Full Version: Grade 4 Violin - Which Pieces To Do?
Hello, I'm just starting Grade 4 violin pieces this week (just done Grade 3) and wouldn't mind doing the examination it in the June/July session - although MAYBE I will wait until November. Anyone got any thoughts on which pieces are "easiest" and which are "hardest". I think I like Rondeau from list A, but can't choose between Hindu Song and Neopolitan song in List B, and trying to choose between Clowns and Yesterday in List C. I'd like to go for something that isn't too challenging - do you think some pieces attract higher marks than others. Fingers crossed now for my Grade 3 result and thanks for earlier advice.
Why rush to get your grade 4 in the the summer? I find it a bit concerning that you want to know what the easier pieces are. Grades are stepping stones of progression so you can improve technique/repertoire whilst having something to work towards. If you rush through the grades, picking easier pieces along the way, you'll end up at Grade 8 with very poor technique and a limited repertoire.
I agree with Apassionata - if you race all the way to grade 8 in as little time as possible, you will have forgotten to enjoy the journey along the way. You will most likely feel disappointed when you get there in as little time as possible and realise that nothing magical happens. If you take your time and work properly at each grade, you can enjoy the challenge and experience of each one and feel a real sense of achievement as you pass each one.
That being said, to answer your original question, (although I didn't do grade 4, but I prepared it), the Rondeau is a nice piece that requires crisp bow work on the semiquaver passages, an excellent way to develop and good, supple bow grip. The very firstpiece on the list is also a beauty (the preludio by Corelli) - there's some nice shifting work to third and second position and the whole thing sounds beautiful - I think it would be a good piece to work at. The Vivace (third piece in the book) addresses string crossing at high speed and dotted bow rhythms, whereas the hindu song you asked about requires good bow control and sure intonation to stop the chromatic passages turning into glissando, as well as rich tone colour throughout.
I think what I'm trying to say is that, rather than deciding before playing the pieces, why not play them through (all of them) and begin working on them, this will highlight holes that need to be filled in your technique and give you goals to work on. Once you can more or less play most of the pieces, you can then choose your programme based on the individual character of each piece - trying not to play three fast ones or three slow sad ones for example. I think you'll find this approach to your pieces far more rewarding.
Good luck preparing for your grade 4 and let us know how your grade 3 comes out.
Allan
That being said, to answer your original question, (although I didn't do grade 4, but I prepared it), the Rondeau is a nice piece that requires crisp bow work on the semiquaver passages, an excellent way to develop and good, supple bow grip. The very firstpiece on the list is also a beauty (the preludio by Corelli) - there's some nice shifting work to third and second position and the whole thing sounds beautiful - I think it would be a good piece to work at. The Vivace (third piece in the book) addresses string crossing at high speed and dotted bow rhythms, whereas the hindu song you asked about requires good bow control and sure intonation to stop the chromatic passages turning into glissando, as well as rich tone colour throughout.
I think what I'm trying to say is that, rather than deciding before playing the pieces, why not play them through (all of them) and begin working on them, this will highlight holes that need to be filled in your technique and give you goals to work on. Once you can more or less play most of the pieces, you can then choose your programme based on the individual character of each piece - trying not to play three fast ones or three slow sad ones for example. I think you'll find this approach to your pieces far more rewarding.
Good luck preparing for your grade 4 and let us know how your grade 3 comes out.
Allan
I like Rondeau, but i also quite like Binks Waltz from list c. I'm not taking my grade 4 though so i don't have to choose any pieces. However i do agree that its not best to rush on and just choose the easier ones.
QUOTE(Morgan's Munchkin @ Apr 13 2006, 09:14 AM) 
I like Rondeau, but i also quite like Binks Waltz from list c. I'm not taking my grade 4 though so i don't have to choose any pieces. However i do agree that its not best to rush on and just choose the easier ones.
Hi there, thanks for this. Are you going to skip 4 then and go straight through to 5? That's really my problem I think. If I go for the 4 exam in June or July, it's not a long time really. But if I wait until November, it's definitely way to long for me, because I just won't want to be playing those pieces for nearly eight months. Even if I play my way through the whole book! I know I have to work through the whole of Grade 4 anyway, even if I go straight to Grade 5 for an exam whenever that might be. I like doing exams anyway, but it's a lot of hard work too.
QUOTE(rosfrog @ Apr 13 2006, 07:45 AM)
I agree with Apassionata - if you race all the way to grade 8 in as little time as possible, you will have forgotten to enjoy the journey along the way. You will most likely feel disappointed when you get there in as little time as possible and realise that nothing magical happens. If you take your time and work properly at each grade, you can enjoy the challenge and experience of each one and feel a real sense of achievement as you pass each one.
That being said, to answer your original question, (although I didn't do grade 4, but I prepared it), the Rondeau is a nice piece that requires crisp bow work on the semiquaver passages, an excellent way to develop and good, supple bow grip. The very firstpiece on the list is also a beauty (the preludio by Corelli) - there's some nice shifting work to third and second position and the whole thing sounds beautiful - I think it would be a good piece to work at. The Vivace (third piece in the book) addresses string crossing at high speed and dotted bow rhythms, whereas the hindu song you asked about requires good bow control and sure intonation to stop the chromatic passages turning into glissando, as well as rich tone colour throughout.
I think what I'm trying to say is that, rather than deciding before playing the pieces, why not play them through (all of them) and begin working on them, this will highlight holes that need to be filled in your technique and give you goals to work on. Once you can more or less play most of the pieces, you can then choose your programme based on the individual character of each piece - trying not to play three fast ones or three slow sad ones for example. I think you'll find this approach to your pieces far more rewarding.
Good luck preparing for your grade 4 and let us know how your grade 3 comes out.
Allan
Thank you for that. I love the Rondeau piece too. Did you not do your Grade 4 exam then. Did you skip it? I might want to do that too although I know I would have to do all the work for it anyway. I would want to be able to play all the pieces in the Grade 4 book well first. I like exams but I don't like having to play the pieces for 8 or 9 months though! I get really really bored!
QUOTE(londongirl @ Apr 13 2006, 04:30 PM)
Thank you for that. I love the Rondeau piece too. Did you not do your Grade 4 exam then. Did you skip it? I might want to do that too although I know I would have to do all the work for it anyway. I would want to be able to play all the pieces in the Grade 4 book well first. I like exams but I don't like having to play the pieces for 8 or 9 months though! I get really really bored!
Why do you play them for so long??
QUOTE(londongirl @ Apr 13 2006, 03:30 PM)
Thank you for that. I love the Rondeau piece too. Did you not do your Grade 4 exam then. Did you skip it? I might want to do that too although I know I would have to do all the work for it anyway. I would want to be able to play all the pieces in the Grade 4 book well first. I like exams but I don't like having to play the pieces for 8 or 9 months though! I get really really bored!
I prepared grade 4 for about a year, got the pieces up to a good standard, learnt my scales and played a lot of repertoire around that level, then I moved to France (missing the exam and therefore losing my fee!). When I got here I carried on working with a new teacher and when I approached the idea of the ABRSM structure with him he evaluated me at the end of 2nd Cycle of conservatoire nationale and therefore, after looking at the challenges in the books and scale requirements, said I should work towards 5 or 6, with 6 being his eventual choice as he felt it would be more of a challenge. I'm hoping to do 6 later this year, but may wait longer to have more time to play the required repertoire.
I really like the conservatoire teaching style, you play a lot of pieces and, each time you come upon a problem, you work at a series of exercises to put it right. Once you master that, you get a different piece to learn and that highlights a load of other problems. It's a good way to approach it, I think.
Good luck with your exam and let us know which ones you choose eventually. There's some nice repertoire at that level (the ABRSM has some good graded books) so there will be lots to keep you busy.
Allan
QUOTE(rosfrog @ Apr 13 2006, 09:08 PM)
I really like the conservatoire teaching style, you play a lot of pieces and, each time you come upon a problem, you work at a series of exercises to put it right. Once you master that, you get a different piece to learn and that highlights a load of other problems. It's a good way to approach it, I think.
Sounds really interesting! Is it the kind of thing one could work through alone and pick out problem areas do you think? And is it available in the UK...?Sounds like something that would be helpful for someone like me who knows reasonably good technique but doesn't practice it (ie I know how things should be, but can't dislodge all my bad habits) and can't afford a teacher right now.
QUOTE(sarah-flute @ Apr 13 2006, 08:14 PM)
QUOTE(rosfrog @ Apr 13 2006, 09:08 PM)
I really like the conservatoire teaching style, you play a lot of pieces and, each time you come upon a problem, you work at a series of exercises to put it right. Once you master that, you get a different piece to learn and that highlights a load of other problems. It's a good way to approach it, I think.
Sounds really interesting! Is it the kind of thing one could work through alone and pick out problem areas do you think? And is it available in the UK...?Sounds like something that would be helpful for someone like me who knows reasonably good technique but doesn't practice it (ie I know how things should be, but can't dislodge all my bad habits) and can't afford a teacher right now.
I too am learning through a "conservatoire" in France (and so is my daughter). It is not a system as such, rather the way the whole of music-learning is structured. What I will try to explain below applies only if you are learning in a conservatoire (conservatory). There is one in just about every town but the bigger the town, the more prestigious the conservatoire.
Until five to ten years ago, there used to be an exam at the end of every year (a bit like a school exam) and if you didn't pass two years in a row, you were thrown out. There was then a big reform which aimed to make music more accessible and which divided learning into three "cycles".
The first cycle lasts four years, the next two last three years each but each cycle can be shortened or lengthened by one year. (Just to complicate matters the third cycle actually has two options leading either to an amateur or a pre-professional standard). There is no national exam board but at the end of each cycle there is an exam with an outside examiner (but not a specialist examiner, usually just a teacher from another school) in which you play two contrasting pieces (no scales, no sight-reading, no aural). If you pass, are allowed into the next cycle. One of the "problems" I have frequentlynheard mentioned is that the smaller conservatoires have a lower standard than the big ones so that although in theory if you move from one town to another you should just be able to slot into the same class, very often the new conservatoire will actually audition the students to check their level compared to their own students.
Theory is taught completely separately from the instrument and right from the beginning there is an hour's theory class a week. For me this is the week part of the system. My daughter, for instance is learning the cello but the beginner's theory class was concentrated on the treble clef. Not surprisingly she failed to see any relevance between the theory and her instrument. Because the theory is taught separately many instrumental teachers don't even do what I consider to be basic things like getting beginners to clap the rhythm of the piece they're going to play or to say/sing the notes before they play since this is considered "theory." While the failure to make a link between the two classes was understandable in my daughter's case it seems to be common even when the children are learning a treble clef instrument and more worringly the failure to make any link between the theory and the instrument persists. Most children seem to be appalling sight-readers and are completely incapable of transferring any knowledge from their (often advanced) theory classes to their instrument.
How exactly the instrumental classes work seems to depend very much on the individual teacher. Most teachers seem to use a tutor book with beginners (but bizarrely rarely one written in French, my oboe teacher uses an English one, the cello teacher a German one). Then they get the pupils to play pieces and will teach them the scale the piece is written in. My oboe teacher uses studies and technical exercices alongside pieces. The violin teacher on the other hand gives the occasional piece as a reward after months of only technical exercices and studies.
Oh, I see! Thanks, kerioboe, that makessome kind of sense now 
I hadn't a clue how it worked!
I hadn't a clue how it worked!
Hey Sarah, I should have made myself clearer! When I say I love the conservatoire style, I mean I love the style of teaching I am receiving at the conservatoire - as Kerioboe has pointed out, this varies from conservatoire to conservatoire. I'm lucky to live in a large city in France that has a conservatoire with an excellent reputation (especially for strings) and have thus found the people at the same level as me to be excellent sight readers, but then the strings section place a HUGE emphasis on this (no slowing down or missing bits out - you play it all, or you go down a level in the sight reading material until you find a level you can play it all at and you work your way up from there).
The idea of working on selected pieces is again an innovation of the strings section, they have selected a range of pieces for each cycle (of three or four - or two(!) years) that create intentional stopping points - or give brilliant students the chance to show that they don't have any stopping points (not my case, sadly
) then sets of corresponding exercises (usually a kreutzer or something along those lines, some are a little odder like breathing out at each bow change or playing something whilst reciting a tongue twister... 
or - my personal favourite - play something and sing the left hand of the piano part at the same time... needless to say it rarely works first time!) - and they won't let you complete the piece until the stopping point is perfected.
I personally prefer the conservatoire system, but I still want to work on ABRSM grades and my teacher has kindly said he'll listen to pieces at each lesson in addition to his planned work to see how they're coming on - but essentially I'm on my own there.
The downside of the conservatoire is that frequently, you get rather pompous people milling around who think they're special because they've done the diplôme de fin d'études or somesuch - like the pianist who accompanies my lessons (yep, I get a teacher and a pianist all to myself each week!) who insists on glaring at me each time I make a wrong note (this happens a lot, as you can imagine) in a really exasperated way... I swear if I started slapping him I'd never stop! I have visions of me being removed from the conservatoire by my elbows by two burly gendarmes...
To approach things in the same way, try bringing some pieces up to performance standard and, whenever you hit a stopping point, find an exercise on violinmasterclass or something and work at it until it isn't a stopping point.
Or you could move to Nantes (and then we could do that Harmonic deal we talked about... hopeful face...)
Allan
The idea of working on selected pieces is again an innovation of the strings section, they have selected a range of pieces for each cycle (of three or four - or two(!) years) that create intentional stopping points - or give brilliant students the chance to show that they don't have any stopping points (not my case, sadly
) then sets of corresponding exercises (usually a kreutzer or something along those lines, some are a little odder like breathing out at each bow change or playing something whilst reciting a tongue twister... or - my personal favourite - play something and sing the left hand of the piano part at the same time... needless to say it rarely works first time!) - and they won't let you complete the piece until the stopping point is perfected.I personally prefer the conservatoire system, but I still want to work on ABRSM grades and my teacher has kindly said he'll listen to pieces at each lesson in addition to his planned work to see how they're coming on - but essentially I'm on my own there.
The downside of the conservatoire is that frequently, you get rather pompous people milling around who think they're special because they've done the diplôme de fin d'études or somesuch - like the pianist who accompanies my lessons (yep, I get a teacher and a pianist all to myself each week!) who insists on glaring at me each time I make a wrong note (this happens a lot, as you can imagine) in a really exasperated way... I swear if I started slapping him I'd never stop! I have visions of me being removed from the conservatoire by my elbows by two burly gendarmes...
To approach things in the same way, try bringing some pieces up to performance standard and, whenever you hit a stopping point, find an exercise on violinmasterclass or something and work at it until it isn't a stopping point.
Or you could move to Nantes (and then we could do that Harmonic deal we talked about... hopeful face...)
Allan
[quote name='rosfrog' date='Apr 13 2006, 10:49 PM' post='300850']
The idea of working on selected pieces is again an innovation of the strings section, they have selected a range of pieces for each cycle (of three or four - or two(!) years) that create intentional stopping points - or give brilliant students the chance to show that they don't have any stopping points (not my case, sadly )
[/quote]
Sounds like your Conservatoire is a lot better organised than mine which is only a small "muncipal" one. Our "string section" is one full time (?) violin teacher, one part time (Wednesday afternoon only) viola and one part time (Wednesday afternoon) cello teacher only. One of the complaints of parents is that they have no idea where their children are going or if they are progressing "normally" (For those not living in France the French are obsessed with averages), as there is no set repertoire or requirements for any level.
[/quote]
The downside of the conservatoire is that frequently, you get rather pompous people milling around who think they're special because they've done the diplôme de fin d'études or somesuch
Or you could move to Nantes (and then we could do that Harmonic deal we talked about... hopeful face...)
[/quote]
I like the way they talk about their "medaille de fin d'études" (a medal for the end of studies). I originally thought that it was something really exceptional but it is in fact really the equivalent of getting a distinction for a diploma so whilst undeniably denoting a high level, all music teachers and professional musicians have them.
The really big advantage which you didn't mention is the cost. It is heavily subsidised. In ours children pay about £125 a year which entitles them each week during term time to one half hour lesson (or forty-five minutes depending on the level) on their main instrument, one half hour lesson on a second instrument (although few take up this option), at least an hour of theory and as soon as they are good enough an hour of ensemble work.
As an adult I pay about £240 for the year for a weekly forty-five minute lesson and I play in an "oboe band" once a fortnight.
The idea of working on selected pieces is again an innovation of the strings section, they have selected a range of pieces for each cycle (of three or four - or two(!) years) that create intentional stopping points - or give brilliant students the chance to show that they don't have any stopping points (not my case, sadly
) [/quote]
Sounds like your Conservatoire is a lot better organised than mine which is only a small "muncipal" one. Our "string section" is one full time (?) violin teacher, one part time (Wednesday afternoon only) viola and one part time (Wednesday afternoon) cello teacher only. One of the complaints of parents is that they have no idea where their children are going or if they are progressing "normally" (For those not living in France the French are obsessed with averages), as there is no set repertoire or requirements for any level.
[/quote]
The downside of the conservatoire is that frequently, you get rather pompous people milling around who think they're special because they've done the diplôme de fin d'études or somesuch
Or you could move to Nantes (and then we could do that Harmonic deal we talked about... hopeful face...)
[/quote]
I like the way they talk about their "medaille de fin d'études" (a medal for the end of studies). I originally thought that it was something really exceptional but it is in fact really the equivalent of getting a distinction for a diploma so whilst undeniably denoting a high level, all music teachers and professional musicians have them.
The really big advantage which you didn't mention is the cost. It is heavily subsidised. In ours children pay about £125 a year which entitles them each week during term time to one half hour lesson (or forty-five minutes depending on the level) on their main instrument, one half hour lesson on a second instrument (although few take up this option), at least an hour of theory and as soon as they are good enough an hour of ensemble work.
As an adult I pay about £240 for the year for a weekly forty-five minute lesson and I play in an "oboe band" once a fortnight.
QUOTE(kerioboe @ Apr 14 2006, 03:33 PM)
The really big advantage which you didn't mention is the cost. It is heavily subsidised. In ours children pay about £125 a year which entitles them each week during term time to one half hour lesson (or forty-five minutes depending on the level) on their main instrument, one half hour lesson on a second instrument (although few take up this option), at least an hour of theory and as soon as they are good enough an hour of ensemble work.
As an adult I pay about £240 for the year for a weekly forty-five minute lesson and I play in an "oboe band" once a fortnight.
As an adult I pay about £240 for the year for a weekly forty-five minute lesson and I play in an "oboe band" once a fortnight.
Wow. Pipe dream in this country!
I'm just starting to work on my violin Gr 6 pieces now, and at the moment I'm learning two from List A and two from List B. (We haven't looked at List C yet). This way I'll get to learn more than one from each choice in some detail before I have to choose which one to play in my exam. And also, that extends your repertoire.
With my old piano grade books, I can play any piece in the book, right up to Gr 7 (the last exam I took on piano). Most of them I didn't learn with my teacher, but I can at least bash through the harder ones with most of the right notes, simply because I enjoyed playing them.
With my old piano grade books, I can play any piece in the book, right up to Gr 7 (the last exam I took on piano). Most of them I didn't learn with my teacher, but I can at least bash through the harder ones with most of the right notes, simply because I enjoyed playing them.
QUOTE(kerioboe @ Apr 14 2006, 02:33 PM)
The really big advantage which you didn't mention is the cost.
Ah yes! Vive le système sociale! I pay slightly more than the figures you quoted (well alright, considerably more) but I have one on one with a violin professor and a pianist (albeit a vicious embittered evil pianist who hates me) so I suppose the extra cost comes from that. Still much cheaper than the UK system.
You know, I just got a message from one of my students asking if I thought he would get la moyenne this semester (a rather interesting idea seeing as he's been to class three times and has spent the rest of his time yelling in the street and putting superglue in locks) - it made me laugh because it popped up just as I read your comment about the obsession with normality and averages!
Allan
QUOTE
The downside of the conservatoire is that frequently, you get rather pompous people milling around who think they're special because they've done the diplôme de fin d'études or somesuch - like the pianist who accompanies my lessons (yep, I get a teacher and a pianist all to myself each week!) who insists on glaring at me each time I make a wrong note
The last time a pianist did that sort of thing to me (I forget exactly what I was playing, but it was something extremely difficult by Suk), I handed them the violin and bow and said, "If you think you can do better..............."Needless to say they never made any further comment.
QUOTE(AmandaL @ Apr 14 2006, 04:14 PM)
QUOTE
The downside of the conservatoire is that frequently, you get rather pompous people milling around who think they're special because they've done the diplôme de fin d'études or somesuch - like the pianist who accompanies my lessons (yep, I get a teacher and a pianist all to myself each week!) who insists on glaring at me each time I make a wrong note
The last time a pianist did that sort of thing to me (I forget exactly what I was playing, but it was something extremely difficult by Suk), I handed them the violin and bow and said, "If you think you can do better..............."Needless to say they never made any further comment.
I am having that printed on a T-shirt next week! Genius!
QUOTE(rosfrog @ Apr 14 2006, 03:25 PM)
Ah yes! Vive le système sociale! I pay slightly more than the figures you quoted (well alright, considerably more) but I have one on one with a violin professor and a pianist (albeit a vicious embittered evil pianist who hates me) so I suppose the extra cost comes from that. Still much cheaper than the UK system.
Allan
We get one on one with the instrument teacher but no pianist. Although from the sound of yours, I'm glad I don't have one.
QUOTE(kerioboe @ Apr 14 2006, 06:31 PM)
QUOTE(rosfrog @ Apr 14 2006, 03:25 PM)
Ah yes! Vive le système sociale! I pay slightly more than the figures you quoted (well alright, considerably more) but I have one on one with a violin professor and a pianist (albeit a vicious embittered evil pianist who hates me) so I suppose the extra cost comes from that. Still much cheaper than the UK system.
Allan
We get one on one with the instrument teacher but no pianist. Although from the sound of yours, I'm glad I don't have one.
Amen to that! Although if you want him, I'll arrange for him to come and glower at you whilst you play stuff if you like... I wonder if he does children's parties?
[quote name='rosfrog' date='Apr 14 2006, 03:25 PM' post='301172']
[/quote]
I have one on one with a violin professor and a pianist (albeit a vicious embittered evil pianist who hates me) so I suppose the extra cost comes from that. Still much cheaper than the UK system.
Allan
[/quote]
Is this the pianist who will be acommpanying you for your grade 6? (Just to make you feel at ease in the exam situation...)
[/quote]
I have one on one with a violin professor and a pianist (albeit a vicious embittered evil pianist who hates me) so I suppose the extra cost comes from that. Still much cheaper than the UK system.
Allan
[/quote]
Is this the pianist who will be acommpanying you for your grade 6? (Just to make you feel at ease in the exam situation...)
[quote name='kerioboe' date='Apr 16 2006, 10:00 AM' post='302292']
[quote name='rosfrog' date='Apr 14 2006, 03:25 PM' post='301172']
[/quote]
I have one on one with a violin professor and a pianist (albeit a vicious embittered evil pianist who hates me) so I suppose the extra cost comes from that. Still much cheaper than the UK system.
Allan
[/quote]
Is this the pianist who will be acommpanying you for your grade 6? (Just to make you feel at ease in the exam situation...)
[/quote]
No he will not! Not a chance! I have a friend who will be playing for the exam and he is completely glare free!
[quote name='rosfrog' date='Apr 14 2006, 03:25 PM' post='301172']
[/quote]
I have one on one with a violin professor and a pianist (albeit a vicious embittered evil pianist who hates me) so I suppose the extra cost comes from that. Still much cheaper than the UK system.
Allan
[/quote]
Is this the pianist who will be acommpanying you for your grade 6? (Just to make you feel at ease in the exam situation...)
[/quote]
No he will not! Not a chance! I have a friend who will be playing for the exam and he is completely glare free!
QUOTE(londongirl @ Apr 13 2006, 12:21 AM)
Hello, I'm just starting Grade 4 violin pieces this week (just done Grade 3) and wouldn't mind doing the examination it in the June/July session - although MAYBE I will wait until November. Anyone got any thoughts on which pieces are "easiest" and which are "hardest". I think I like Rondeau from list A, but can't choose between Hindu Song and Neopolitan song in List B, and trying to choose between Clowns and Yesterday in List C. I'd like to go for something that isn't too challenging - do you think some pieces attract higher marks than others. Fingers crossed now for my Grade 3 result and thanks for earlier advice.
londongirl
since you started the topic, the conversation carried on to some other facinating topics. but to answer your question, I too doing g4 violin after rushed g3 even though I have got merit but I was disappointed by what I went through the year. you may want to do some exercises (eg the doflein method) before you start looking at the exam pieces. I wish I have done that in my g3.
I also think if you like the piece you will have the passion to play to your perfection but if you just pick the easy pieces to get pass the exam you lost the idea of playing and learning violin.
I'm hoping to do my g4 in christmas. more or less I think I will play the alt piece Ave verum by Mozart in A list. I really like this piece as I have a busy life and this piece makes me slow down to look back what I have done in the past. I feel this piece is a reflection of life. I havemt made my mind up for other pieces as I'm trying them out to see which ones I like the lost.
finally, I think it would be fantastic if you play 2 slow pieces an 1 fast piece in the exam. good luck in yr g3 result.
wayne
since you started the topic, the conversation carried on to some other facinating topics. but to answer your question, I too doing g4 violin after rushed g3 even though I have got merit but I was disappointed by what I went through the year. you may want to do some exercises (eg the doflein method) before you start looking at the exam pieces. I wish I have done that in my g3.
I also think if you like the piece you will have the passion to play to your perfection but if you just pick the easy pieces to get pass the exam you lost the idea of playing and learning violin.
I'm hoping to do my g4 in christmas. more or less I think I will play the alt piece Ave verum by Mozart in A list. I really like this piece as I have a busy life and this piece makes me slow down to look back what I have done in the past. I feel this piece is a reflection of life. I havemt made my mind up for other pieces as I'm trying them out to see which ones I like the lost.
finally, I think it would be fantastic if you play 2 slow pieces an 1 fast piece in the exam. good luck in yr g3 result.
wayne
QUOTE(Wayne @ Apr 25 2006, 03:34 PM)
since you started the topic, the conversation carried on to some other facinating topics. but to answer your question, I too doing g4 violin after rushed g3 even though I have got merit but I was disappointed by what I went through the year. you may want to do some exercises (eg the doflein method) before you start looking at the exam pieces. I wish I have done that in my g3.
I also think if you like the piece you will have the passion to play to your perfection but if you just pick the easy pieces to get pass the exam you lost the idea of playing and learning violin.
I also think if you like the piece you will have the passion to play to your perfection but if you just pick the easy pieces to get pass the exam you lost the idea of playing and learning violin.
I agree with Wayne - rushing on to grade 4 and picking the easiest pieces may get you through the exam but it won't serve you best in the long run.
QUOTE(sarah-flute @ Apr 25 2006, 06:29 PM)
QUOTE(Wayne @ Apr 25 2006, 03:34 PM)
since you started the topic, the conversation carried on to some other facinating topics. but to answer your question, I too doing g4 violin after rushed g3 even though I have got merit but I was disappointed by what I went through the year. you may want to do some exercises (eg the doflein method) before you start looking at the exam pieces. I wish I have done that in my g3.
I also think if you like the piece you will have the passion to play to your perfection but if you just pick the easy pieces to get pass the exam you lost the idea of playing and learning violin.
I also think if you like the piece you will have the passion to play to your perfection but if you just pick the easy pieces to get pass the exam you lost the idea of playing and learning violin.
I agree with Wayne - rushing on to grade 4 and picking the easiest pieces may get you through the exam but it won't serve you best in the long run.
Go for the ones you enjoy
I have found that I prefer the Trinity pieces. I have played some of the AB pieces as I have gone along, but stuck with Trinity and would definitely reccommend them as a refreshing change to the AB pieces.
Binks' Waltz form the C list is a great piece to show expression. For the B list, I found Neopolitan Song really good for fast bow and finger techniques, so that would be a good one, although Hindu Song is also al ovely piece. From the A list, Rondeau is a gorgeous and fun piece, although if you are looking for an easier one, Preludio is an absolute gem, and requires good use of 2nd and 3rd position! It is also excellent for practising your vibrato if you are a beginner to it... and adds more to the piece. 
My violin teacher makes me learn ALL the pieces from the book, and they we choose which ones to play for the exam. I've done that since grade 1, and it means i learn a wider range of pieces.
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