Abrsm 2025 & 2026
Grade 3 Piano Exam
Category C 2
Song Name / Song Piece The Muppet Show Theme
Composer Jim Henson And Sam Pottle
Recommended tempo for this piece is 80 MINIM bpm, which is the equivalent of 160 crotchet bpm, as played in this video.
Remember to play the 1st section twice. (in other words, do the repeat) Although it is unusual for repeats to be required in ABRSM exams, with this piece it is. There is even bold font at the bottom of the music instructing the player to do this. A steady tempo throughout is vital and there is no need for any slowing down at the end. The main challenge will be remembering to give the occasional notes which are marked tenuto their absolute full value. (These are the notes which have the little dashes above or below them, such as at beat 4 of bar 7)
Although the right-hand part has no staccato markings, I tended to play the melody with a little bit of bounce, just to make it feel more light-hearted and cheerful, in keeping with the playful style, especially as the left-hand part already has a staccato accompaniment. That said, some players might prefer to play the opening right-hand part a little more legato (smoothly) and that could be the safer option if in any doubt. A sensible balance between the two approaches is probably best.
I did a tiny bit of quick very pedalling between Beats 1 & 2 / and beats 3 & 4 on bars 6 - 8 which is when the melody temporarily transfers to the left-hand. This approach is absolutely not needed, but I naturally did it instinctively. Dynamics are straightforward, although I couldn’t help but play bars 5 - 6 and bars 21 - 22 with a little crescendo, starting slightly softer, then building up the volume, just to add a bit more style! The final chord is accented and although not written staccato, I played it as such. With this in mind, if could be possible to hold that final chord down a fraction longer than I did, but I think as long as the strong accent is there, it will work well.
#ABRSM #Piano #ABRSMsyllabus #Pianolearning #PianoSolo
Grade 3 Piano Exam
Category C 2
Song Name / Song Piece The Muppet Show Theme
Composer Jim Henson And Sam Pottle
Recommended tempo for this piece is 80 MINIM bpm, which is the equivalent of 160 crotchet bpm, as played in this video.
Remember to play the 1st section twice. (in other words, do the repeat) Although it is unusual for repeats to be required in ABRSM exams, with this piece it is. There is even bold font at the bottom of the music instructing the player to do this. A steady tempo throughout is vital and there is no need for any slowing down at the end. The main challenge will be remembering to give the occasional notes which are marked tenuto their absolute full value. (These are the notes which have the little dashes above or below them, such as at beat 4 of bar 7)
Although the right-hand part has no staccato markings, I tended to play the melody with a little bit of bounce, just to make it feel more light-hearted and cheerful, in keeping with the playful style, especially as the left-hand part already has a staccato accompaniment. That said, some players might prefer to play the opening right-hand part a little more legato (smoothly) and that could be the safer option if in any doubt. A sensible balance between the two approaches is probably best.
I did a tiny bit of quick very pedalling between Beats 1 & 2 / and beats 3 & 4 on bars 6 - 8 which is when the melody temporarily transfers to the left-hand. This approach is absolutely not needed, but I naturally did it instinctively. Dynamics are straightforward, although I couldn’t help but play bars 5 - 6 and bars 21 - 22 with a little crescendo, starting slightly softer, then building up the volume, just to add a bit more style! The final chord is accented and although not written staccato, I played it as such. With this in mind, if could be possible to hold that final chord down a fraction longer than I did, but I think as long as the strong accent is there, it will work well.
#ABRSM #Piano #ABRSMsyllabus #Pianolearning #PianoSolo
Category
🎵
Music