Hello. I joined this forum today. I gained a distinction in grade 2 and now I'm studying for my grade 3. I'm doing the technical stuff (all of it, as this week I started the chromatic scale practice) and my first exam piece Wilderreiter (which just happens to be exactly the same arrangement that's in my Classics to Moderns (Denes Agay) book. As the repeated staccato in Wilderreiter makes my hands hurt I'm trying to relax them so I can play it painlessly before I move on to my next piece, which may be Tastenritt. I detest Joni Mitchell so Both Sides Now would not be a good choice!

Any other grade 3 piano students on here

Has you teacher had a look at how you are playing the staccato notes?
You could start by playing broken chords with the pattern used for grade 1 but playing staccato or maybe your teacher can find a study that will help with this if necessary.
Sounds like you've made a good start on the scales and arpeggios. I think it's a good idea to have these well on the way before starting pieces.

Thank you for the tip, SBHOA. I have been playing some staccato RH arpeggios like you said, and doing some playing around with dominants (F to C back to F etc) and immediately playing the RH part of Wilderreiter, and gradually adding the LH. The RH doesn't hurt at all until I add the LH, which means my hands may be too tense.

I do have relaxation issues, but I am learning to relax my hands whilst playing the g3 scales and what used to hurt is now normal. Afraid to relax my hands? Afraid of the piano??? Its a big hang up of mine that I am conquering with practise!

I don't know how you are playing this but when I had a quick go there wasn't much finger movement.

I do have huge hands which are quite wayward and, until I began piano lessons, uncoordinated.

I have a Youtube channel but I don't have any vids of me playing Wilderreiter on there tho.

The good news is I have recorded myself playing Wilderreiter and it's all ready to upload to my Youtube. The bad news is that my data allowance is perilously low so I cannot actually do it until next Tuesday at the earliest.

Would it be considered a breach of forum rules if I posted a link to my Youtube channel on here??

....now trying Tastenritt and the first piece in the booklet, the one that's got the semiquavers towards the end.

i think both those are good - I have a pupil doing both. Tastenritt is great fun - one of my discoveries from this syllabus.