Piano 

Mandatory music selection requirements for auditioning as a pianist.

Recruiting for this instrument
is currently closed.

Mandatory music selections

Requirements for your audio recording

Selection may use a live rhythm section, a backing track, or play the requirements solo to an audible metronome click (on beats 2 and 4). Should you choose the audible metronome click option, they are to play as if they were playing with a rhythm section (except for the solo ballad).

Improvisation sections cannot be read from transcriptions.

Mandatory Selection No. 1 - Perform one of the following works:

  1. J.S. Bach   Any Prelude and Fugue (From The well-tempered Clavier I and II)
  2. Beethoven    1st & 2nd movements of any one of Piano Sonatas in C Major,
              D Major, E Major, F Major or G Major
  3. Brahms    Any Intermezzo
  4. Chopin     Any Nocturne or Polonaise

Mandatory Selection No. 2 - Perform a slow/medium tempo blues (head and improvisation).

Mandatory Selection No. 3 - Perform a medium/up tempo standard (not blues form) including head, improvisation and at least one chorus of two-handed comping, as if comping for a soloist.

Mandatory Selection No. 4 - Perform a solo ballad of your choice that best exemplifies your abilities. The solo will be unaccompanied.

Mandatory Selection No. 5 - Perform one selection of your choice of commercial nature using electronic keyboard sounds (clavinet, Wurly, Rhodes, Hammond B3, etc.) Examples being anything from: current or past Top 40, R&B, Rock, Pop, Funk, Country, etc.

Mandatory Selection No. 6 - Perform one selection of your choice.

We will contact you with your results

The music selection board will assess your submission. When the assessment is completed, you will be informed whether or not you are selected to participate in a live audition.

Live audition process and preparation

All auditions will be performed live with a Canadian Regular Force Band.

The live audition is divided into 4 parts:

Solo performance

Prepared solos

You must prepare 4 pieces of contrasting musical styles. Mandatory Selections 2 and 3 will be performed with a rhythm section.

Mandatory Selection No. 1 - Perform one of the following works:

  • J.S. Bach   Any Prelude and Fugue (From The well-tempered Clavier I and II)
  • Beethoven    1st & 2nd movements of any one of Piano Sonatas in C Major,
              D Major, E Major, F Major or G Major
  • Brahms    Any Intermezzo
  • Chopin     Any Nocturne or Polonaise

Mandatory Selection No. 2 - Perform one selection from the standard swing repertoire. The selection will be performed with a rhythm section and will display your ability to play the melody and improvise over a set of chord changes.

  • Along Came Betty (Golson)
  • Days of Wine and Roses (Mercer/Mancini)
  • Dolphin Dance (Hancock)
  • Have You Met Miss Jones? (Rodgers/Hart)
  • I Remember You (Shertzinger/Mercer)
  • Long Ago and Far Away (Kern/Gershwin)
  • Lullaby of Birdland (Shearing)
  • My Romance (Rodgers/Hart)
  • There Will Never Be Another You (Warren/Gordon)
  • Voyage (Barron)

Mandatory Selection No. 3 - Perform one selection of a contrasting style (straight/Latin or waltz 3/4). The selection will be performed with a rhythm section and will display your ability to play the melody as well as improvise over a set of chord changes.

  • Alice In Wonderland (Hilliard/Fain)
  • Black Orpheus (Bonfa)
  • Blue Bossa (Dorham)
  • Caravan (Ellington, Mills and Tizol)
  • Corcovado (Jobim)
  • Desafinado (Jobim)
  • Emily (Mandel/Mercer)
  • Recordame (Henderson)
  • Someday My Prince Will Come (Morey/Churchill)
  • Wave (Jobim)

Mandatory Selection No. 4 - Perform a solo of your choice that best exemplifies your abilities. The solo will be unaccompanied and may be chosen from the classical, romantic, impressionistic, or 20th Century repertoire, or from standard jazz / popular repertoire (including swing, Latin jazz, ballads, etc.)

Scales and arpeggios

  • Chromatic Scale – full practical range of the instrument
  • Diatonic Scales (All keys) – Major, Harmonic and Melodic Minor
  • Arpeggios (All keys) – Major triads, minor triads, dominant and diminished 7ths

Note: all scales and arpeggios must be played from memory, on four octaves,16th notes at quarter = 120 bpm.

Designated scales will be followed by either an arpeggio, a Dominant 7th arpeggio built on the 5th degree of the scale, or a Diminished 7th arpeggio built on the 7th degree of the scale, and will resolve to the tonic.

Ensemble performance

Prepared pieces

Perform various styles of music while playing in different ensembles. Material will be provided 4 weeks prior to the audition.

Sight - Reading

Perform various styles of music while sight-reading with various ensembles. Material is provided at the audition.

Theory and aural skill tests

Note:

Candidates holding a university degree in music will not have to perform theory and aural skills tests.

Musical theory

A music theory test will be performed and you will recognize:

  • signs
  • terms
  • chords
  • intervals
  • score types
  • transposition
  • abbreviations
  • time signature
  • identifying keys
  • cadences and melody writing
  • major, minor and other scales and modes

Aural Skills

The aural skills test will including the following:

  • melodic dictation
  • incorrect notes in a given melody
  • separate dictation treble clef and bass clef
  • intervals - harmonic, melodic, ascending and descending
  • chords (triads) - major, minor, 1st and 2nd inversion and 4 notes chords: Dom7, dim7, aug7

Music Branch interview

A selection panel within the Regular Force Band will assess you. After the audition, you will be interviewed by the panel. All recordings and assessments will be sent to DHH Music for final selection.

Final selection will be based on the panel’s recommendations.

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