My Favorite Grade 4 Piano Books (RCM/ABRSM)

In today’s video, I’m going to share with you some of my favorite Grade 4 piano books. These books have pieces that are either in the RCM syllabus or ABRSM syllabus for grade 4 (and I’ll make note of which is which as we go).

There are so many great books at this level, and I don’t have anywhere close to all of them in my collection. Consider this discussion a starting point – music I’ve test-driven in my studio and have used for many years.

Grade 4 piano books: Collections

Let’s start by discussing the three collection books I have for this level. Collection books have a variety of pieces by a variety of different composers.

Here’s the RCM grade 4 repertoire book. It has three sections – list A, list B and list C. List A is music from the Baroque period, list B is music from the Classical period, and list C is Romantic and modern music. This is a good, foolproof book to pick up if you want a curated collection of pieces that are at a grade 4 level. It takes out all of the guesswork, and any of these pieces can be played for a grade 4 RCM exam.

The ABRSM also has a similar grade 4 book that you can check out (though I don’t personally own it).

Another collection book that I’ve recommended all the way back from a grade 1 level (or even preparatory, I can’t remember) is the Essential Keyboard Repertoire vol. 1. This collection has a mix of Baroque, Classical and Romantic pieces from about a grade 1-4 level. It’s great if you want a book you can use for years, and you don’t want to go out and buy a bunch of early books by guys like Bach and Kabalevsky.

This book has 5 pieces at an RCM grade 4 level – 3 are list As, and there’s a list C and study as well.

Grade 4 piano books: Baroque/List A

For specifically Baroque music (List A), there are two books that I have and really like.

First off is the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, which I consider a staple on any piano player’s shelf. This book has a wealth of pieces from grade 1 to 6, so it’s definitely a book that can grow with you. It’s also a necessary precursor to Bach’s other works, such as his Preludes, then Inventions, then Sinfonias. There are 5 pieces in this collection at a grade 4 level.

I also really like the Celebrate Scarlatti collection, mainly because I’m a big Scarlatti fan. Scarlatti was a Baroque composers whose brief sonatas have an oddly modern flavor, with more expression than what was typical of the era.

This collection leans in a more challenging direction, but there’s one piece at a grade 4 level. The bulk of this book is best played between level 5-7, but it’s a great book to have in your collection even at this earlier stage.

Grade 4 piano books: Classical

As far as Classical sonatinas go, Clementi’s op. 36 sonatinas are the gold standard. The first sonatina in this collection of six is the easiest (grade 3), with the others progressing in difficulty – the second sonatina is grade 4, the third is around grade 5, and so on. These sonatinas are challenging (as all Classical sonatinas and sonatas tend to be), but important.

There are also other great sonatinas you can check out by guys like Kuhlau and Diabelli if you want to branch out – but this here is the main one to look at.

As a Classical alternative to sonatinas, you can always check out this book “Dances of Beethoven” – it’s got his 12 German dances (around a grade 4-5 level), among many other earlier-level Beethoven dances. Beethoven’s music tends to lean in a more challenging direction, so it’s nice to have a collection like this of some of his easier beginner and intermediate-level pieces.

Grade 4 piano books: Romantic

There are three Romantic-era collections that I consider very standard for grade 4.

The first is Schumann’s Album for the Young, op. 68. The pieces in here range in difficulty from grade 3 to 8, so it’s definitely a book that you can grow with. And don’t be put off by the title – young and old alike can and do enjoy the pieces in this collection!

There are 3 RCM grade 4 pieces in here, and 1 ABRSM grade 4 selection.

A very similar selection written some years later is Tchaikovsky’s Album for the Young, op. 39. He was inspired by Schumann, especially because there wasn’t a lot of “easier” repertoire for piano students at the time.

It ranges in difficulty from grade 3-7, and there are 3 RCM grade 4 pieces, with 1 ABRSM grade 4 selection. These are fun, colorful shorts and I really enjoy this collection for people of all ages.

Then we have Bartok’s For Children 1 and 2. Bartok’s style wasn’t Romantic – he leaned into more 20^th century-style abstractions – but his style is so unique and playful that it’s worth exploring. It’s also important to note that some people absolutely loathe Bartok’s music, while others really love it. I’m definitely on the side of love, and I’ve played Bartok for almost all of my exams.

There are 7 pieces in the RCM syllabus at a grade 4 level, but the books themselves have over 2 dozen pieces in the syllabus between a grade 2 and 8 level. I consider this to be an important staple in an intermediate pianist’s collection.

There are also many, many good modern books at this level by composers like Nancy Telfer and Christopher Norton (who we’ll talk about in a moment) – definitely explore the RCM syllabus for more ideas and inspiration.

Grade 4 piano books: Studies

The “studies/etudes” category doesn’t exist in the ABRSM, but in the RCM it’s a short list of pieces that are meant to develop very specific techniques. Studies can be a lot of fun to learn because there’s usually some type of repetitive challenge involved, so they tend to be easier on the brain (but not easier on the fingers).

Your best bet for a good selection of etudes is the RCM’s grade 4 book of etudes. This book contains all of the etudes in the syllabus, so it gives you the most breadth.

I also have another book that has a grade 4 study in it – Kabalevsky’s 24 Pieces for Children, op. 39. This is a book I’ve been recommending since the grade 1 incarnation of these videos, since they range in difficulty from about grade 1 to 5.

If you’re at a grade 4 level it might be besides the point to pick up this book (unless you want it for sight reading), but if it’s something you already have in your collection, it can be a good resource. There are two grade 4 pieces in this collection – one is list C, and one is an etude.

Grade 4 piano books: Pop

The RCM also has a “popular repertoire” category in their syllabus (it’s actually a separate syllabus), and there are many fun pop books to explore. This is a category that is largely based on personal taste (if you like jazz, pop, country, rock, etc), but here are three of my favorites.

First off, Christopher Norton Connections book 4. I love these books and recommend them all the time. I love that each book is “graded” by level, so it’s easy to tell which book goes with which grade. I also love that there’s a diverse mix of pop styles in each book – everything from jazz to blues to Latin to more lyrical pieces.

My students always love Christopher Norton’s music – the tunes are, on the whole, very likeable and fun to learn.

The Piano Adventures method series has a wide variety of supplemental books – everything from pop to standards to kids’ songs to hymns. One of their books, Bigtime Piano Kids’ Songs 4, has 4 selections at a grade 4 level and they’re lots of fun (think Linus and Lucy and the Star Wars theme). You don’t need to be a kid to enjoy these.

The thing I like about the Piano Adventures books is that they’re very readable and approachable. They’re less “scary” looking than some of the more academic, formal books.

Finally we have My First Jazz Standards Songbook. This one has five pieces at a grade 4 level – stuff like Night Train and Stolen Moments. If you’re into jazz, and you’re at an early intermediate level, this could be a good place to start because these pieces aren’t overwhelming.

There are 24 pieces in here, and some of them are more challenging, but they’re all around an intermediate level.

conclusion

I hope you enjoy this grade 4 level book list – if you want to check out some other book lists, be sure to visit that section of the website.

xo,

Allysia