Find a Grade 1 piano tutor

Grade 1 piano is offered by different exam boards, with different ways to show what you can do. Name both the board and the format when contacting a tutor. These are useful starting points; the chosen syllabus supplies the complete requirements. See the ABRSM Practical piano specification and Trinity exam-format comparison for the complete requirements. Preparing across a change of year? Check the ABRSM 2027–28 repertoire and overlap guidance.

At this stage, a common coordination task is keeping one hand down while the other changes notes. Try this short practice example. Use the right hand for middle C, then D, then E. Use the left hand for the next C below middle C, an octave lower.

In a 4/4 bar, count four steady beats: 1, 2, 3, 4. The right-hand C and D are crotchets, lasting one beat each; E is a minim, lasting two beats. The left-hand C is a semibreve, lasting all four beats. Start both Cs on beat 1, play D on beat 2 and E on beat 3. On beat 4, keep both hands holding their notes. Release after the fourth beat.

If the left hand repeats its C whenever the melody changes, the bass rhythm has changed. Practise the left hand holding through the spoken count, then add the right hand slowly. Listen for one bass-note attack and three melody-note attacks, with no extra note on beat 4. That gives the learner something specific to hear and correct.

For a follow-up, keep the same bass note and play right-hand E, D, C with the same durations: one beat, one beat, two beats. The task is secure when the held note survives the change of melody without a pause or an extra attack. These note values are explained in the Open University’s introduction to rhythm.

For ABRSM Practical Grade 1, knowing the pieces is only part of the preparation. The following examples connect the current requirements to small tasks a learner can practise and a tutor can check. Trinity’s Grade 1 technical exercises also work on coordination, tone and balance, and finger and wrist flexibility. The held-note task above is one way to practise coordination; use the actual syllabus exercises for exam preparation.

For an ABRSM Performance Grade, prepare the whole four-piece programme as well as the individual pieces. The repertoire must be performed and recorded in one continuous take, without pausing the recording between pieces. Check the repertoire and recording requirements for the intended entry.

A useful rehearsal task is to play the final phrase of one piece, allow it to finish, then find the starting position and character of the next. For example, if the first piece ends strongly and the next begins quietly, prepare that quieter first sound before pressing the keys. Avoid carrying the previous piece’s loudness into the next opening. Then rehearse the programme in order, including those joins.

Use separate practice time to correct slips. During a complete rehearsal, notice whether the learner can keep going after a small mistake and bring each phrase to an intentional ending. Review one musical priority afterwards, such as a melody that disappears under the left hand. The aim is to make the programme sound prepared as a whole, including the starts and endings between pieces. Read the ABRSM Piano Performance syllabus alongside the current recording guidance before entry.

Agree lesson frequency around the learner’s starting point, concentration and access to an instrument. Between lessons, a small task with a clear listening check is easier to act on than “practise your pieces”. This suggested routine can be shortened or extended with the tutor.

Latimer offers online-first, one-to-one tuition. Microsoft Teams is the default platform; another platform can be agreed with the tutor. Position the device so the tutor can see the hands and keyboard, and check that quiet notes can be heard as well as louder playing. Have the correct score or exercise ready on a stable stand.

Tell the tutor what instrument is available at home before starting. Check its key range, response to a softer or firmer touch, pedal provision and the learner’s sitting position. These affect what can be practised. For ABRSM Performance Grades, an acoustic piano or suitable digital piano is permitted. Digital pianos need full-size, weighted, touch-sensitive keys and any pedals required by the music. Check that the chosen pieces can be played as written before arranging an exam recording or buying equipment.

For a child, agree how a parent or carer will help with joining the lesson, setting up the instrument and understanding home tasks. If in-person lessons are important, discuss that as an individual arrangement with the tutor.

Each tutor sets their own hourly rate, shown on their profile. Latimer invoices after lessons on a pay-as-you-go basis. When comparing options, confirm the lesson length and charge, the proposed frequency and how the home-practice tasks will be explained.

For a Grade 1 learner, useful support includes noticing why the hands lose coordination and leaving a task that addresses that exact problem. Clarify the arrangements for scores, exam entry and any equipment separately. Agree who will book the exam and check its requirements; do not assume this follows automatically from booking lessons.