ABRSM: Jazz Piano exams

Latest exam updates

Performance Grade booking

Booking for remotely-assessed Performance Grade and ARSM exams opens on Tuesday 1 December and closes on Tuesday 8 December. This is when you can book submission dates during our 5 to 31 January exam session. We have a set number of exam slots available, so please book early for the widest choice of dates. Find out more about Performance Grades.

COVID updates

We will contact you if your exams have been affected by COVID. For the latest information, and to check which venues have closed, please visit our Latest updates page

Current Exam Session: Late Booking and Rescheduling Exams

Thank you to everyone who’s booked exams. To help you with your exam arrangements at this exceptionally busy time, please be aware that there are number of services available to you by logging in to your ABRSM account. Find out more.

There are four sections to a Jazz Piano exam, giving candidates the opportunity to demonstrate their skills through prepared work and musicianship tests.

The tunes cover a wide range of styles - from New Orleans and swing through to modal, jazz-rock and Latin jazz. Each arrangement contains a fully notated Head and at least one section for improvisation, with a simple chord sequence and set of guideline pitches.

Jazz exams include:

Three tunes from the list for the grade
A blues, a standard and a contemporary tune. All include improvisation.
Scales, arpeggios and broken chords
Common patterns found in jazz.
Aural tests
Testing all-round aural awareness and musicianship skills.
Quick Study
To play either at sight or to reproduce by ear a short phrase and to improvise a response.

Publications & audio

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