How long have you been playing your instrument and how good are you( eg what grade are you)? I'm just curious

guitar i've played for years, but am self taught, and had plateaued out playing grade 4-ish pieces. Started taking lessons six months ago, and am playing grade 8 level pieces. I've been putting off going for an exam, as I'm just torn in too many directions right now, but I'll probably go for grade 6 in the new year, and then grade 8 a year later. My teacher thinks I could probably pass grade 8 now, but I'd rather take a bit more time.

Cello - started in Jan this year, and playing grade 5 / 6 pieces. Not sure what I'm going to do about exams for this - probably a grade 5 later this year.

Trombone - restarted after about a 20 year absence, in March. Playing about grade 3 /4.

Singing - going for grade 5 later this year.

Viola - just started, but making pretty quick progress.

Guitar - 7 months; taught at school. Should be taking Grade 1 sometime next year.

Car Expert

Viola, I've been playing for about two years and I've taken and passed grade 7. I did play the violin before that, but before I started the viola I had absoloutly no technique and no posture (collapsed wrists) and I was about grade 1ish standard.

Piano - around Twenty five years. Somewhere around grade 8, I suppose. Didn't learn in England.
Voice - Six years. Never done any exams. Sing mostly opera and some musical theatre.
Violin - Two and a half years ish, grade 6.
Viola - a year ish, no exams and no plans to do anything other than play for fun.
Cello - two months (!) no idea where I'm at - I'm working on saint-saens 'the swan'. Slowly! Don't know what grade I'm at because I'm learning in cycles (France) teacher has put me at end of second cycle. Don't know how that correlates to Britain. I'm enjoying it immensely though!

Violin:
11 years. Since age 5. Started playing PROPERLY just under a year ago, and in that time have gone from a poor grade 7 (I backed out of my exam in Summer 05) to Diploma standard (taking in Winter 06). DIdn't really learn anything for the first few years, until I got my 2nd (current) teacher.

I've been playing the piano since the age of 7, so it's about 15 years now. Loved every minute of it! I have done my grade 8 and am looking to take my diploma soon. I took up the violin 2 years ago, am about to take my grade 4 - although I am really finding it tough going. I am pretty much self taught on the violin, apart from some initial lessons. Flute, clarinet, guitar and recorder, I have taught myself, and have played for quite a few years. Haven't taken any grades, just play them for fun when I want to really. Recent addition is the viola, can play some tunes on it, but my plans for the future are the do a few grades on it, and hopefully play with some friends in a get together.

Also, I am getting into jazz piano, so might take some exams on my instruments in jazz too ... slightly addicted ...

Violin - started about 16 years ago (yikes!). Didn't really take to it for the first few years. Had a few years "off" during university. Passed DipABRSM last winter.

Viola - self-"taught" since just after I took the above diploma in December! Can play some grade 8 pieces though haven't had any formal assessment.

Recorder - started lessons 16 months ago and have my grade 8 very soon... *hides*

Piano - started aged 4 and then on and off throughout childhood/adolescence. Can play grade 5 standard things now. Will return to it one day.

Cello - don't play it any more but I taught myself to play it when I suddenly acquired one thanks to an unexpected postgraduate scholarship! No idea what standard I was. Technique was probably awful. I do love the cello, though. (Sold it to buy viola...)

Flute - started three weeks ago and can play about 7 different notes! Finding breath control most difficult!

-Have played violin for 6 years and now hit a brick wall with grade 4 pieces *cries*
-Played flute for a year and now working on grade 4

Guitar - 13 years, DipABRSM later this year...

Piano - 4 years, roughly grade 5.

Violin - On and off for about 10 years, about grade 5/6

Viola - 6 months, also about grade 5/6

Singing - 2 1/2 years, can vary from lesson to lesson...

Wow!!! Glad to see there's so many violist out there!

Piano- 7 years, done grade 6 two years ago and now I can play grade 8+ music. Don't have piano lesson anymore so I can have more time practising clarinet and viola.

Clarinet -almost 2 years, doing grade 8 clairnet exam this year(oct)

Viola- 10 month.No idea what grade I am. Played Telemann viola concerto(accompanied by school string orchestra) in the angel place recital hall and sydney opera house as part as the 17th Australian music festival.

Violin- about 2 years now, Play for fun, ever really practise it. Now I'm kind of working of spring and summer by vivaldi.

Everyone's so good!!

I'm really encouraged by what dizzying heights people are able to get to in such short periods of time! Here's me thinking that it would take me years on end to get to a good standard of playing, but I think it might be a more reachable goal than I'd feared.

So, here are my stats:

Minus about 3 months cello - I plan to start in the autumn;

and minus that plus getting to about G5 cello for viola!!!

Look out for lots of stupid, beginnerish questions from Sept/Oct onwards - I CAN'T WAIT!!!

For Strings??
Violin-3 years (G6 but stopped learning 2 years ago)
Viola-1 year (G6 but stopped learning 1/2 years ago)

Violin: nearly 12 years, did my dipabrsm last year
Piano: 11 years, did my grade 8 last years

By the way I think its so cool how so many of you can play loads of instruments. Thats so clever!

Piano - since i was six...that would be...about 8 years!! I'm getting old

Violin - scince i was seven...that would be about 7 years!

Flute - about 3 months?



Regards,

xx Leanne xx Hellokitty xx

Hi

Piano 30 years (aghh that makes me feel old!)
Violin 21 years
Viola on and off when needed for 6 years
Recorder whole range sop - bass ages!!!
Guitar 14 years but on and off!

Not really!

For me piano 24 years (quite old too!)
Violin 4 years
Electone organ ... just fiddled with it for fun.
Recorder.. a few simple tunes
Guitar... just about 3 chords but have forgotten them all by now!

So I guess that still makes only two instruments I'm able to play reasonably well.

oboe: 2 years 9 months and I'm taking grade 5 in November/December

Cello: about 6 months and I took grade 1 on Monday

Piano: self taught for about 2 months (I can't afford lessons ) I'm working on an old grade 1 book

clarinet: again self taught for about 2 months and I'm playing pieces off of the grades 1 and 2 sylabus

I'll start with the strings:

Violin: About 3 months am pre-grade 1, hoping to do a grade 1 challenge. Want to learn slowly to make sure i get the right technique!

Guitar: Can play lots of Spanish pieces! Self taught!

Piano: About 5 years play to about grade 5/6 standard, i find piano really, really hard to play!!

Clarinet: My first instrument been playing since i was 7 so for 10 years now! Got a distinction at grade 8 and doing ATCL in the winter.

Flute: Been playing 3 months now, doing my grade 5 in the winter but am liking Poulenc Flute Sonata! I have an excellent teacher, hoping to do grade 8 winter 2007 when i've done loads of repetoire! Can see a dip in the future as well!

Saxophone: About 3 years don't play it much, i'd say i'm about grade 4/5 in standard.

Unless anyone can't tell my favourite ~(for the moment, anyway)~ is flute! Although i will always see my self as a clarinettist! Am enjoy the challenge of violin but finding it harder than i thought it would be!

Violin - almost 21 years from the age of 7. Lessons all through school. Did grade 6 once upon a time. Not very good at it!

Viola - maybe 10 years? Had about a year of lessons. Can play some G7 pieces and get stumped by some G4 ones - go figure

Flute - almost 14 years! A year of lessons at school when I was 17, and 6 months privately when I was 18. Besides that, almost entirely self taught - I think I've had about half a dozen lessons from various teachers outside that 18 month period. Not sure about standard, playing things anything from G5 to Dip standard but suspect the Dip ones aren't at Dip level!!

Piano - 3 years of lessons when I was 10-13-ish, then restarted about 2 years ago. Approx G4 standard, I don't practice enough.

Sorry can't be bothered to list the rest as how good I am at them is even more amorphous than for those!!

Good grief, you should be Sarah_Violin_Viola_Flute_Piano.

I started playing guitar as a youngster and 3 years later passed Grade 5 (with distinction). Then my guitar teacher started pushing me for Grade 7 and to play diploma pieces. I gave up but started playing again 20 years later.

I play all sorts of pieces from my Grade 2 right up to Diploma pieces but I'm absolutely no where near diploma standard. I'm studying for my Grade 6 but will be lucky to pass in November as my sightreading and aural are the pits. My playing can sound acceptable at times (someone thought I was a professional!!) to excruciatingly awful.

I played piano for a couple of years, but then I decided I didn't like it and so dropped it.

I have played violin since year 4, when I was 8, I'm not thirteen and year Nine is just around da corner!!!! So i've been playing for 5 years.

I've only done grade two (I skipped grade one due to switching teachers in September, i learn through da school.) but my new teacher says I should already be on grade 4!

Piano - started keyboard when I was 5, but didnt start grades til age 10 (am 15 now), doing Grade 6

Clarinet - played for a year and a half, my teacher said I was Grade 5

Bassoon - have played for exactly two years. Haven't done graded work, just school music, my teacher is organising a concerto for me (eek! )

Double bass - started in the last quarter of last year (term 4), but had to become competent in a very short space of time to compete in 17 aussie music festival this past june. LOVE vivaldi's concerto no. 10 op. 3!





Hey amy,

Thinking back, string nontet never actually got to play in the opera house, it was only with prem. concert band that we did, but the adjudicated performance was definitely angel place

Violin: I've been learning for 7 years, just did trinity Performance Certificate exam

Piano: I learnt for 9 years and did Grade 8 just before I stopped learning.

Too long...

I've been playing the piano and violin scince I was 6(7years) and the recorder scince I was 9(4 years) I didn't make much progress because It was a school thing that the teachers teach you how to play the sharps& flats.

Violin... almost 21 years (gulp!)
Piano... on and off for about 17 years (mostly off!!)
Viola... um... 10 or 11 years??
Flute... almost 15 years
Harp... almost 10 years
Recorder... about 20 years?

Jack of all trades & master of none , and none of them consistently practised and played the whole time or I'd probably be good at at least one by now!!

Well you ARE good at violin, viola and piano
...and flute!

OK, I should have said "very good" or "as good as I would like to be" but thanks

Hmm... I don't think anyone could ever be as good as they want!
If you are good, you want to be great, if you are great, you want to be invincible.

True, I suppose... closer to how good I would like to be?? maybe??!

I have only really continued with the flute, although have vaguely dabbled in recorder (descant), keyboard and piano.

I've been playing since I was about 8, so that's 9 years :S, and I am taking Grade 8 in the winter term

Erm.. I'm definitely no-where close to where i would like to be on the violin for sure!
As for the piano.. I need to practice but then still not quite close to what I want.

Just caught up with this thread.

My instruments:

Piano since I was 4/5 - that's 46 years ago! Got to Grade VII but would love some time to get my Grade VIII. Also play Church Organ but more as a pianist than an organist although I put the pedals in occasionally.

Violin - started in 1997 and took Grades 1 & 2 before going to Theological College with my husband Sept 1999 and was unable to find or afford a teacher. Picked it up again in Sept 2001 and did Grades III & IV. My violin teacher unfortunately died in 2004 shortly before I would have taken Grade V. We then moved and I have only recently started with a teacher again and will be taking Grade V probably in the Autumn/Winter.

Treble Recorder was my 2nd instrument in Teacher Training College (1973-77) but I didn't take any exams although I was about Grade VIII. Whilst there I also dabbled in flute & harp.

My problem is that I don't really stick at anything. I easily get to Grade II/III standard but then need to practice and I don't! But I'm glad to say that I have stuck at the violin and really enjoy it and also belong to a local small orchestra.

Sorry, rambling on a bit!

I have been playing my violin for just about 4 years just started grade 6.
Piano since september 2004 just started grade 4.
Clarinet since Jan last year grade 3\4.


From Daisy (10)

Well, the problem is I should be much better than I am. The years don't really take into account anything. I really must practice more
Piano - 19 years
Cello - 15 years

Oh dear...I think I just must be no good...

too long!

violin - 15 years
recorder - 14 years on and off
piano - 13 years
singing - 8 years
viola - 5 years
organ - 3 years
french horn - 3 years
geetarrrrrr - 3 years

Quite a list, Cheebs!

(nice to see you around )

Yes, it's been awhile, cheeble!
But definitely an impressive list, nonetheless!

Violin - since October. Did Grade 1 in February, working on some Grade 3 stuff.

Piano - since July 2005. Did Grade 5 in June. This was a re-start - I did about a year of lessons as a kid.

Recorders - formally started lessons October. Did Grade 5 in June. Had been playing on and off for years, though.

Singing - formally started lessons January 2003. Did LTCL in April. Had been singing on and off for years, though.

My friend says:

Violin- 4 years

Singing- whole life!

Piano- 5 years