kinderscenen, Op. 15 No. 12)
R. Schumann
Etude in A Minor, Op. 91 No. 18
M. Moszkowski
Performance pieces
Worth learning beyond the exam — pieces that reward an audience and stay with you.
Sonata in D minor, K. 9
D. Scarlatti
Waltz in B minor, Op. 69 No. 2
F. Chopin
Ready for the next step?
Grade 8 — The summit of graded examinations
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