A huge question that beginning and advanced piano players alike face is: “What piece do I learn next that is appropriate for my skill level?” It is important to choose pieces that are easy enough that you can realistically tackle them, yet challenging enough that you actually learn something. Here I will go over some tips on how to select a new piece, and how to practice it effectively to maximize your learning. Possibly the best way to figure out what to learn next is through a teacher, but if you are self-taught or learning yourself, then this guide is for you!

Use Grade Systems

There are several different systems of grading pieces in order of difficulty to help the learning pianist to progress. Such ranking systems include the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), London College of Music (LCM), and most popularly, the ABRSM. The syllabus for the ABRSM (graded 1-8) can be found here. There are many advantages to using a grading system, such as having a formal curriculum to practice, however they only cover certain pieces. So if you wanted to learn a piece not covered by the syllabus, you can be left unsure of whether it is appropriate for your level. Piano Street’s graded system is my personal favorite and what I use when determining a new piece because it covers almost every major piece by a huge number of composers, both famous and obscure. It can be found here. Another ranking system that I have found very accurate—perhaps more useful than even the ABRSM—is the urtext sheet music publisher (meaning, printed exactly as the composer wrote it), Henle. Unfortunately, the range of pieces graded is limited, and most modern (20th century) compositions are not listed because they do not publish them. Overall, it is best to not get locked into a particular curriculum and skim through different ones to see how they estimate the difficulty of the piece(s) you are interested in learning.

Try out the Piece

Once you find a piece you like that you think might work well for your level, try it out! First, try to play through the whole thing roughly at tempo (sight-reading). If you can do that, it is likely too easy. It is normal to get stuck when playing a piece for the first time, but if you cannot make music out of any parts of it, then it is probably too difficult. Then, try to play hands separately. If you find that you cannot even play one hand of the piece, then it is definitely too hard! Experiment with different tempos on the metronome. Try to play quicker than tempo, even!

Learning Effectively

My advice for learning new pieces to progress, which is somewhat heretical from the views of the average piano teacher, is to practice shorter but smarter. You want to make your practicing time as effective as possible, and following this method will also let you know right away if a piece is too difficult. You should divide up the piece into sections, and practice them individually, starting with the most difficult. Spend only 5 minutes on each section. Yes, you heard that right. But you want to be meticulous as possible when practicing these sections—don’t just play it over and over. Isolate difficult parts, practice hands together slowly, at tempo, practice hands separately fast, really anything you can think of to effectively learn it. Make notes about what’s not working for you in a particular section. After stringing the sections together at tempo and mastering the subtleties of the piece (dynamics, expression, et c.), if you cannot make music out of the piece after at most two weeks, then this piece is above your skill level. You should move down to an easier piece.

These methods are a great way to make sure you are making as much progress as possible and playing pieces at your level. Another piece of advice is to work on two or more pieces at once, and, throughout a month or more, have one “reach” piece—something you know is very difficult for you, but that you are working through for an extended amount of time as a long-term goal. You should also try to run through pieces that are completely easy for you, that you don’t know already, to practice sight reading which will help with learning harder pieces. If you follow these tips you will easily progress quicker than ever, playing pieces that you love and dream of, but remember—practice smart!