Both Hands Working Together
Grade 1 — Coordination and Melody
This is the first real test of hand coordination. The pieces ask your hands to do different things at the same time — one carries the melody, the other keeps the bass. It feels strange at first because your brain is genuinely learning something new. The key is patience: slow practice pays off here more than anywhere. By the end of this plan you will have introduced the thumb-crossing movement that makes scales possible, and your reading of two staves together will feel much more natural.
Pieces in this plan
The opening piece of Schumann's famous teaching album. Simple and singing — a good first piece when your hands have begun working together.
Bright and energetic — the name tells you the character. Both hands are busier than in Melody, and the rhythm has a driving forward motion.
Bartók's folk-influenced writing is like nothing else. This short dance has a modal, slightly unusual sound that students remember long after they've learned it.
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Kabalevsky's wit in miniature. The piece is short, playful, and ends with a little surprise. A benchmark piece: if it feels comfortable at a steady tempo, your skill coverage for Grade 1 is strong.
One of the most famous first-year piano pieces. The right hand runs up and down like a fountain; the left keeps a steady pulse below.
The most famous sonatina in the piano repertoire. The first movement introduces the Classical style: balanced phrases, clean articulation, and a right-hand scale passage. This is a stretch goal — it sits between Grade 1 and Grade 2 and will push your technique forward.
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