I began preparing my Grade 7 exam (due in June next year) and feel the gap between what's required for Grade 6 and what they demand for Grade 7 is really big. I have bene studying the piano for only 4 years and feel the technical demands are somehow beyond me.
Just to exhange a few opinions/tips etc. I'd like to know whether anyone is preparing the new syllabus for this grade and, if so, which pieces they're studying.
Hope to have some feedback from out there ...

That sums up pretty much how I feel about every new piece I tackle these days. Small targets, one at a time... you eventually get there!

At the moment I don't have any pupils doing grade 7, but looking at the pieces and if I were doing it myself, I can certainly say what I would not choose. There is no way I would do A2, A5, B1, C2, C3

I would probably go for A4, B2 (definitely!!), C4 or C5.

There are quite a few topics on here from time to time, regarding the gap in the technical requirements from one grade to another and honestly, other than grade 7 - 8 I don't think the gaps between grades vary much, but I believe the longer you spend on one grade by consolodating your technique and playing lots of other repertoire the smaller the gap is to the next grade

Being able to even consider tackling grade 7 after 4 years is quite an achievement, but as solari says, small targets one at a time and you'll get there, and unless there is some pressing time schedule to achieve the grades take some time and enjoy some of the grade 6/7 repertoire around. I always think that in the overall journey of learning this sort of standard is the first really good milestone to reach as there is so much great stuff you can now play in it's original form - not specifically written for beginners, or adapted for lower grades but really great repertoire.

There are some great pieces on this syllabus though, from the alternatives the Grandos in B list is lovely as is the C list Poulenc. The A list Arne is quite straightforward as is the C list Kabalevski.

D x

Hi i am not on grade 7, but from what you say, the exam is quite a way away. So try and set little goals each week, say one a week or as many as you think is realistic. So then you can get to grip with lots of technical things. By the time next year comes you should have covered quite a bit. I do not know, but is the jump from 6 to 7 that great, if you have been working on technique for the past 4 years? Is your teacher very good, if so, mention how you feel about technique at grade 7 standard. Perhaps they will be able to help set these goals for you. I am sure you know all this already! But just need to practice !!!!!!!

Wow that's fast progress! Small wonder you are conscious of technical challenges but as others have said you are going really well so demanding goals clearly work for you.

The Kabalevsky has been proving a good choice for students who have fairly fast, fairly precise fingers - if you do too it should make this piece easier than it sounds. With good keyboard geography and an appetite for getting varied and beautiful sounds from the instrument the Conchita Reve is a lovely choice. My B choice would be the Scriabin but so far have not sold this to anyone...

The Dacquin as an alternative on the A list is possibly a nice one to learn too.

Enjoy!

Thanks for calling it "fast" progress ... however, at some point or other it must be slowed down ... and if you don't do it of your own accord, the various pieces force you to do so.
I'm currently working on:
- Haendel's Allemande (I learnt it surprisingly fast, probably because I love it and because I've played a lot of Bach)
- Liszt's Romance in E minor. It is taking about 4/5 times as long as Haendel although i love this piece just as much. The arpeggios in the LH are driving me crazy plus the octaves plus the 3 against 2 .. not to speak of the touch, the cantabile, and so on ...
- Turina (Conchita reve). This is a lovely piece and I started to study it from the funny rythmic patterns in the LH (ll. 3-4). It's coming along well and I feel it is quite within my reach.
- Black Coffee. Again I am having trouble with extended arpeggiated chords but once that's solved it'll be sort of plain sailing (rhythm is a jey feature here and it is not usually a problem with me)
I must set myself small goals and tackle one at a time slowly and with great patience.
June 2012 is quite a few months away so I trust I'll make it sooner or later ...

I have two pupils preparing for grade 7 at the moment and both have enjoyed choosing their pieces.

'A' list. One has chosen the Arne (A1) and the other has chosen the Bach 3 Part Invention (A5). The latter is only 2 pages long and, once you have decided which hand plays what, is quite straight forward. There's nothing wrong with the Handel piece (A2) that you have chosen.

'B' list. The Turina piece (B3) is a charmer and both my pupils have chosen it as you have. Dare I say it's easier than it looks, though the fingering of the left hand in bar 15 needs careful consideration. Another delightful and even easier option is the Granados piece (B4).

'C' list. 'Black Cofee' (C3) is the obvious choice here though we think it's on the tricky side. Perhaps this one is harder than it first appears. One of my pupils has chosen this whilst the other has chosen the gem of the entire grade 7 selection - Poulenc's 'Le Petit Elephant' (C6). This wonderful piece requires all the technical and musical skill any grade 7 pupil can muster, but it's so worth while!

I'm slogging my way through this at the minute with a view to take the exam in the summer. I'd also agree that the gap from 6-7 does seem to be more pronounced than the gap from 5-6.

My choices are:

A3 - Mozart's Presto
Going reasonably well so far, and I've got most of it sorted. I do struggle with the fast LH octaves at the start of the third page (second section) though, and am at present a little worried that I just won't be able to get them reliable enough.

B3 - Turina's Conchita Reve
As others have said, this does actually seem to be easier than it looks. It's not polished yet by any means, but other than making the 10th stretch I don't think it's especially difficult.

C3 - Gershwin's S' Wonderful
Really enjoying this piece, but my dynamics are fairly terrible at the minute. According to my tutor I seem to vary between ff in the quiet sections and ff-you'rebreakingmypiano in the louder sections.

Well I am preparing a couple of different (less stressful ) pieces for the re-take of my DipABRSM, but if I were taking Grade 7, here is what I'd choose:

LIST A: 3. Mozart Presto: 3rd movt from Sonata in F, K. 280/189e
LIST B: 2. Skryabin Prelude in Db: No. 3 from Seven Preludes, Op. 17 (No surprise there!!)
LIST C: One of:
2. Martinu Harlequin (Scherzo): from Puppets, Book 2
4. Gershwin 'S Wonderful. Meet George Gershwin at the Keyboard

S 'Deafening?

At the moment I am working on;
List A; Mozart-Presto
List B; Granados-Coming from the Fountain
List C; Webster-Black Coffee

Have also dabbled with Darquin (list A) and Kabalevsky (list C)

I am also working on Grade 7 Trinity pieces, haven't decided yet whether to do Trinity or AB or both!

I'm doing the same pieces for Lists A and C but I have also learnt - surprisingly fast, for once ! - the Haendel Allemande, which I like very much and which I'll probably play for the exam (June 2012).
- As for Mozart, I had great trouble getting the broken octaves (see Razzleultra's post) at the beginning of the 2nd section fluent (and not having practised them for quite a few weeks I think they need re-studying!) and had a little difficulty with other small sequences but all in all I can say I have learnt it and that it now needs polishing but, I repeat, I don't think I'll do that for the exam.-
- Black Coffee: last bars of 2nd page (arpeggiated chords in RH mostly on black keys ) are giving me lots of difficulty and that requires focused practice ... which means days on end trying to get the right stability on black keys, which I have difficulty with (problem related to age?)
- Conchita reve (see Razzleultra's post) This is deceptively easy as I'm sure they demand the right "colour" for the chords and the shift in atmosphere plus lots of other expressive issues. technically it is only awkward at times and the smooth passage from one chord to another may be a problem as might be the section with octaves which needs to be very secure and the leaps, which must be secure, too, plus very smooth and in some cases pp.
- I have also tackled the Liszt alternative piece for List B (Romance in E minor) and have been doing it for ... lo and behold ... 8 months. It is slightly above grade 7 standard (as far as I can judge) and I have only 4 and a half years' piano playing to back me up and that may be why I am taking so long ... Anyway, I like it very much so it is worth the big effort.
I'd like to hear comments on these pieces from anybody who's doing them and on how you study them and what you think of them.

Me too! For the moment I have the book but I am not going to start it at all until after the summer.

You've picked out my exact Grade 7 programme! (I'm doing C2.) Got my exam date yesterday - 2nd April - and all going according to plan.

I looked at Conchita Reve and Black Coffee but the large chords were very uncomfortable to play and I thought I'd struggle to get them sorted in time. The Skryabin prelude is just beautiful, if incredibly twiddly.