Road to Imagine
John Lennon · Grade 7
Imagine was written and recorded by John Lennon and released on 11 October 1971 as a single from his second solo album of the same name. Lennon has said the song was partly inspired by concepts in Yoko Ono's book Grapefruit. It reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 on release. It was re-released in the UK in 1975 and reached number one there. Lennon played the piece himself on a Steinway grand piano at his home Tittenhurst Park in Ascot, England. The original piano part is built around gentle arpeggiated chord figures and the simplest of chord progressions — but the Phillip Keveren arrangement, listed at RCM Grade 7, elaborates on this foundation with textural layers that require sophisticated tonal control, sustained pedalling, and real musical commitment to sustain the piece's atmosphere.
About this plan
Note on confidence: Imagine's primary skill demands at Grade 7 are assessed here with moderate confidence — the Keveren arrangement's full details are not available for direct inspection. The plan is built on what is well-evidenced about the Keveren style and the RCM Grade 7 level. The three primary skills are tone colour, pedalling, and musical phrasing. The prep sequence builds all three from Grade 5 through Grade 6 before the destination.
Skills you'll build
Estimated time: 16–24 weeks at 20–30 min/day
Books you'll need
The plan
A 4-piece path to playing Imagine. Register free to unlock it.
Grieg's Arietta is deceptively simple. Playing it beautifully requires genuine tonal control and careful pedalling — exactly the demands that sit underneath Imagine's atmospheric quality.
The opening piece from Schumann's Scenes from Childhood. Three distinct voices run simultaneously — melody, inner harmony, and bass — each needing its own dynamic level. This multi-voice texture is what the Keveren Imagine arrangement draws on.
One of the most beloved piano pieces in existence. The sustained singing melody over a gentle left-hand accompaniment, with rich pedalling and long phrase arcs, is the most direct preparation available for the Imagine destination piece.
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The destination. Your library covers tone colour and voicing, pedalling, and musical phrasing after completing the three pieces above. Confidence note: the skill assessment for this arrangement is based on Keveren's documented style at Grade 7 level; specific score details were not available for direct inspection.
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