Repertoire Requirements
- The same repertoire is to be played at District and State Auditions.
- Repertoire must be original piano literature. No arrangements or simplifications of hymns, folk songs, etc. will be allowed.
- At the request of judges, students should not play repeats in their music.
- Complete pieces or movements must be performed. Those students playing portions of pieces will be disqualified.
- In multi-movement works (e.g. sonatinas, sonatas, and suites), only one movement should be programmed. This rule does not apply to the Bach Well Tempered Clavier (Preludes and Fugues) or works in which an individual section would not stand alone, e.g. Schumann’s Papillons or a Theme and Variations (see number 4 above). In this case, the student should plan to play the entire work from the beginning with the expectation that the adjudicator will interrupt if the performance exceeds the alloted time.
Division I and Division II
- Entrants may disregard historical style periods and present two or three compositions of contrasting style.
- Special note for Division I: Only those pieces composed with notes on the staff will be acceptable. Pre-reading pieces will not be allowed. A minimum of 8 measures is required.
Division III and Division IV
- Entrants must perform three compositions from memory representing any three of the five following periods:
- Baroque
- Classical ( including all Beethoven )
- Romantic
- Impressionistic
- Contemporary
- Refer to the MTNA Composer Classification List to determine the accepted style period for a composer.
Theory/Technique Requirements
DIVISION I
| Grade 1 Examples |
Required Major Keys: C G |
| Scales | one octave, hands separately or together, tetrachords permitted, minimum speed ♩ = 60. |
| Chords | Tonic (I), root position only in required keys, broken form permitted. |
| Diatonic Intervals | played from keynote of the required scales. |
| Grade 2 Examples |
Required Major Keys: C G D Required Harmonic minor key: a |
| Scales | one octave, hands separately or together, no tetrachords permitted, minimum speed ♩ = 60. |
| Chords | Tonic (I), Subdominant (IV), Dominant (V) root position only in required keys, broken form permitted. |
| Diatonic Intervals | played from keynote of the required scales |
| Grade 3 Examples |
Required Major Keys: C G D F Required Harmonic minor keys: a e |
| Scales | one octave, hands separately or together, no tetrachords permitted, minimum speed ♩ = 60. |
| Chords | Tonic, Subdominant, Dominant, root position only in required keys, solid form |
| Diatonic Intervals | played from keynote of the required scales. |
DIVISION II
| Grade 4 Examples |
Required Major Keys: C G D A E F Required Harmonic minor keys: a e d |
| Scales | one octave, hands together, minimum speed ♩ = 60. |
| Chords | Tonic, Subdominant, Dominant, root position only in required keys. |
| Diatonic Intervals | Isolated intervals named 6th, 3rd etc. tones sounded together, reckoned from bottom tone as keynote in required major and minor keys. |
| Grade 5 Examples |
Required Major Keys: C G D A E B F Required Harmonic minor keys: a e d g c |
| Scales | two octaves, hands separately or together, minimum speed ♩ = 60. |
| Chords | Tonic, Subdominant, Dominant chords, root position and inversions, hands separately or together in required keys. |
| Diatonic Intervals | Isolated intervals named 6th, 3rd, 7th etc. reckoned from bottom tone as keynote in required major and minor keys. |
| Grade 6 Examples |
Required Major Keys: C G D A E B F B♭ Required Harmonic minor keys: a e d g c b f |
| Scales | two octaves, hands separately or together, minimum speed ♩ = 60. |
| Chords | Tonic, Subdominant, Dominant chords, root position and inversions, hands separately or together in required keys. Dominant seventh (V7) in root position only, hands separately or together in required keys. |
| Diatonic Intervals | Isolated intervals named 6th, 3rd, 7th, etc. reckoned from bottom tone as keynote in required major and minor keys. |
| NOTE: Judges will request chords for Division II in the following sequence: root position, 1st inversion, 2nd inversion. |
DIVISION III
| Grade 7 Examples |
Required Major Keys: C G D A E B F B♭ E♭ A♭ Required Harmonic minor keys: a e d g c b f |
| Scales | two octaves, hands together, minimum speed ♩ = 72 |
| Chords | Tonic, Subdominant, Dominant chords, root position and inversions, hands separately or together in required keys. Dominant seventh in root position only, hands together in required keys. |
| Intervals | played from keynote of required major and minor scales, designated major, minor or perfect. |
| Cadences | Played in the following keys: C G D A E F |
| NOTE: Cadences may begin on any inversion of the tonic chord at the teacher’s discretion, but cadence inversions are not required. Cadences beginning in the tonic root position are recommended. | |
| Grade 8 Examples |
Required Major Keys: C G D A E B F B♭ E♭ A♭ Required Harmonic minor keys: a e d g c b f plus any one black key minor scale. |
| Scales | two octaves, hands together, minimum speed ♩ = 72 |
| Chords | Tonic, Subdominant, Dominant chords, root position and inversions, hands together in required keys. Dominant seventh in root position only, hands together in required keys. |
| Intervals | played from keynote of required major and minor scales, designated major, minor or perfect. |
| Cadences | Played in all required major keys. |
| NOTE: The student makes the choice of the black key minor scale. Cadences may begin on any inversion of the tonic chord at the teacher’s discretion, but cadence inversions are not required. Cadences beginning in the tonic root position are recommended. | |
| Grade 9 Examples |
Required: All Major Keys Required Harmonic minor keys: a e d g c b f plus any two black key minor scales. |
| Scales | two octaves, hands together, minimum speed ♩ = 72 |
| Chords | Tonic, Subdominant, Dominant chords, root position and inversions, hands together in required keys. Dominant seventh in root position only, hands together in required keys. |
| Intervals | All intervals – change major intervals to minor and augmented; perfect to diminished and augmented. |
| Cadences | Played in all major keys and all white key minors. |
| NOTE: The student makes the choice of the black key minor scales. Cadences may begin on any inversion of the tonic chord at the teacher’s discretion, but cadence inversions are not required. Cadences beginning in the tonic root position are recommended. |
DIVISION IV
| Grade 10 Examples |
Required: All Major Keys Required Harmonic minor keys: a e d g c b f plus any three black key minor scales. |
| Scales | four octaves, hands together, minimum speed ♩ = 72 (eighth note rhythm). |
| Chords | Tonic, Subdominant, Dominant chords, root position and inversions, hands together in required keys. Dominant seventh in root position only, hands together in required keys. |
| Intervals | All intervals – change major intervals to minor and augmented; perfect to diminished and augmented. |
| Cadences | Played in all required keys. |
| NOTE: The student makes the choice of the black key minor scales. Cadences may begin on any inversion of the tonic chord at the teacher’s discretion, but cadence inversions are not required. Cadences beginning in the tonic root position are recommended. | |
| Grade 11 Examples |
Required: All Major Keys Required Harmonic minor keys: a e d g c b f plus any four black key minor scales. |
| Scales | four octaves, hands together, minimum speed ♩ = 72 (eighth note rhythm). |
| Chords | Tonic, Subdominant, Dominant chords, root position and inversions, hands together in required keys. Be able to change major triad to minor, diminished or augmented. Dominant seventh in root position and inversions, hands together in required keys. |
| Intervals | All intervals – change major intervals to minor and augmented; perfect to diminished and augmented. |
| Cadences | Played in all required keys. |
| NOTE: The student makes the choice of the black key minor scales. Cadences may begin on any inversion of the tonic chord at the teacher’s discretion, but cadence inversions are not required. Cadences beginning in the tonic root position are recommended. | |
| Grade 12 Examples |
Required: All Major Keys; All Harmonic minor keys. |
| Scales | four octaves, hands together, minimum speed ♩ = 72 (eighth note rhythm). |
| Chords | Tonic, Subdominant, Dominant chords, root position and inversions, hands together in required keys. Be able to change major triad to minor, diminished or augmented. Dominant seventh in root position and inversions, hands together in required keys. |
| Intervals | All intervals – change major intervals to minor and augmented; perfect to diminished and augmented. Be able to form and play a minor, diminished and augmented interval on any given note |
| Cadences | Played in all required keys. |
| NOTE: Cadences may begin on any inversion of the tonic chord at the teacher’s discretion, but cadence inversions are not required. Cadences beginning in the tonic root position are recommended. |
