Hello,

Have just started on my grade 8 piano preparation, and am playing the Scarletti (A ) Mozart (B ) and Liszt (C ) has anyone else done these pieces? Any handy hints available for how to play them well?!
Also, does any one have any advice about how to tackle the exceptionally tricky aural tests and scales, becuase quite frankly I'm terrible at both things!! The pieces and sight reading are my fortes!

Thanks,

Milly

Mine too!

When is your exam? Mine is in about a months time...*shakes with fright* I'm desperately trying to work on scales, though not really getting anywhere because there are so many of them! (Some scales I can play perfectly well hands together but fall apart hands separately..)
I'm doing the Bach Allemande, CPE Bach Allegro Assai and Debussy Arabesque. The A piece is more or less ok, my B piece needs (a lot ) of tweaking and I seem to have developed a block for my C piece Theres this fast bit that nomatter how much I practise I just cant play!

Aural tests are/have always been a nightmare for me, though I'm playing back [part A for the first time now, and I don't know how that will go...

Good luck to eveyone doing G8 anyway! *fingers crossed*

I did the same pieces as you, and passed (whew!) last November.

The thing with the scales is to make a list of every scale, arpeggio etc. (I did it in MS Word), and then cut them up so that each slip of paper has one scale on it. Now put them in a "hat" (or other receptacle) and draw them out at random. If you can play them straight away, put them aside. If you struggle, put them into a second receptacle. At the end of the day's practice, re-do the ones in the second receptacle, until they're all in the first "put aside" pile. When the "hat" is empty, tip everything back in and start again.

Practice them slowly. Practice them with different emphases, syncopation, don't forget staccato as well.

I think I know the fast bit in your "Arabesque" - the run at the end of the first section? I found that playing it with a high-arched hand helped.

Anyway, good luck to you all. I'm really jealous if you find the sight-reading easy!

By the way, I have some practice materials for the Aural Tests - the ABRSM "Aural Training In Practice" which I don't need any longer (Aural Training materials)

Edward

I had the scales up and running long before I started on the pieces so I'm ok with them.
Sight reading I hope to get lucky on..... I'm more unsure of that than my teacher is, she thinks I'm not so bad.
Aural... well, we are putting in some work on that though some parts are not bad.
My teacher thinks I should get good marks for my A (Bach Allemande) and C (Arensky Impromptu.... this one had an outing at the concert on Saturday) pieces
and the B piece (Mozart) is getting tidier so hopefully will survive.

Good Luck CPPF... And you will probably manage a little better if you uncross your fingers...

ooh good tip, I'll try that! Did you do ALL the scales, like hands separately, legato and staccato and everything? Because that takes ages and I'd never get it done...


Yup, I think thats the one..bar 30 something i think. I've had loads of tips about this, so I'll try yours too..thanks! My teacher said I should just relax about that bit as right now my hands go all stiff and I stop completely when I get there!


Maybe I should try playing like that... I'm kind of hoping to get lucky on sightreading too..I'm really hoping for a piece with lots of chords with 6 flats (not sharps ), as I hate ones with loads of notes in G major or something...

Good luck to you Sbhoa too!

I'm doing Bach Allemande, Mozart Sonata and the Liszt. Hopefully be ready in time.

I did my grade 8 a couple of years ago - those scales are a real pain - there's like 80 or something stupid isn't there. I played Bach, Beethoven and Mendlesshon (sp?).

I didn't bother with HS unless I was struggling with it (for example, in the scales in sixths where the hand starts in an unfamiliar place). My routine was to take a scale out of the pot, play it legato and staccato, and move on to the next. I'd do about ten or fifteen during a practice session. It would take a few days to work through the lot, but I knew (and, if you're being honest, so do you ) which scales are likely to trip you up. For me, it was the ones in sixths with lots of sharps or flats like Ab and Db, and the chromatic scale a minor third apart, which used to get terribly out of synch).

I was going to do the Bach Allemande, CPE Bach Allegro Assai, and Lizst, but have changed my mind.

I'm now starting with my B list piece, which is the Mozart Sonata K330 Allegro Moderato, then playing the Handel Prelude and Fuga from the Suite in F minor, and ending with the Albeniz.

This forms a really balanced programme. I've got the exposition of the Mozart fairly much worked out, and am now concentrating on the Development, and the differences in the Recapitulation from the Exposition.

I've got the notes under my fingers of the Handel, and am now working on bringing out the right bits of the Fuga. Its going to sound exciting when finished.

The Albeniz is going slowly. Its very technical, but thoroughly rewarding.

I've done Grade 8 Aural twice before, so that doesn't frighten me.
I sight read all the time so again, that does not phase me.
The similar motion scales an Octave apart are going well, as are the Arpeggios and Dominant and diminished 7ths.

Major scales in similar motion in thirds and sixths are fine, but I'm finding the minor ones harder.

As for the scales in thirds hands separately - well don't go there!

I've only had all my pieces since Saturday, so the fact I've done as much to the Albeniz and Handel as I have is very pleasing.

I'm having a lesson on 10th March, so lets se how things go then.

Yes...
For me its all the minor keys in 6ths, the majors I'm ok with...and the arpeggios go a bit weird, especially if there aren't any black notes to keep me in time....I'm terrible with C, D and F majors!

I'm really scared about aural tests though Am trying my best to identify chords and stuff and the fact that in Jan I switched from half hour to full hour lessons has really helped as we get loads more covered.

Same - even my teacher thinks F minor in 6ths is a hard scale.

Aural tests are a bit hit and miss for me - sometimes I can get everything right, other times I'm miles off.