Intermediate Classics You Should Learn on Piano

There are a few different levels of piano playing that we will find ourselves in while we continue this wonderful journey of learning how to play.

At first we are beginners and are just learning where the notes are on the keyboard, how to even sit at the piano and hold our hands in playing position, learning notes in our sheet music and beginning rhythms, and even time signatures.

Once we’re fairly comfortable with those first aspects of playing and reading music, we’re ready to move on to some harder music and exercises that will help us to continue to grow and build upon our skills. This is the intermediate level and it comes in between the two other main levels: beginner and advanced.

By the time we reach this intermediate level we’re already playing some pieces and are ready to learn more. However, we don’t want to pick music that is too easy or too advanced either; but how do you know what piano music falls into this intermediate category?

Today I’m going to go over several pieces that are just the right fit at the intermediate level and using these pieces as examples, you will be able to pick out similar pieces easily for you to add in to your repertoire before you move into the advanced level.

Piece #1: “Rondo alla Turca” by Mozart

• This piece is in the key of a minor and contains several accidentals throughout the piece.
• Fingerings are more complicated and will require steady practice…but they aren’t too hard.
• Rhythmic patterns repeat throughout the piece. This is good because the repetition reinforces any new rhythms that you learn in this piece.
• It’s not too long – 4 pages.

Piece #2: “Fur Elise” by Beethoven

• This piece has just a few accidentals.
• The middle section is the most challenging…but again, not too hard for the intermediate level.
• The first page only is actually a great section for beginners to work on but then it gets a bit too complicated until you reach the intermediate level.

Piece #3: “Eine kliene Nachtmusik” by Mozart

• This piece, also known as “A Little Night Music” is one of Mozart’s most famous and is actually played by string quartets quite often.
• The key signature is very familiar – it’s in the key of G major.
• There are a lot of hand position changes in this piece which is why it isn’t great for beginners but it’s wonderful for this level to get you more comfortable with moving around the keyboard with more flexibility.

Piece #4: “Ava Maria” by Schubert

• This piece has two flats in it which may be a little more unfamiliar to some players than keys with only sharps in them.
• Harmonies are rich in this piece which makes it really nice to play.
• Rhythmic patterns are again repeated a good bit which makes it easier to grasp the newer ones.

Piece #5: “Toccata and Fugue in D minor” by Bach

• This piece is quite familiar as well to many piano players.
• The rhythms are more complicated in the beginning.
• Fingerings are busy and more challenging, but they are repeated throughout so once you get them in the beginning, you’re pretty well set up for the rest of the piece.

Each of these pieces builds upon what you have already learned and mastered at the beginning level. Be comfortable with key signatures that contain at least 2-3 sharps and flats, know how to count note values up to 16th notes at least, and be familiar with your different hand positions.

If you need any additional review of beginner level pieces be sure to check out this link that will guide you to some wonderful pieces at the beginning level that you may not have learned yet.

The following video will give you a chance to hear samples of each of these pieces as I play them at the keyboard. You’ll also get to see the sheet music for each one as I go over it and this will really help you get a good start to learning pieces at the intermediate level which will help prepare you to move into the advanced level soon. 

If you like my tips and lessons, you will love the courses over on my website. Whether you are a beginner looking to get a solid foundation to build on or you are looking to take your existing skills to that next level, the online music courses on my website https://www.pianolessonsontheweb.com will help you do just that.