ABRSM JAZZ piano

Jazz exams are aimed to give students the opportunity to display their knowledge and skill on their chosen instrument and to perform jazz with musical awareness,control and technical fluency.

Candidates need to prepare 3 pieces, to play a quick study at sight or by ear,to play the scales&arpeggios from memory listed for the grade and to complete the aural tests for the grade.

The Grade 1 Jazz Piano CD contains performances of all the pieces for grade 1 with sample improvisations. There is a music minus one track for you to play along with bass and drums too. Also included are examples of scales, practice aural tests and of how the quick study test works in the exam.

Grade 1 CD

Three pieces are to be performed, one from each group namely Blues, Standards and Contemporary Jazz.

Jazz Piano Pieces: Grade 1

All pieces contained in Jazz Piano Pieces: Grade 1

BLUES
1 BEDFORD SQUARE BLUES Richard Michael
2 OH LORD, DON’T LET THEM DROP THAT ATOMIC BOMB ON ME
Charles Mingus, arr. Nikki Iles
3 BAGS’ GROOVE Milt Jackson, arr. Richard Michael
4 SLINKY THING Simon Whiteside
5 PROVE YOU GROOVE Phil Peskett

STANDARDS
1 PERDIDO Juan Tizol, arr. Richard Michael
2 INCHWORM Frank Loesser, arr. Nikki Iles
3 JEAN PIERRE Miles Davis, arr. Charles Beale
4 (OLD MAN FROM) THE OLD COUNTRY Nat Adderley & Curtis R. Lewis,
arr. Phil Peskett
5 IS YOU IS, OR IS YOU AIN’T (MA’ BABY)? Billy Austin & Louis Jordan,
arr. Eddie Harvey

CONTEMPORARY JAZZ
1 BOTTLE JUNCTION Nikki Iles
2 BLUE AUTUMN Eddie Harvey
3 HE IS SADLY MELTING Phil Peskett
4 HERE WE GO AGAIN Michael Garrick
5 YOKATE Huw Warren

Jazz Piano Pieces: Grade 1

GRADE 1

grade one Quick Study

Candidates are required to play either at sight or by ear, a two-bar passage (with one
hand only for pianists) and to improvise a two-bar continuation based on the scale
indicated and used for bars 1 and 2. This scale will be any one of those set for this grade.

The ﬁrst two bars will be fully notated in 4/4 time and written within the range of a 4th.
Chord symbols will also be provided. Candidates choosing either 1 or 2 of the following;:

play the ﬁrst two bars at sight ﬁrst being given the pulse followed by a short
interval of up to half a minute in which to look through and, if they wish, try out
any part of the test before they are required to perform it for assessment. The examiner will then count in the candidate, who should play bars 1 and 2 exactly as
written, following on with the improvised two-bar response in strict time without an
intervening pause. Guideline pitches for the improvised response will be given.
play the ﬁrst two bars by ear having heard them played three times by the examiner.
Before the ﬁrst playing is counted in, the scale used for the passage will be stated, an
initial chord played and the starting note sounded and named, all as appropriate for
the candidate’s instrument. There will be a short interval after the second and third
playing of the passage when candidates may try out what they have heard.
The examiner will then count in the candidate, who should play bars 1 and 2 exactly
as heard, following on with the improvised two-bar response in strict time without
an intervening pause.

AURAL TESTS

AURAL TESTS FOR GRADE 1 JAZZ PIANO

AURAL TESTS
This section of the exam tests the all-round aural awareness and musicianship skills of the
candidate. Practice tests and guidelines are given in the books of aural tests for each
instrument published by the Board; the CD for each instrument at each grade also
contains exemplars of the tests.
For any test which requires a sung response, pitch rather than vocal quality is the
object, and candidates may hum or whistle, rather than sing, the response.

GRADE 1
A1 To clap the pulse of a passage of music in 3 or 4 time played by the examiner.
The examiner will commence playing the passage, and the candidate will be
expected to join in as soon as possible by clapping the beat.

A2 To clap on the last beat of each bar while the same passage is played again.
The examiner will ﬁrst state the time and count in the candidate.

A3 To clap the rhythm of a short extract (from the same passage) played twice by the
examiner.

B To sing, as an echo, four two-bar phrases limited to a range of a 3rd in a major or
minor key or mode played by the examiner. The echoes should follow each phrase
in strict time without an intervening pause. The key-chord, or chord on the root, and
the starting note will ﬁrst be sounded and a two-bar count-in given.

C To sing or play improvised answering phrases to four two-bar phrases limited to a
range of a 4th (though the answers need not be similarly limited) in a major or minor
key or mode played by the examiner. The answers should follow each phrase in strict
time without an intervening pause. The key-chord or chord on the root will ﬁrst be
named and sounded as appropriate for the candidate’s instrument, and the pulse
given. The examiner will then play four bars introductory groove, before playing the
ﬁrst phrase to which the candidate should respond; the examiner continues with the
groove throughout the test.

SCALES & ARPEGGIOS

grade one scales & arpeggios

SCALES AND ARPEGGIOS

From memory, straight 8s or swing, as directed by the examiner:
SCALES with each hand separately in the following forms:
Dorian on D; Mixolydian on G; C major (two octaves)
Major pentatonic on C; 3 pentatonic on G (ﬁve notes)
ARPEGGIOS
The common chords of G major and D minor, in root position only, with each hand
separately (one octave).

GRADE 2

Jazz Piano Pieces: Grade 2

All pieces contained in grade 2 Jazz Piano

BLUES
1 C JAM BLUES Duke Ellington, arr. Richard Michael
2 ON-OFF BOOGIE Tim Richards
3 BLUE LULLABY Pete Churchill
4 GOOD TIME BLUES Eddie Harvey
5 NOW’S THE TIME Charlie Parker, arr. Richard Michael

STANDARDS
1 SOFTLY AS IN A MORNING SUNRISE Sigmund Romberg, arr. Malcolm Miles
2 ST THOMAS Sonny Rollins, arr. Lewis Riley
3 CONTEMPLATION McCoy Tyner, arr. Nikki Iles
4 MOANIN’ Jon Hendricks & Bobby Timmons, arr. Pete Churchill
5 THE BIG NOISE FROM WINNETKA Bob Haggart & Ray Bauduc, arr. Eddie Harvey

CONTEMPORARY JAZZ
1 BECKY’S SONG Martin Speake
2 SWING IT AND C Michael Garrick
3 THE FIREFLY Nikki Iles
4 THE ORCHARD Pete Churchill
5 HARD SCIENCE Phil Peskett

grade two Quick Study

The ﬁrst two bars will be fully notated in 4/4 time and written within the range of a 4th.
Chord symbols will also be provided. Candidates choosing either 1 or 2 of the following;:

play the ﬁrst two bars at sight ﬁrst being given the pulse followed by a short
interval of up to half a minute in which to look through and, if they wish, try out
any part of the test before they are required to perform it for assessment. The examiner will then count in the candidate, who should play bars 1 and 2 exactly as
written, following on with the improvised two-bar response in strict time without an
intervening pause. Guideline pitches for the improvised response will be given.
play the ﬁrst two bars by ear having heard them played three times by the examiner.
Before the ﬁrst playing is counted in, the scale used for the passage will be stated, an
initial chord played and the starting note sounded and named, all as appropriate for
the candidate’s instrument. There will be a short interval after the second and third
playing of the passage when candidates may try out what they have heard.
The examiner will then count in the candidate, who should play bars 1 and 2 exactly
as heard, following on with the improvised two-bar response in strict time without
an intervening pause.

grade two scales & arpeggios

From memory, straight 8s or swing, as directed by the examiner:
SCALES in similar motion with hands together one octave apart, and with each hand
separately, in the following forms:
Dorian on A; Mixolydian on D; G major (two octaves)
Major pentatonic on F;flat3 pentatonic on C; Minor pentatonic on A (ﬁve notes)
Blues scale on D (one octave)
Chromatic scale beginning on D (with each hand separately) (one octave)
ARPEGGIOS
The common chords of D major and G minor, in root position only, with each hand
separately (two octaves)