If you have done or are doing Piano Grade 8, please post below

How old were you?
Do you know who the youngest person is?

i did my piano grade 8 when i was around 13 or 14.....i dunn think i'm really young to do grade 8...

i did my grade 8 piano in March aged 15 and got 138. good luck to everyone in all your music exams!

I have played the piano since the age of 8 and did grade 6 at about 16. This year at the age of 45 I passed my grade 8 with distinction. Sooooo chuffed. I have children and work full time!
Thinking of doing grade 6 theory but need help.

I'm currently doing my grade 8 and i'm 15, but i've rushed through grades which i wouldnt recommend as you dont get enough experience that way!!

I also did Grade 8 at age 15.. a month after my 15th birthday, in fact. I got merit because i failed the aural section.. i've never been good at that. But the examiner wrote that I "played to distinction standard". The 128 wasn't that bad, I guess. Good luck!

I will be thirteen when I take my grade 8

theyoungest i have heard was a seven year old in Hong Kong

I did my grade 8 when I was fourteen. I got 117 and I think it is not good for me.
However, I got distinction - 86 in my ATCL which I satisfied.

hey alvin...i got the same mark as you when i did my grade 8...but i wasn't that satisfied with it..

i did my grade 8 at the age of 21.. that was last year I started late on the piano.. at the age of 11.. took grade 6 at 16 and then when i was 18 stopped for 2 years... then I took my first grade 8 at 20 and failed... so i took again the nxt year n got a merit!

I am going to do that soon. Starting on scales this Friday. I will start pieces once the book comes out. Just finished Grade 7. Hopefully I didn't dissapoint the examiner too much.

I am doing grade 8 at 14.
So scared...

i did grade 8 at the age of 17 and failed so will be entering in the spring at the age of 20 as thats whenm the new pieces run out!o will prob fail again!o well

I've just started my grade 8 pieces just now (I'm 15). And looking forward to working on them during the holidays. However i'm becoming increasingly frusrated with one of my pieces, has anyone ever done(or doing) the Beethoven Op.90 Emin sonata 1st Mov. The repetative section where the left hand is doing lots of nice(by nice i mean annoying) juming around while the right plays the melody in octaves, this is where i constantly have to stop because i get it wrong or miss a note or something. Any tips on how to play this section with ease?

Freedom

did it @ 14

Hello,
I'll be giving my grade 8 exam in two months time and I'm 17. (I'm very scared )
Anyway I don't know for sure but I think the youngest Grade 8 candidate was 8 years old.
I feel that one should give their grade 8 exam not before they are 16. By that time the student has developed his/her unique musical taste and style. The examiners don't just look for technical mastery but also the musical intellect.
Enjoy your music,
Rupayan.

I did grade 8 (piano) a few years ago at the advanced age of 38, at the same time as my son did his grade 4 (he's just done grade 7 so is catching up fast!). Managed 130 which was gratifying! Grade 8 violin at the age of 17/18 (can't remember now). The big question is - should I try for the piano Diploma??

Hi Freedom!
I'm doing the Beethoven and i am having exactly the same prob. I can do the LH on its own, but can't seem to put it together with the RH. And then, after I master it once, I discover that 2 pages later it comes again, but on E not B. so I have to learn it again, by which time, the first version's gone again. Typical: why did Beethoven have to have such big hands?
What other pieces are you/anyone doing?
I'm doing the Debussy arabesque, but not sure bout list A, perhaps the bach allemande?

QUOTE (1stviolin @ Jul 5 2004, 12:09 PM)

The big question is - should I try for the piano Diploma??

Yes, I certainly would if I was you.

Hey pianoforte,
I've been working on my Beethoven and i think ive almost mastered that difficult L.H section(I just had to take it slowly then speed up each time I play) LOL, i'm doing the debussy and the Bach as well. I'm loving the Debussy it just beautiful. I haven't started the bach yet.

Freedom

I'm doing mine at 12 and I'm really nervous.

I did grade 8 at the end of May and passed, but wasn't very happy with my mark (105). My comments were good, and in no way matched up to the marks given. Having said that, I had an examiner who really put me at my ease, which I appreciated as I'm 60 and haven't taken a practical exam for the last 42 years! (Did grade 8 before, then had a rest from serious playing for 40 years). I had a higher mark the first time, but the comments weren't nearly as good and I certainly put more work in on it this time! I've found out since that the examiner gave consistently low marks for all the candidates.

I took my piano grade 8 in march at 16 and got a distinction - really chuffed! Planning to start working towards a diploma in September. To anyone who's already done the diploma, how long did you take between your grade 8 and taking the diploma?

I'm going to do Grade 8 at 13. That's next year for me!

im doin grade 8 at 9 so scared

QUOTE (Piano_Lady @ Jul 13 2004, 07:33 PM)

im doin grade 8 at 9 so scared

Sorry Pianolady I'm confused I thought you said you were 14 and was just starting out on the piano.

QUOTE

I got my keyboard when i was 14, and practise on that, but am getting piano lessons soon, how soon do u tyhink it will be before i get my grade 8!

I am doing it next year when I am 15.

QUOTE (Freedom @ Jul 1 2004, 06:53 PM)

I've just started my grade 8 pieces just now (I'm 15). And looking forward to working on them during the holidays. However i'm becoming increasingly frusrated with one of my pieces, has anyone ever done(or doing) the Beethoven Op.90 Emin sonata 1st Mov. The repetative section where the left hand is doing lots of nice(by nice i mean annoying) juming around while the right plays the melody in octaves, this is where i constantly have to stop because i get it wrong or miss a note or something. Any tips on how to play this section with ease? Freedom

I've also just started my grade 8 pieces and I'm 15 too, but I'm finding it hard to decided which ones to pick as there are quite a few really nice onces. By the Beethoven piece do you mean the first one from list B? I'm quite likely going to do that one. I'm going to do Chopin's Waltz in E minor (List C no.8) Which other pieces are you doing?

Hi!

I did my grade 8 (retake) a couple of months back and got 134. I was retaking from ?November? when I got 124 and had flu during the exam. I'm 17 btw.
Someone asked how long between Gr8 and Diploma. I'm going for the lower diploma this November, so for me about 1/2 year.

Hey Meg

I'm doing the Bach Sarabande and Rondeaux, the Mozart Sonata in B flat and Turina Sacro Monte

hiya, I'm leaning towards the Bach Sarabande and Rondeaux at the moment, but not for definite. I spent quite a few hours on the piano yesterday and have only crossed off a few that I'm definitely not going to play. I'm so indecisive (however u spell it) lol. In the end I ended up playing some Einaudi, wish that was on the exam. The Turina Sacro Monte is really fun to play isn't it Someone said to me I should play them all in the exam and tell the examiner to mark the best lol. We'd be there for donkeys.

I played the Sarabande and Rondeau, I really enjoyed them. I learnt the Sacro-Monte, but couldn't play it well enough in the exam so I did the Berceuse, which I've grown to like.
The Sacro-Monte is amazing when played well, at the end... it gets sooo fast .
The Waltz in E Minor (not in the book) I think is really nice too...

QUOTE

QUOTE (Piano_Lady @ Jul 13 2004, 07:33 PM) im doin grade 8 at 9  so scared   Sorry Pianolady I'm confused I thought you said you were 14 and was just starting out on the piano.   QUOTE   I got my keyboard when i was 14, and practise on that, but am getting piano lessons soon, how soon do u tyhink it will be before i get my grade 8!

Hmmm... strange. Maybe she meant 19???
No, I don't understand either.