Levels for piano pieces

[rainbow316]

Hello everyone my name is Anthony.  I am an adult beginner at piano.  I am 58 years old and have decided to start learning now because I inherited my uncle's piano.  It is over 100 years old, but still sounds nice.  I am a little confused about the level markings given to each of the piano scores.  I noticed that they are separated into 8 levels.  I live in the U.K.and am aware that there is a grading system for piano students from 1 - 8.  Do the 8 levels correspond to the English grading system? Thanks in anticipation.

I only joined the website yesterday and am very impressed by what is on offer.  I hope I get to know a few people here in the coming months.

Best wishes, Anthony.

[j_menz]

Welcome aboard! 

There are a number of different grading systems, and not all of them have eight levels; some have more and a few have less.

Each examining body (Trinity, RCM etc.) has it's own grading, and some publishers (eg, Henle) have their own, as do some music retailers (eg sheetmusicplus).  There is some degree of consistency, and a great deal of inconsistency, between the various systems.

Use them as a basic guide, but don't take them as gospel.

[chopinlover01]

What J_menz said, basically. They're rough estimates. That said, if you're just now starting, you won't have to pay much attention to those for now, as you'll be doing basic level things. Once you get into higher level repertoire, such as Chopin mazurkas, nocturnes, etc, or Bach 2 part inventions, that's when you'll need to look at each of the systems, ask around a bit, sight read the score, and determine how hard you think it will be for YOU. What is easy for one person is hard for others, and vice versa.

[rainbow316]

Thank you both for replying to me.  I think the best thing to do is to look at the actual scores and decide if I am capable of taking it on.  My piano teacher should help too.  I have to say that I am quite confused by the grading system.  Let me explain.  When I decided to learn piano I looked at a few learning books.  Most of them had tutor books that related to each grade.  Along with the tutor books you could buy etudes for that particular grade which seemed straightforward.  However, the books that I enjoy the most are John Thompson's Modern Piano Course.  I notice that he has only 5 levels of tuition.  Does anyone know the John Thompson Modern Piano Course?  If so why does he only teach to 5 levels if there are 8 levels in the grading system?  Sorry for my stupid question, but I am genuinely confused.

Anthony.

[quantum]

If so why does he only teach to 5 levels if there are 8 levels in the grading system?

This is related to what j_menz was discussing above.  There is no universal grading system.  Authors of methods, publishers, examination boards, etc. all have their own way of implementing grading.  Some of it may share similarities with other systems, some of it may be drastically different, and everything in between.  Just because grading system XYZ goes to level 8, doesn't mean John Thompson's course has to follow suit. 

Knowing what you need to work on is more important than knowing what grade you fit into. 

When you finish with a particular grading method (that doesn't necessarily mean going all the way to the last book) you move on to other things as your skills progress.  Your teacher will guide you in this regard.

[outin]

I would also add that method book series have volumes that are sometimes referred as grades. They are not necessarily comparable with other method book series. Method books often have easy arrangements of piano pieces or pieces that are specifically created for teaching purposes by the author.

But grading systems as the ABRSM are a method to grade the general piano repertoire that has been composed over the centuries. So they are helpful in choosing musíc that would be appropriate to play in different stages of development and certain graded pieces are also used to assess one's skills in exams.

There are also books that aim to grade piano repertoire such as this one (which I can highly recommend for any beginner/immediate player one who wants to expand their repertoire):
https://www.amazon.com/Pianists-Standard-Teaching-Performance-Literature/dp/0882846558

[rainbow316]

Thank you everyone for your advice.  I think the confusion will gradually lift if I persevere with learning.  I think the book that was mentioned looks a tremendous help and I am sure I will buy it shortly.

Best wishes,

Anthony.