Important notice
Here at animatedpiano.com we take copyright very seriously. All of the sheet music which is free to download on this site is either Public Domain or distributed under a Creative Commons license. From time to time, posts on the site will feature links to purchase licensed in-copyright material.
Sheet music will be added to the site gradually, and for some time there may not be anything at all in some levels.
Grading guide for sheet music on animatedpiano.com
Please note that this grading system has been created specially for animatedpiano.com’s sheet music. It is for guidance only, and does not necessarily correspond to the grading system used for any piano method. Reference is made to the UK’s ABRSM graded exams and a few pieces which will be familiar to piano teachers. Gradings should not be taken as absolute, and opinions may vary: for example, a piece may be graded as ‘challenging Grade 1’ or ‘fairly easy Grade 2’.
Exercises which appear on animatedpiano.com will often be suitable for a range of skill levels, so may be given a rough outline grading such as ‘Level C and upwards’.
Level A0: pre-notation pieces, mostly on black keys, which can be taught by rote. Videos and teacher reference sheets will be provided.
Level A1: separate hands (single staves). Five-finger positions, very simple rhythms, no sharps or flats.
Level A2: now on two staves but very little hands together. Five-finger positions, no sharps or flats.
Level A3: as A2 but with slightly more challenging rhythms. May include sharps, flats and naturals. Sometimes key signatures may be shown.
Level B: as A3 but with some hands together and simple chords, still in five-finger positions. Key signatures (where appropriate) will always be shown.
Level C: leading towards Grade 1 (UK). Hands together, some slightly extended hand positions, changes of position, and simple scale passages.
Level D: approximately Grade 1-2 standard. Examples: first pieces in Schumann’s Album for the Young; Mozart: Allegro in Bb, K3.
Level E: approximately Grade 2-3 standard. Examples: Musette in D (anon) from the Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook; ‘March of the Wooden Soldiers’ from Tchaikovsky’s Album for the Young.
Level F: approximately Grade 3-4 standard. Examples: Clementi: Sonatina in C, op.36 no.1, 1st movt; Kabalevsky: Clowns (please note: although this piece is cited because it is so well known, Kabalevsky’s music cannot be featured in PDF format on animatedpiano.com for copyright reasons).
Level G: approximately Grade 4-5 standard. Examples: several of Grieg’s Lyric Pieces (for example ‘Arietta’ and ‘Watchman’s Song’ from op.12); pieces towards the end of the first part of Schumann’s Album for the Young.
Level H: Grade 5+. Repertoire which may be described as ‘advanced intermediate’ or ‘early advanced’.
It is beyond the scope of animatedpiano.com to include sheet music of very advanced standard. However, such pieces may be featured in piano performance videos which are shown on the site.