Piano4t Style
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All Students preparing for Grade exams are recommended to use the Hofnotes on-line training pages to practise for the aural tests. 

At higher grades  you must be able to discuss with the examiner musical features such as texture, form, style, and period of a piece of music.  My own  web pages to help with these parts of the test at Grade 5+ and at GCSE are available here!

 

 

 

 

 

You can describe the style of the music in quite general terms at Grade V.  For maximum points, try to use musical terminology -  words like:

    baroque

    classical

    romantic

    20th century

    contemporary

    jazzy

Or you may relate the music to a composer you know such as

    Purcell

    Bach

    Handel

    Mozart

    Chopin

    Debussy

    Bartók

If it sounds like a piece you have played, say so - if it is clearly in the same style, the examiner will give you credit for that... Always read the little notes at the foot of your exam pieces so you know a bit about how to describe what you hear in the music in terms of musical style.

    is it a dance? (listen for the time signature to guess the type of dance)

    is it descriptive?  (the musical term for this is programmatic)

    is it song-like?

    is it a march?

    does it "swing"?

At later grades, you will be expected to describe certain dance and rhythmic styles, and be able to recognise or "typecast" a great variety of other styles of piece.

You can find more information on these in the pages in this section, but the best thing you can do is to listen widely and critically and to explore new pieces in your own playing.