Hi, I am taking my grade 8 next term (winter) and was wondering if anyone else has chosen the pieces I am doing.
I found choosing a piece from list A the hardest, as I didn't particularly like any of the selected pieces. But I found the Shostakovich hiding away, the prelude is amazing, a very beautiful piece. I've only just ordered the music and can't wait 'til it arrives, has anyone else done this one? I don't think it seems to be very popular.
For list B I liked the Beethoven but thought it was a little restrained for Beethoven. Thus I went straight to Mozart, at first thinking the Sonata in D was the best bet. But I changed my mind to the one in Bb, because I thought it was more interesting, but still classically Mozart.
Lastly, for list C there was no doubt about it, I had to choose the Chopin Waltz in E minor. This piece has so much in it, from gentle sweet melodies to violent rages, a wonderful waltz.
So anyway, sorry for rambling on, but if anyone has decided to do or has already done (even better!) these pieces for their grade 8, could you give me any pointers etc.
Thanks people.
Steven

Hi Steven,

I also took Grade 8 piano this summer and got a distinction. I am also a fan of Shostakovich, mainly his orchestral music - haven't heard the prelude and fugue though, mainly because my teacher wanted me to play the Handel Fugue. I'm glad I did though, the piece just grows and grows and reveals new things all the time, however boring it may seem at first. You just need time to absorb the texture.
I am surprised that you found the Beethoven restrained - I thought it very dramatic. Remember it is a particularly early sonata though, more classical in style.
I also played the Chopin for List C. I agree with you, it is a fantastic piece which I performed on 2 or 3 other occasions, it is such a great concert piece. I found the left hand jumping bass very difficult to play accurately, but with a lot of practice I just about got it before my exam. (I got full marks for this piece!)

Good luck with the exam,

~Hannah

I'm taking the Grade 8 exam this October. I've had a look at the new syllabus for 2005 onwards, and it looks more difficult! At least, the Schumann Intermezzo sounds quite hard to play...

The pieces that I'm playing are just the standard ones in the book - the Bach Sarabande and Rondeaux, the Beethoven, and the Turina. The Bach piece is definitely my strongest piece, but then again I'm much better at playing earlier music! I'm not using any pedal in the Bach, and I think it's quite difficult to play the Sarabande delicately and melodically, especially without the use of the pedal. I can play the Beethoven OK, but haven't quite got the Spanish feel of the Turina yet!

Any tips on the Grade 8 aural tests?

QUOTE (Markx1 @ Aug 5 2004, 06:50 PM)

Any tips on the Grade 8 aural tests?

for most of them you really need to know your chords well (for modulations, naming chords). with modulations you need to get a 'feel' for what each modulation sounds like, e.g. modulation to the dominant in a major key feels as though it 'rises'. failing that you could just hum the tonic all the way through and see what the interval between that and the new tonic is. similiarly with naming chords, have an idea of what each chord and its inversion sounds like by playing some of the practice tests. work out all the possibilities, eg if it is a minor chord in a major key there are only two possibilities, supertonic and submediant, etc.
for singing the bass line (the part i found hardest) my teacher told me to close my eyes and follow the contour of the line with my hand, eg when it rises to raise my hand, and when it falls vice versa. i found this helped me with memorising.
Singing from sight just takes practice. play any given note and sing certain intervals above and below it to help you get used to the distances of different intervals. also try to ignore the upper part if you find it puts you off/confuses you.
for test d, all you can do is listen to lots of music (which im sure you do anyway!) be aware of different styles and periods and features which indicate a certain period, eg ornamentation in baroque, alberti bass in classical. also be aware of the styles of certain composers, which may help you in suggesting a composer if you are asked. but since you are not asked any specific questions it is best to able to give as much information as possible.

QUOTE (moojoo @ Aug 5 2004, 04:46 PM)

Lastly, for list C there was no doubt about it, I had to choose the Chopin Waltz in E minor. This piece has so much in it, from gentle sweet melodies to violent rages, a wonderful waltz.

I'm also doing Chopin's Waltz in E minor for my C piece. I haven't decided on my A and B pieces yet, I'm finding it so hard to choose! I'm doing my exam in November.

Thanks for your replies everyone. [Hannah] - The part I find most difficult in the Waltz is the introduction, I can't seem to hit all the right notes with the right hand, even though it is repetitive. I know the section you mean, it took me a little while to get that part right. Also some of the final sections of the right hand will take a little while to master.
Well done for getting a distinction. Will you be going on to do a diploma soon? What other pieces are favourites of yours, out of interest. I have a particular fascination with Chopin, I'm currently aspiring to play the Scherzo in Bb minor.

No problem, it's always useful to be able to talk to other people who are working on the same things, and to be able to swap advice etc....
In the introduction you need to have a good fingering which you know well. Practice slowly, in particular the links between each different 'shape'. Also pratice using different rhythms, eg dotted rhythms. Phrasing is also important in this section. As the arpeggios rise it helps to build in volume to make the crescendo. Similarly, when the arpeggios fall, diminuendo slightly, but within the overall crescendo. I find it helps to imagine each bar in 2 groups of 3 quavers, rather than 3 groups of 2 quavers, to lessen the mechnical 3-in-a-bar feel and to add to the drama.
The final section is especially tricky - I found the left hand chords difficult as I have small hands, even to spread. The big E minor arpeggio is very fun to play though! As are the final chords - like I said, a real concert show-off piece.
I don't think I will be doing a diploma for a while, as it is such a big step up. But there's no rush - I'm just going to enjoy playing for now
I also love to play Chopin - before I thought his music rather shallow as I had only heard the Mazurkas and a few other things, but the more I play his music the more I realise how wrong I was! At the moment I am also playing his Nocturne No.1 in Bb minor, and working on the Etude No.1, Op. 10 in C major. I couldn't believe it when my teacher suggested learning it, I loved the piece but never dreamt of playing it - it's actually not as bad as it looks once you learn the chord patterns, just the speed that's a nightmare. I have a recording of Murray Perahia playing it - amazing! I heard a student playing the Scherzo in Bb minor in a concert last year and fell in love with it. The lyrical section is especially gorgeous. I would also love to learn it eventually.
Another piece I'm playing at the moment which I have a soft spot for is Rachmaninoff's Etude-Tableux No.3 Op.33 - it has the most delicious chords. Also learning Prokofiev's Sonata no.7 as a long time project, it's a fabulous piece with a brilliant finale. Do you play any other instruments?

QUOTE (meg @ Aug 6 2004, 03:50 AM)

QUOTE (moojoo @ Aug 5 2004, 04:46 PM) Lastly, for list C there was no doubt about it, I had to choose the Chopin Waltz in E minor.  This piece has so much in it, from gentle sweet melodies to violent rages, a wonderful waltz. I'm also doing Chopin's Waltz in E minor for my C piece. I haven't decided on my A and B pieces yet, I'm finding it so hard to choose! I'm doing my exam in November.

Is it this November or next year?

Anyway, I am doing my exam next year. Grade 8 too. I haven't got my results for Grade 7 yet. I also haven't look at the Grade 8 new pieces yet, so I don't know much.

QUOTE (hannah @ Aug 6 2004, 09:56 PM)

The final section is especially tricky - I found the left hand chords difficult as I have small hands, even to spread. At the moment I am also playing his Nocturne No.1 in Bb minor, and working on the Etude No.1, Op. 10 in C major. Do you play any other instruments?

Yes, some of those chords are a stretch. Thanks for the advice on the intro, much needed! I found it sounded rather mechanical so thanks for the 2/3 advice, I'll try thinking of it like that.
I'm familiar with that nocturne, I learnt most of it a while ago but never perfected it. It's a very nice piece, and has a very mellow, smooth melody. I don't know the Etude, I'll have to find it on a CD, the only etude I know is the revolutionary one in C minor! Now that's a challenge
Do u know the Fantasie-Impromptu in C# minor? I'm playing that at the moment, some people consider it a bit cliche and common, but when played properly its an amazing piece. I love all the crazy melodies and scales of the right hand, and the middle section is really gentle and sweet - the way it leads back in just with a rit is really nice as well. And the ending with the melody in the left hand is good, in fact I guess the whole thing!
No, I don't play any other instruments (well) unfortunately. I'm considering taking up the flute though, because I love some flute sonatas and I can half play it at the moment. What about you? How old are you by the way, I'm 17, I bet you're a 7y/old child prodigy!

Are these pieces in use till 2007 then?



T7

No probs.
I wasn't too keen on the Nocturne at first, but the more I play it the more I love it! You should definitely listen to the stude - actually all of the Op. 10 etudes are pretty incredible.
I've heard the Fantasie-Impromptu a few times, can't remember it at the moment but I will definitely dig it out for another listen. Good luck with your flute playing - second instruments always progress much faster, so you've got a huge headstart with grade 8 on your first instrument. I also play the viola, and I used to play the guitar and saxophone but I don't really have time for more than 2 instruments. Im 15 btw.
~Hannah

I'm doing the Bach Sarabande and Rondeaux, Mozart Sonata in Bb, and the Turina.

QUOTE (hannah @ Aug 6 2004, 09:56 PM)

Also learning Prokofiev's Sonata no.7 as a long time project, it's a fabulous piece with a brilliant finale.

I had the great fortune of hearing Martha Argerich play this piece at the end of her solo recital at Carnegie. (The second half was with the Juilliard String Quartet, and duets with her good friend, Nelson Friere).

Let's just say that the final movement was SUPERB!!!

Everybody was on the edge of their seats as she thumped out that ostinato.

Even before she had finished, people were clapping.

However, when she DID finish, the WHOLE place erupted into a standing ovation. SIMULTANEOUSLY the whole of Carnegie stood up! Amazing.

It's on a DG release, and is mid-priced. If you haven't heard it yet, then I strongly recommend it. Her original recording of the Prok 3 is classed amongst the best, if not THE best. And she was 18 years old at the time..

Mike

I am also doing the Sarabande and Rondeaux by Bach and the Sonata by Beethoven. I like both of them very much!

For the C-part... my teacher insist I should do the Lanscape by Cashian. Although I don't quite like this piece, I do reckon that it's easier to get higher marks from such music, and considering I have two more months to my exams and I have NOT begin with the Lanscape yet!!

ill be doing grade 8 june 05. havent gotten round to choosing peices, although i know the mozart sonata. at the moment im playing older grade 8 pieces to have ready for my advanced higher music program in school, one being the Ravel Menuet in the grade 8 2001-2002 book, its very nice though i havent heard it performed other than my piano teacher (who is very good!)

good luck to everyone else doing grade 8 this year!!!

Hi everybody,


Have u all tried " Sacro Monte - > by Jacquin" and " Prelude and Fugue Op.48 -> by Berkeley in Grade 8 Pieces 2004?

I like Sacro Monte.. but the RH chords in the last section are too big for me and I have to miss the bottom notes off

The Sacro Monte is fun to play, but the end section is a bit of a devil! Once you can play the piece quickly, it sounds really good.

Yeah, actually Sacro Monte is not that hard to practice, but is the style of overall music sound like Gigsy dance? (dont know whether spelling is correct).
For me, i found it hard to play the LH chords in the last section accurately...
always go to other notes... .

Its not Prelude and Fugue op.48, but Prelude Op 36 (by Berkeley),...have anybody done it?it's quite soft and interesting piece.

QUOTE (tzl_tzl @ Aug 7 2004, 10:50 AM)

Is it this November or next year?

November this year, sorry I took so long to reply.

[QUOTE]snowballavril: I'm doing the Bach Sarabande and Rondeaux, Mozart Sonata in Bb, and the Turina.

Hey..i'm doing the same..

I can't really play fast for that second piece...

but the examiner wrote tt i "bravely" played it slowly but musically. .haha..a bit of consolation for all who can't really play fast..

I gave my G8 piano exam this September. I got 125-which is a decent merit mark. I'm satisfied because I am lousy at sight reading!

How are you guys at Sight Reading? Its a nightmare for me. I just managed to pass this time (14)

BTW I played Sarabande and Rondeaux, Schubert and Turina.

I had a bit of trouble playing the running vhords for the Schubert and I did make a mistake there during the exam. I got 26,25,28 respectively for my pieces.

I love the Turina. Its just so full of style.

I did my grade 8 last september. My pieces were the Sarabande and Rondeaux, Schubert and Berkeley. Seems that i'm the only one around who did Berkeley. Actually its quite fun once u get the hang of it. At the beginning it did sound a little weird. Lol. Although judging by my results i would say that its kinda easy to get marks for that piece- i distinctly remember playing quite a few wrong notes and yet got a 29. Did worst for Schubert- 26. Was really shocked when the results arrived. I did not expect a distinction at all!