Continuing my previous post… here are my suggestions of the best pieces on the AMEB’s manual list from Grade 5 – 7 (and one from Grade 8 which I haven’t had as much experience with yet).

There are heaps more that are probably fantastic which I haven’t yet found, so please educate me with suggestions in the comments 🙂

GRADE 5

Hyde – Study for Scales and Staccato – LIST A (also great for a good Grade 4 student as an extra list)

Heller – Study in C Minor and No 16 of 30 Melodious Studies – LIST A

Beethoven – 1st movement of G Minor Sonata Op 69 – LIST B 

Clementi – 2nd movement of Sonatina in D major – LIST B

Mozart – movements from the 2nd and 4th Viennese Sonatina – LIST B

Grieg – Arietta No 1 Op 12 – LIST C

Bartok – Stamping Dance – LIST D

Norton – Tango, Beguine, Five to Eleven – LIST D

GRADE 6

Czerny – Study in E Major – LIST A (great fun, fast piece, lots of movement in 3rds with two hands)

Bach – Little Preludes – LIST A (worth investigating but vary greatly in difficulty)

Heller – No 20, 21 from Op 45 and No 12 from Op 46 – LIST A (all musical and suitably challenging)

Beethoven – Minuet and Minore from Op 22 – LIST B (challenging, but very rewarding)

Tchaikovsky – Chanson Triste Op 40 – LIST C

Norton – Preludes II and V – LIST D (as you can tell, I’m quite a fan of Norton!)

GRADE 7

Bach – D Major P&F Book 1 – LIST A

Moscheles – Study 6 Op 70 – LIST A

Beethoven – C Minor Sonata 3rd mvt – LIST B

Haydn – 1st movement of Sonata in D Major – LIST B

Mendelssohn – Tarantella in C Major No 3 Op 102 – LIST C (fantastic fun work and only 2 pages – the real challenge is the tempo!)

Bonsor – Willie Wagglestick’s Walkabout – LIST D (a winner for any student – fun, musical, not overly difficult)

Debussy – Golliwog’s and La Fille Aux Chevaux – LIST D (two of his best-known works and both wonderfully musical and not without challenge)

Joplin – Pineapple Rag – LIST D

Norton – any of the preludes – LIST D (vary in challenge, but all beautifully written

GRADE 8 (only one so far!)

Moskowski – Etude in G minor Op 72 No 2 – LIST A (fun and a little like Chopin’s Revolutionary Etude – good LH workout!)

…What are your favourites?