Find an ABRSM Grade 7 Music tutor

Practical, Performance and Music Theory need different preparation. Choose the route first, then check the applicable instrument or theory syllabus. Someone who plays Grade 7 repertoire may still need substantial written-theory preparation, and a strong theory student may need a different tutor for instrumental technique.

The piano examples below use ABRSM’s 2025–2026 syllabuses. Check the edition and any updates that apply to your intended exam date; repertoire and technical requirements vary by instrument.

The Piano syllabus makes the step up concrete: Grade 7 includes first-inversion arpeggios and dominant sevenths resolving on the tonic. A first inversion starts on the chord’s third, so familiar root-position finger patterns cannot simply be repeated.

For a dominant seventh in G, the chord notes are D–F♯–A–C, resolving to G. The Grade 7 piano requirement includes four octaves, legato, hands together. As an illustrative practice task, first play the chord notes slowly and hear the final pull towards G. Then practise a short section around a hand-position change. If the thumb landing makes an unintended accent or a gap, slow that join until the tone and pulse remain even, then extend the run. The useful improvement is a connected line through the change, rather than a faster uneven attempt. Follow the full syllabus pattern when returning to the complete test.

Grade 7 aural work also asks you to identify a cadence and its two chords. In this constructed C-major example, G–B–D followed by A–C–E is V–vi: the dominant chord moves to the minor chord on the sixth note of the scale, an interrupted cadence. G–B–D followed by C–E–G is V–I, a perfect cadence returning to the home chord, C major. Calling both ‘finished’ misses the harmonic difference. Listen for the second chord, then name both the chord progression and cadence. Have the two endings played in an unknown order so the check tests listening rather than memorising the sequence.

See the requirements in ABRSM’s Piano Practical syllabus for 2025–2026.

A polished opening piece is not enough evidence of programme readiness. For Grade 7 Piano under the 2025–2026 syllabus, the full programme must stay within 20 minutes, including transitions. The own-choice piece is normally at least two minutes; the syllabus allows a shorter piece if needed to stay within the programme maximum. These are limits, not targets to fill.

Consider an illustrative rehearsal problem: the first three pieces hold together, but a quiet melody in the fourth loses its shape as the pianist tires. Repeating only that melody when fresh will not reveal whether the problem is solved. Practise the transition from the third piece into the fourth, settle the new tempo before starting and decide where the melody should grow and relax. Then repeat the complete programme and listen for whether the melody still projects above its accompaniment.

A tutor can use this comparison to distinguish an insecure passage from a problem with pacing or stamina. Programme order, page turns and accompaniment belong in rehearsals too. For recording practice, capture the complete programme in one take so the tutor can hear its continuity; edited clips of individual pieces cannot show this. Check ABRSM’s current recording guidance before making your exam submission.

Use the Piano Performance syllabus for 2025–2026 and ABRSM’s programme-planning guidance when discussing repertoire.

Grade 7 Theory moves beyond naming individual chords. Its syllabus includes figured-bass work, suspensions and melodic decoration, continuing a melody with accompaniment, and recognising harmonies such as diatonic secondary sevenths and the Neapolitan sixth. Figured bass uses numbers below a bass line to indicate intervals above it.

Here is a constructed 7–6 suspension sketch. First, play C in the bass with E above it: E belongs to the C-major harmony. Hold or tie that E into a strong beat while the bass changes to F, with A in an inner voice. E is now a seventh above F and creates a dissonance. Keep F and A sounding while E moves down one step to D. D is a sixth above F; the resulting F–A–D harmony is D minor in first inversion.

The common mistake is to read ‘7–6’ as two unrelated chords and strike a new upper note at every bass change. The reasoning follows one voice: prepare E, hold E as the bass changes, resolve E to D. A better written response shows the prepared note sustained into the dissonance and its downward step at the resolution. This sketch isolates one device; a complete exam answer also needs suitable rhythm, spacing and movement in the other parts.

For a follow-up, mark the preparation, suspension and resolution in a short score extract before writing your own continuation. Check which bass note each figure refers to, then play the result slowly. Being able to explain why the held note becomes dissonant is more useful than copying a chord shape without understanding it.

The ABRSM Music Theory specification sets the Grade 7 requirements. Robert Hutchinson’s explanation of suspensions illustrates the underlying musical principle.

Use the free introductory meeting to discuss your goals, teaching approach and arrangements. Bring the title of your syllabus, a recent exam report if you have one, and a short description of the difficulty. For a child, include both the learner’s own goal and the parent’s practical constraints.

Set lesson frequency around the work you can do between meetings and the feedback you need. A weekly lesson can be a starting arrangement to discuss, but there is no fixed number of lessons that makes a learner ready for Grade 7. Ask for a small, specific set of home tasks with a way to recognise improvement.

Latimer’s service is online first and one to one. Microsoft Teams is the default platform; you and the tutor can agree another. For instrumental lessons, have a working instrument, your music and a camera position that lets the tutor see the relevant playing action. Test whether both quiet and loud passages can be heard clearly. For Theory, arrange a readable view or copy of your handwritten score work so corrections can refer to the same bar and voice.

Keep ordinary lesson equipment separate from the exam recording checklist. A successful video call does not establish that a Performance Grade submission meets ABRSM’s rules. If you need in-person lessons, agree the location and arrangements individually with the tutor.

Raise access needs early. Lesson adjustments and formal exam access arrangements are separate decisions: ABRSM decides its exam arrangements. Explain the barrier you experience and consult its current guidance before booking. A parent or adult learner can then discuss how lesson practice should reflect any confirmed arrangement.

Tutors set their own rates, shown on their profiles, and Latimer invoices after lessons on a pay-as-you-go basis. The tutor-matching request is free. Compare the proposed lesson length and frequency alongside the hourly rate, and agree how much preparation is realistic within your budget.

Before exam preparation begins, clarify any additional costs for music, exam entry, accompaniment, instrument access or recording equipment. Agree who will organise the exam booking and, where relevant, the accompanist and upload. A tuition arrangement should not leave these responsibilities assumed.