I am so excited. Today I started my grade 1 pieces. I have had about 4 lessons from September, and have worked my way through the Alfred's Piano Course. I was very pleased with the simplified version of The Entertainer. My teacher, Claire, gave me Giga, and In The Pink, plus scales to start with. It is harder than Alfred's, because that book tends to trick you into thinking you can play properly with 2 hands, whereas I realized a while ago that I was "reading" the shapes of the chords, not the notes, if you know what I mean.
Any one else at the begining of this long road??
Beverley.

This is a good technique for reading, not a bad one .

Hope you continue to enjoy your preparation .

Yep, it's exactly what I've been told to do to improve my sight-reading.

Hope you continue enjoying it, it's a fun journey

Yes, reading the shape of the music is good, not bad. You should be able to use this, alongside note regcognition where you have bigger jumps, to read your exam pieces.
Take a careful look through to find the patterns in the music, find where patterns are repeated, maybe the same pattern but on a different starting note. Look for where a bar or more is repeated somewhere else in the music, sort of 'learn one get one free'.
If you look you are likely to find some of the chord shapes you have learned in the Alfred book too.

I'm glad you are really enjoying your piano playing. Good luck with your new pieces and with your journey through the grades - it's all good fun.

Hi
I started playing last March with the same book as you, Alfred's adult piano course.
I did find this book annoying after a while though as some of the arrangments are not very good (eg little brown jug) I used the Wright's piano tutor at the same time which had a few more difficult pieces in it.

For scales I added one scale a week from when I started until I was eventually practising them everyday.

Also try to do a bit of sightreading every day !

I had my grade 1 exam in December (9 months after startting) and got a distinction. I am 37 by the way !

Hi there!

Haven't taken any grade exams, but I re-started the piano last Summer after an awfully long gap. By turns it's fun, infuriating, helpful, annoying, satisfying. Enjoy your playing, and good luck when you go for your Grade 1.

Cheers

Katyjay

Oh wow! I'm so excited!!! I took delivery of my piano yesterday and hope to be taking lessons soon. It's great to know that I'm not the only adult who will (hopefully) be taking Grade 1 in the not too distant future. If anyone has any tips ot advice I'd be very pleased to hear. Discovered last night when practising my scales - and enjoying it!!! - that my nails need cutting..... Oh well.

Good luck to everyone else starting out on their new ventures!

Hello everyone. Thanks for all the good wishes. It isn't easy peasy learning something so new at my age, 44, but there is no great rush, and my teacher is impressed that I can play with 2 hands already. It is hard doing 2 different things at the same time, however, scales are much easier on the piano than the flute. You can see what you are doing. Also you can play when you have a cough or cold, big advantage>
Beverley.

Dear Beverley,

Reading the 'shapes' of the chords is a good thing. What you have done is you have bypassed the second step in the following sequence (which is what many good sight-readers do):

1. Reading the note(s) on the score.
2. Identifying it as 'A, B, C etc'.
3. Translating that to the appropriate key(s) on the keyboard.
4. Pressing the key(s) to produce the sound.

All the best in your piano studies!

I think flute scales are easier!!

Dear Beverley,

Reading the 'shapes' of the chords is a good thing. What you have done is you have bypassed the second step in the following sequence (which is what many good sight-readers do):

1. Reading the note(s) on the score.
2. Identifying it as 'A, B, C etc'.
3. Translating that to the appropriate key(s) on the keyboard.
4. Pressing the key(s) to produce the sound.

All the best in your piano studies!
[/quote]
Thanks Frederic, but is it good?? I can't read the bass clef. Still looking for middle c. or working it out that it is 2 below the treble clef. Have read the treble for years and years. This bass thingy is very difficult. Is it like driving, where you suddenly realize you are no longer thinking about the clutch??
Beverley.

Keep up good effort.

I have a bunch of students going to take grade 1 exam, including a middle aged lady.

Though I find that adult students lack the flexibility, usually they are more patient. Though I have some difficult adult students who think they can play like me, or Richard Claydermen in short time. I have given up an adult who was somewhat impatient, and kept asking me to teach pieces which are far fetch for him.

Just be a bit patient to yourself and the teacher. And enjoy the process as you go along. You may wanna think abou the "Das Echo" for list B.

Oh wow. Am I middle aged?? I've lost the will.