Hi

I'm looking to take my grade 8 hopefully early next year, I've returned to the piano after nearly 15 years and a previously failed attempt at grade 8 and have now decided to give it ago again, my biggest fear is the Aural - does anyone have any good tips or recommend any books/CDs on the subject, I have tentively mentioned my concerns to my piano teacher but he said don't worry at the moment, in the past it has been an area that has let me down through lack of preparation.

I'm doing the Mozart K332, the Grieg notturno and I'm just starting the Shostakovich prelude and fugue.

Welcome to the forums . There are a few things you could try for the aural tests. There is a subscription based website called Hofnote which is good for practising all the aural tests. There are also some useful books too - Aural Time Pupil's Book Grade 8 by David Turnbull (there are 2 versions of this book but you would want the one with a white cover) is really good for information on the last aural test (where you have to answer questions on a piece of music). The Associated Board also do a CD with practice tests on and I think there are also some other practice style CDs available by other people (I think Ida Carroll does one).

Hope this helps and good luck with your grade 8

Hi

Thanks for that I shall see if I can track them down.

I started practicing about 4 months ago and hopefully will be taking the exam in November. I'm doing the Bach, Clementi and Chopin, although like some of you I found it impossible to choose my list C piece and in the end only went for Chopin because he's one of my favourites to play. The Gershwin is lovely and the Copland seemed nice as well.
I'm getting to grips with most of the pieces although still having issues with the fingering of the Bach fugue - hope I'm not the only one!
My main problem is memorising all the different scales, arpeggios etc. They seem to be taking up a lot of practice time at the moment!

Is anyone going for Martinu's 'Puppet Dance' for the C list piece?

My teacher thought it was the best one out of the list, and at first, I thought it was quite simple but it's got loads of expression in it and the last bit of it is hard.

I'm doing the Bach for A, and the Mozart sonata for B, they seemed the safest options, but overall I've never liked many of the C pieces much.

If you can play a piece well then it's a safe option, if you can't it isn't.

On the other hand, "Well known" vs. "The road less travelled": A tough one that. I was going to make the same choices as you for lists A and B. Then I thought "Shostakovich and Shubert" , now I'm looking at the Scarlatti for the A list.

As for the C list, of the 16 on the list I like at least 12. I don't know the others! I'm looking at Gershwin or more likely Chopin though. Or maybe Rachmaninov. Or perhaps Greig. Or Ravel . . . .

. . . Oh dear!

Well, my piano teacher has always picked out the pieces for me, and with nearly all exams, she's picked the right pieces. She tries out all the pieces in the 'Selected Piano Pieces' book so that if there's a good piece for each list in there, there's no need to buy other books (sheet music can be quite pricey these days). But this time, she's delayed putting me in for the exam because I wouldn't have been ready at all for June/July. Hopefully taking in November.

I could quite easily take every grade 8 exam for the last decade as well as doing dipABRSM, LRSM and FRSM several times each, just from the music on top of my piano already. For me, the lists aren't a restricitve list of what I can get away with buying: They're a guide to what to buy next! Rachmaninof Preludes? Schumann Carnival? Haydn Sonatas? I can't play them, but then if I don't buy the music I never will!

i'm awaithing the results for grade 7 and hopefully if i pass, i will definatley take by grade 8. I've had a skim through the aural and scales books and looks like it'll take a much longer time than grade 7...

That's the idea I had in mind. A wide repertoire helps improve Sight Reading tremendously. In reference to your later message, I think it is also true that people should be more willing to 'take a risk' with harder pieces, otherwise they may get stuck too easily in their 'comfortable zone'. In terms of the buying, there's always the 'Free Sheet Music' selection - just a bit restrictive on the more modern pieces, that's all.





Good Luck! I think the CDs that upbeat suggested are good - I personally used the ABRSM one. I'm not sure if this is the right advice, but I would be inclined to agree with your teacher to not worry too much about the Aurals. I think more will be achieved in focusing on your pieces and scales (which you yourself know how far you have mastered them), because they give a greater percentage of marks for the same amount of work on Aurals (in my opinion - might just be that I enjoy playing the pieces more than the Aurals, funnily enough). Also, it may be worthwhile to play other pieces at the same time, so that your exam pieces don't become 'boring', and this should help with sight-reading too.





I don't think there's too big a gap between Grade 7 and Grade 8. I actually am one of those that agree to going Grade 5 -> 7 -> 8, rather than Grade 5 -> 6 -> 8, because that means that you have less of a jump at the 'final' grade. I admit that there is a fair amount to do, such as the increased number of scales, as well as the increased length of the pieces. Just be wary not to rush into Grade 8 in sacrificing the enjoyment aspect of playing. And Good Luck on your Grade 7 results too!

~Wobby~

Good luck for the Grade 8 everyone!!
My student is doing it next year. So far she has picked out the Bach Prelude and Fugue for A,
B will be the Mozart in F major (although I would like her to try the Clementi as well) and the C would be the Chopin, as she likes it so much.

Odd, because I think there is quite a gap between grades 7 and 8 in piano. It's how I'm feeling now anyway, but I guess everyone is different.

Looking at the exam pieces set, there seems to be not that much of a gap between grades 6. 7 and 8
Although the criteria for marking might be a little different for each Grade.

If nothing else, it seems that the pieces are rather longer in general for Grade 8.
There doesn't seem to be such a large increase in length between Grade 6 and Grade 7.

OK, the 2008 dates are out: My target is now a bit more precise - to be ready for the exam by the start of the A period exams on February 25th. If my Teacher doesn't think I'm ready (and I mean ready not just able to scrape a pass on a good day) then the B period starts on June 2nd.

I hope I can get a good pass in period A as I want to go to the Cheathams summer school next year, so I want to be several months into Diploma preparation by then! (and then enter the 2009 Yamaha amateur pianist competition?)

My next lesson is On September 7th. I suppose that's when I'm going to have to really decide on the repertoire to learn!


. . . and this afternoon I bought the music for The Rachmaninoff (with 2 'f's and no 'v') preludes!

Why do you say that? If you compare the Mendelssohn (g8), Bonsor (g7) and Beethoven (g7), I'd say there was quite a bit of difference there. Then again, it may well just depend on each individual. I find the Bonsor really easy and struggle with Beethoven, but a piano teacher I know says that some people struggle with the Bonsor.

I suspect that most people at our level will find some of the grade 8 pieces easier than some of the grade 7 pieces: This is because at grade 8 level there are usually still big gaps in our technique. Where the gaps are will vary from person to person, so it may be that some people can play a grade 8 piece where they don't have a gap and can't play a grade 7 piece where they do: For them, that grade 7 piece will be harder. Overall, however, I think grade 8 is slightly more difficult for several reasons: For example, for the most part the pieces are longer. Also, I have a feeling that interpretation becomes more significant at the higher levels: mere technical competence is no longer enough. This magnifies several times at diploma level where it has been said (somewhere on a link from this site) that a performance that will get you a distinction at grade 8 may not be good enough to pass the diploma!

Can anyone advise me which Soler sonata is R15. The references I've found to a number 15 are in G not Dm.

for example at http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Soler,_Padre_Antonio

I'm not taking any exams but would like to be familiar with the pieces in the syllabus at grade 8 which I haven't already got the music for.

http://icking-music-archive.org/scores/sol...er-Sonata15.pdf

This is definitely the right piece and (as far as i could tell) can be downloaded legally. Some of the ornaments are written differently to how they're played on the G8 cd though, but it's good enough to get a good idea of the piece.

There is a bit of a difference I guess. But this is thus why I chose the 5>7>8 route rather than the 5>6>8 route, because there would be more of a gap from 6>8 than from 5>7, although some people take the opposite approach. I think it tends to be the flautists mostly, as I heard that for them the syllabus is the other way round?

The Soler one seems to be OK, but I think if your definitely going to play that piece, it might be worth investing in the 'official' version. But for testing out, as you're doing, it's OK, just I think there are a few notes wrong too...

~Wobby~

after 2 years, and numerous pieces, and also a change of lists, i hope to do mine in autumn or coming spring. being as i need a distinction to go to RWCMD i have promised myself that i wont do the exam unless every little thing is perfected!

also a grade 8 question here...

do you know the scarlatti, in Emajor (VIII), what would the metronome marking be?
mine just says presto,
and my metronome doesnt have the italian markings

the pieces i am learning at the moment
A - Scarlatti (I loves it)
B - Mozart... Which i think needs to be played slowly to start, to make it sing, and i am also proud of my self to have found the immitations etc alone!..sad... i know.
C - Vals Poetico by that other bloke...well, erm, im not too sure about this one, but it will do.

good luck guys =)
and dont you just love the legato 3rds?
oh yes.

My favourite!

Wanted to ask if anybody is doing the Beethoven from list B?

I say that for the same reasons as robodoc stated. Depending on what you are good at, some people people will find some Grade 8 pieces easier and they may find some Grade 7 pieces harder. But then if you can do the various styles and technique demanded by Grades 6, 7 ,and 8, then probably you should be looking at a diploma. Anyway, I was mostly comparing the Grade 6, 7, and 8 pieces from last year to this years, and I'm sure you'll find a big difference in the Grades 6 and 7. This year the standard has been pushed up to be a little nearer to Grade 8 in terms of technique.




Presto is 168-200 on my metroneme. And Martinu is the bloke who wrote Vals Poetico. I liked his Grade 5 one which came out in the year 2003-2004.

Hmm on the contrary, Mr Loo Bang Heng (he travelled with Clara Taylor and did the demonstrations of pieces before) gave a demonstration of the pieces when they came in last year and he played the Mozart rather fast. And it sounded really good. It's a light and refreshing piece with a few dramatic moments.

Have fun with the 3rds

Much too difficult for me.
If you can, try to get the video of Daniel Barenboim holding a master class on this with Lang Lang.
Very entertaining and very educational.



???

Wasn't Vals Poetico the piece from Enrique Granados from 2005-2006 Grade 6?
Martinu had a piece in Grade 6 in 2003-2004 but Grade 5?

Not the same piece (I think) but still worth watching: Barenboim Masterclass with Lang Lang

My copy of the Soler doesn't have a metronome mark on it. It just says allegretto, but the allegretto written on my metronome seemed really slow. Can anyone suggest a speed?

I don't know the piece but generally I would go with what works for you.
You have to make the performance musically convincing so go with what you feel is right.

i meant for practise purposes, and to identify the absolutely beautiful little details a little more thoroughly, i prefer to go slower and treat each and every note equally, instead of those beautiful scalic sections, which in past experiences, are played dismally and instead of light and 'singular' (if you get me) it sounds like 10 double decker buses speeding down the M4 and all coliding right at the end.

what a comparison.

oh and, is anyone doing the poulenc for list c?

Well, since today is September 8th it follows that my first lesson after the summer must have happened, and it has: I had a chat with my teacher yesterday and . . .

. . . reality has kicked in: I might pass in period A but if I want a good pass (and I do - I've told my teacher I don't even want to enter unless she thinks there's at least a chance of a distinction) then I should concentrate on working on technique and repertoire (and aurals) and think about doing the exam in period B or even period C, next November. Disappointing in some ways (I won't be able to go to Cheethams next summer and it looks like the Yamaha competition for me may be 2011 rather than 2009) but in others it's good: I make no secret that for me grade 8 is a ticket to the diploma, and that the whole thing is about enjoying the journey to whatever level of virtuoisity I can achieve. If I don't do the repertoire and technique development before grade 8 then I'll still have to do it after and I've got no ulterior motive or deadline (must do it before applying to university etc.) so why rush?

Now, must get my articulation of Bach right for the next lesson!