Hi. I started playing the piano age 8 or something and Im only a grade 5 now (im 17) ....its shameful.

• Started aged 12
• Grade 3

Car Expert

Don't feel bad, Started at 6 and I'm now 14 and grade 4 1/2ish. Everyone works at different paces.

Ermmm, year 9 so what's that? 13 or 14? I'm doing my grade 5 now and I'm nearly 17.

started at 6, did grade 8 at 16... dont know what i am now... probably slightly higher than grade 8 but nowhere near diploma... don't have lessons any more so have probably gone majorly downhill!

No it's not! You've probably done a load more repertoire than someone else who raced through the grades.
I quite like this year's grade 5 pieces - hope you're enjoying them.

I don't think it's shameful at all! Maybe not everyone wants to do grades when they first start, I only starting taking them about a year or two into playing so everyone's different. I've been playing since I was about 8, I'm 18 now & I'm about to take grade 6. I've only taken grade 1, grade 4 & grade 5 theory so far but had big gap in between the first two as I got M.E. & at one point I was too ill even to play. I've still got M.E. now but I'm stronger than I was at the beginning of the illness & I've learnt to pace myself so as not to overdo things.

Life gets in the way sometimes & you may not always be able to take grade after grade after grade. I think everyone should just work at their own pace. After all, music is not a competition so just because someone else has reached a higher grade than you in a shorter length of time, it doesn't make you any less of a musician.

Lisa xxx

Started aged 9, doing G8 next month

no probs with that i taught myself until 10 yrs and am now 15 attemting gr8. Dont worry im teaching a girl who has being playing for 2 yrs and has only just finished Gibbidy - F.......................Grades are nothing...............as long as you see music as a language and a connection to your emotions you are as good as the best on earth............trust me.

First time I think I'd have been around 11 or so (can't remember exactly)


Second time, last summer, 38. Not taken any grades yet but working on Grade 5 stuff.

i started when i was 5 or 6, i am now 12, and taking grade 5 on the 27th (but this is fro the 3rd time... so that was about another 2 terms wasted)

I was nearly 5 when I started.

I did Grade 8 last year when I was 13.

i started with lessons when i was 5 and did grade 8 last year, im 16.
i dont think its shameful at all not to have done lots of grades or anything though, music isnt about getting the little piece of paper that tells everyone you can play

I started just before I turned 14, I'm 17 (today) and about Grade 8 standard.

As said earlier, everyone works at their different paces. I knew someone who does Chemistry at Oxford who went from Grade 2-8 during his A levels. Got a distinction at Grade 8 with 140. Yet I know someone who's been playing piano since they were 5, now 18 and still not upto Grade 8.

I started playign the piano at the age of 37.
I'm still 37 and I passed grade 1 last December

Started at 12. Now 16. I'll be taking my Grade 6 in a fortnight (aahh!).

I started playing piano at the age of 12. I am 17 now and doing Grade 6

I started when I was 13
Im having my grade 5 after 2 months

I started piano when i was 6. I felt soooo nervous when i went for my first lesson. Im on grade 7 now Could have been on grade 8 but when i moved teachers my teacher made me learn a whole new set of music for grade 4 was very annoyed at her

I started when I was 4. Am now 25 and probably about grade 3 or 4 standard.

Started aged 7. Doing grade 6 this term, now aged 14.

i am 15 years old, and i started playing the piano around 2 years ago when i was 13. I have passed my grade 5 theory and I am going to do Grade 4 practical exams in July

I started Oct 2004 so i was.. 16 (now 17) and today I just started on my diploma stuff, a Mozart sonata- its soo difficult! I wish I had started piano earlier, because I'm still learning new technique (and scales- they never end!) and I havent had the time to learn lots of pieces, so my repertoire consists of about 6 pieces that I can play really well :s
Jen
xXx

i agree, i wish i started earlier too! like 7 or 8 years

Started age nearly 15, am now 15 1/2 and about grade 3 standard.
I'm not worried about how fast I learn though because its a hobby instrument and I will never be as comfortable with a piano as I am with a flute (my main instrument)

I started just under 5 years ago when I was 13. I don't like classifying myself as grade x but I am taking grade 6 this summer.

can't remember but i started in year 2... so i'm guessing about 7 years old at the time?
and my teacher retired when i was 11; was grade 6 at the time
then after 2 years of no playing and just kinda slightly composing haha out of boredom
i'm grade 7/8 haven't taken an exam in such a long time keke ^^

Hmm, had a teacher for 2 years when i was 8 and 9, then didnt again until i was 13 for 6 months, then I stopped and started again just before i was 16. About 4 years in all I think of proper teaching and I'm considering doing my diploma, having learnt a lot of the pieces. However, my mum is a musician so it's very easy to teach myself with so many resources as well as the good genes and nice piano.
Sarah x

I started playing piano when I was 4/5 (I can't remember), I'm doing my grade 4 this term and I'm 12 now. Not great I know.

I think I started around 9, I'm now 17 and is currently in grade 9 at RCM level (so that's...maybe around grade 7 for ABRSM?). That's about one grade every year, give or take a couple. Although I'm still oh-so dreadful at sightreading...

Istarted at 7 and now I'm grade 7/8 and 14

started at 6/7
got my grade 8 piano when i was 13
and now i am 16 and i have been going no where

I started at 8 for piano and did grade 8 when I was 18. University then got in the way but I still continued to have lessons and I am hoping to take the DipABRSM this year after a gap of 3 years since taking a piano exam.

Hi...
I started at 5. But I was stopped at 10. And then I started again when I was 13 until now. I think age is not important for someone to learn musical instruments... Right?

Yes, it's never too late to learn an instrument.

Car Expert

I started when I was 4 years, I'm 14 now. I'm not doing grades..

Hi, started playing about twelve months ago aged 35. Did grade 3 in Dec and attempting grade 4 mid year.

hey i was kinda wierd....

....i started playing piano about 7 months ago now and im starting my grade 6 pieces next week!!!

im 15 btw

i took my first lesson and my teacher decided that i should start at grade 3...i just found it realy easy...anyway i had learned all my g3 pieces within 4 weeks and i had just missed an exam deadline so my teacher moved me on to grade 4 and when i learned all 3 g4 pieces in 6 weeks....i was moved on AGAIN!!!

i have been working on my grade 5 for a few months because of exams so i havent had alot of practice time but i passed it not long ago!!

so.....onto grade 6....maybe i can do 6 grades in a year!!!

started attending Junior Music Classes at 5.5-year-old.
enrolled into NAFA SYT at 6-year-old.
quitted NAFA at 8-year-old.
stopped playing piano when i am 11-year-old because of a national academic examination.
continued piano at 12-year-old.
took grade 8 practical at 13-year-old.
took grade 8 theory at 14-year-old.
currently 15-year-old, studying DipABRSM (Performing) practical.
taking the exam this year.

i don't think you're pathetic.
in fact, i admire you for your courage to continue learning piano even though you started late.
keep it up!
also, people doesn't care how old you are when u get your diploma cerf.
they're just interested at whether you even get that cerf. or not.
so, continue working hard and enjoy music!

That's not shameful at all: I hadn't even started playing the piano when I was 17, I started when I was 19, so you're at least 5 grades ahead of where I was .

I started piano at age 5 and am doing Grade 8 this summer
started tpt at age 7 and did grade 8 when i was 15
started clarinet in january and am doing grade 3 next term...

I'm just 17 now

Started age 7
Now I'm 16, and I did my Grade 8 a year ago

I started last year (14) and now Im studing for Grd 4 or 5

I started piano at 8, now at 15 doing grade 7.

Started at age 6. Now, 30 years and 6 teachers later, still only grade 8.

Started when I was 6, did Grade 8 when I was 14, am now 15. I got a distinction; I was very very happy!

Anyone got notes on Rachmaninov's Prelude in C# minor?

I want to sort it out for concert standard.

For piano..
Age started: 11 I think
Grade now: 7

So I went up 7 grades in 4 years *cheers*

I started learning keyboard at 5 but that was just to build a foundation for music. Started doing grades at 10, currently doing grade 6, my teacher didn't give me the option of skipping grades so I've done one each year (which is good because im super-involved at school), I'm 15, I think my progress is what we would call "moderato"



What do you mean "only grade 8"? Grade 8 is awesome! Well done

Started at the age of 11 and a half.

Now I have a Grade 8 pass (101 points lol), (does that mean I win?)

I'm going to try once more in June to get a distinction hopefully, at least a high merit!

Yes, I am a perfectionist.

I started at age 28 in year 2004 (a bit late huh)
and now im in Grade 7....