How long did it take you to get to grade 8?

And how old were you when you started playing?!?!?

These questions have been asked so many times on the forums, but I'll answer again anyway! My principal instrument is French Horn. I started when I was 11 and did Grade 8 when I had just turned 16, so it took just over 4 years. I worked very hard though because I loved it so much!

I dunno why you want to know, but...

I started when I was 12, got grade 8 Sax when i was 15 - help ya at all? - was about 2 1/2 yrs whenyou work it out.

I started piano when I was 11 (I'm now 15) and am taking Grade 8 this term. I would have taken it 18 months ago and scraped a pass with my old teacher, but i changed teachers so I'm hoping for a good result after so much preparation!

I started viola at 12 and I just passed Grade 7 with distinction and have started looking at some Grade 8 pieces, though I'm sure it will be a long time before I take the exam!

im hopefully doing grade 8 clarinet next year and im 17

I started playing when i was 14

what about u?what instruments do u play?!

Le Onde

7 years, Starting Age 11.

It took me 5 years for Grade 8 piano

I've been playing the flute for 5/6 years and am now working towards grade 8.

Why did you want to know?

I started playing the sax when I was about 12 or 13. Didn't take it that serious, as I hated the idea of grades, and so just played for fun. I'd always been into Jazz, so my teacher taught me that, and that's all I played for a while. When my teacher (who wasn't a specialist sax tutor) said I needed to move up, get a specialist teacher, which I did, and he started me doing grades. He also changed me from an alto to a tenor sax. I was about 15 then. Took grade 7 at 16, then grade 8 at 17. So it took about 4/5 years of playing to get to grade 8, about 2 of which I was trying for grades. Although I had been playing the trumpet, with little success, since I was about 6. Got up to grade 4 in about 5/6 years of playing, but never really got on with the instrument. I always wanted to play sax.

It's strange now, I thought when I got to grade 8 I'd be good enough to play most things, with a bit of practice, but especially when it comes to jazz, I struggle with the more theoretical things, like improvising in key. I used to think grade 8 meant you'd really become an accomplished player, and while that's true in some senses, I don't feel quite like that. It's probably different for me because of the instrument I play and the fact I play mostly jazz. I've seen grade 8 pianists who've just passed who are phenominal. I still feel like I have a long way to go before I'd consider myself accomplished.

I started playing the piano when I was about 4 or 5 but i didnt have proper lessons with a good teacher until i was about 6/7 then now I'm 16 and I'm doing grade 8 !

What instrument are you playing for grade 8? and if ur playing the piano what pieces are u doing?

xXX

Hmm... *thinks, and feels old*

I started playing the flute when I was nine, and did grade eight when I was seventeen, so I suppose I averaged a grade a year. I know it wouldn't take me that long to get to grade eight on another intrument now, for various reasons... Eight years to grade eight sounds a long time now, but it didn't feel like it at the time

Started lessons at 6 or 7,

did grade 8 at 13.

seems a long time ago now

QUOTE

*thinks, and feels old*

ditto !


Maggie

I started playing the piano when i was 5 and took grade 1 when i was 7 but i didn't do grade 8 until March this year and i'm currently 15.

QUOTE (helena @ May 5 2004, 04:18 PM)

Hmm...  *thinks, and feels old* I started playing the flute when I was nine, and did grade eight when I was seventeen, so I suppose I averaged a grade a year.  I know it wouldn't take me that long to get to grade eight on another intrument now, for various reasons...  Eight years to grade eight sounds a long time now, but it didn't feel like it at the time  :)

Hi Helena

I also started flute at the age of nine and took Grade 8 at seventeen. Seems a very long time ago now.

I have been playing piano for three years and took my Grade 5 a year ago.

I won't answer that on the grounds that it will make me look totally useless

Piano started age 10, grade 8 at 18 so roughly one grade a year.
Flute started at college age18, grade 8 two years later at 20yrs.

Lucia and Helena,

me too, i started piano at the age of 9 and did grade 8 when i was 16, and i did all practical and theory for each grade from grade 1-8.

Singing, I suppose you could say I started (talking first!) at the age of one-and-a-bit and have therefore taken thirty five years to get to grade 8 Or you could say I started 15 months ago when I fulfilled a long-term ambition to have singing lessons. Either way I got a distinction in March this year. And no, I don't feel old at all!

Cheers

Katyjay

I started playin piano at nearly 9 yrs old
n i finished grade 8 with merit at 16 years old
i wasn't really fully concentrated on piano n i'm not a talent at all
so after all 7 yrs...well ..not a long time for me LOL

Pupils who work up the grades thorougly and gradually and much better musicians and have a much bigger repertoire under their belts than those who whizz through in a couple of years.
It doesn't say a lot to say how long you have taken to get to grade 8.

I was making very slow progress from age 7-10 until I got a new teacher (an RCM student) who completely changed my approach. I then passed Grade 4 (Dist.), following year Grade 7 (Merit) then two years later Grade 8 (Dist). We studied a wide ranging repertoire from Baroque to Modern and went to lots of concerts/recitals which I think was much more important for my musical development than simply getting a certificate as quickly as possible (even though I was really pleased to get Gr8 of course ).

yes i agree, i dont think a shorter amount of years really proves anything.. i started piano at 8 yrs, and i took grade 8 at 15 and got merit.. considering im not such a hard worker and considering what a very busy life i lead, i think that's fine.. all of my teachers have told me i have talent and i have always played at shows and performances.. so just because i did it in 7 years, i dont think it really means im any worse than someone who did grade 8 in 3 yrs. i cant even imagine how someone could learn all the theory behind the scales, aural tests, and the pieces, and all the repertoire and stylistic periods and music history in 3 years! it's more like just mechanically learning the notes.... and you all know that's not real playing. i mean, why do you play? for the love of the instrument, i hope. im taking my dipABRSM in performing on the 1st june. let's hope all goes well...
--selma--

i started the piano at 5 and did my grade 8 at 14....at the same time, i started my singing from scratch and i passed grade 8 at 16.......

I started the flute at 10 and have just got my grade 8 at 17- so i did it in 7 years.
It has taken me 2 years to get to grade 8 on the piano- (I started at 15).

Everyone here seems to be amazing - you all get through the grades superfast! I have been playing piano since I was 4 (I am now just 15) and am now trying to get my grade 5 theory so that I can go on. I have also been playing the trumpet for 4 years and done as many grades. I suppose that it is because I don't like to miss any out (even though it has been suggested) that I seem slow.

Maybe it's just the whiz-kids who have replied, but I'd have thought that anyone getting Gd 8 before they are doing GCSEs must be pretty good - and I suppose those people must have progressed really fast. But I've heard that for more normal people a grade a year or perhaps every 2 terms is reasonable - that can still put you at about 5 years from starting to Gd 8 but maybe in going at that speed you're actually missing out one other aspects such as theory and ensemble. Of course, second instruments can be that much faster because you've got all the basic of musicianship and it's more down to technique.

But ability, progress and enjoyment aren't necessarily related to cracking through exams or even getting a good mark at Gd 8.

who cares

QUOTE (bernie @ May 18 2004, 05:57 PM)

who cares

its just a topic no need to get nasty, its interesting to hear aobut other people's progress

I started my piono lesson when i was four^.^
^@^ Now I am G7.
Next year I will be doing G8... ...
~<>~ I hope my G7 exam will pass #

I started the piano at 11 and I'm prepared to do my grade 8 practical exam in a month's time! I'm 20 now by the way, I took a 2 year break since my Grade 6 exam at 16 to play some other songs to built up my own repertoire and let me tell you it was really worth it!

It took me nearly 10 years to get to grade 8 piano, with two breaks, each lasted for about 2-3 years, in between. I've also started to learn the violin 3 years ago and I'm doing grade 5 this year.

I have a cousin who is very clever and talented, with very good musical sense. She got her grade 8 violin, with distinction, at the age of 9. She is now 10 and she has already got the Dip. (with very high marks and she was highly praised by the examiners) !!

This makes me feel that my progress is so slow......

I started playing when I was 10 and Im now 17 and doing grade 8 in June. So it took me 7 years but I had a really rubbish teacher for 2 and a half years and when I got a new 1 I had to start from almost the beginning!

Hi,I teach a very typical spread across all abilities and ages, and I would say your cousin is a very unusual and talented youngester. Results like this at such a young age are very expectional, and most of us develop our ability at a much slower pace. The time you have taken to reach grade 8 is typical-I took the same length of time, and I'm now a professional musician. I also think the factor to ask yourself is, will it matter in 10 or 15 years time at what age you reached a certain grade?

Yes, my cousin is really very talented! I think she must be a good musician in the future.

I took 7 years to get grade 8, starting to learn when I was 8.

(for piano) 5 years. Started at 8 and will be 13 when I'm taking Grade 8. I'm 12 now

I started when I was five and got to grade eight when I was 14 so that was 9 years, but other instruments I started later I've got to grade eight standard quicker- I guess you go more slowly on your first instrument and also when you are young.

i learned the basics of the piano when i was about 4, then stopped playing completely up until i was about 11. i have never done any grades but my teacher says i could probbaly eb about grade 6-7 if i wanted to, but i dont take piano exams i am 14. i take singing exams cant remember what age i started at i must have been about 10, so four years and ive just taken my grade 6 exam yesterday wish me luck

Hey, I'm doing my grade 8 in November - sooooooo scared. I'm 15, and I started playing when I was 7, and I play the harp and cello too.

I started Piano at 7 and now I'm doing Grade 8 at 12.. So almost 5 years.

Started lessons at 9, taking grade 8 at 14... so, 5 years.