Just wondering if anyone is learning the pieces from the new grade 5 violin book? What do you think of it and what pieces do you like? I don't like any of the pieces from the B and C list. Maybe if I played it more, it'll grow on me.

I havent looked at the new lists. I like the ones on the current list though so am working hard to take the exam in March when I can still use this one.

The B list in the book all leave me mightily unmoved, so I'm ordering a couple of the alternative pieces. I'm quite keen on the Richard Rodney Bennett of the list C.

Probably a rather worse collection that the last lot - but they might grow on me when I begin to teach them (the last lot did!) The A list looks good, the B list less so, the C list, well.......But I LOVE Howard Blake's Dance of the Snowmen from the Snowman Suite (C4).

I've ordered that, along with the Rieding and the Ireland...I'll report back when they arrive and I've tried them.

I can't believe they've taken the Barcarolle off the B list. That piece is so lovely.

My teacher said there's some strange position shifting in some of the pieces which seem very random!
In the A list, I like Tambourin (A1) and the Mozart (A3 piece). I love those pieces.
The B list, I like B1 the best out of the lot but I'll check out the alternate list cos I don't like the 3 flat notes!
The C list, not too keen on any of them but I like the Snowman piece the best, I'll go for that one if it doesn't have lots of flat notes.

I'll try and check out all the pieces in the music shop before I buy it.

I still need to work on my 2nd and 4th position properly, plus all the scales...yikes it's gonna take me ages to prepare for grade 5! I better get over my intense dislike of flat notes!

I remember learning Dance Of The Snowmen I loved it

So did I - I might add it to the programme of our Christmas recital .

Oooh yes do - perfecto!

Im doing The Bagatelle, And Buskin, But I HATE All the Songs In the B List.
Havent Looked At The Alternative Ones Yet Though. Are They Any Good?

I like the Paradis 'Sicilienne', but for the more 'intonationally challenged' pupil, I believe it will prove to be a difficult piece to play.

I've recommended many of my Grade 5'ers buy the alternatives. I think the Ireland Cavatina might prove a more popular choice from the B list.

In general, I think the bar has been raised in the upper grades, or, those choosing the repertoire have done so on the provisio of the range of notes and keys expected at that level, rather than the actual level of difficulty of the work. Several from the Grade 7 and 8 syllabus have previously only ever been expected of a diploma level candidate. It will be interesting to see what results these pieces bring in the next four years.

Remember, it is very easy to play a difficult piece badly.

I seem to be the only one to enjoy the B list pieces then. I like Sicilienne best out of the whole lot though. Andaluza is fun but I've a feeling it'll be difficult to get the rhythms totally right and a friend of mine commented that it would be difficult to coordinate with the piano. Romance is a so-so piece. I like Tambourin and Bagatelle also. I like Buskin but it may be too much for my speed-challenged fingers . Listening to the alternative pieces now. The only reason why I'm trying out for G5 even though I only have lessons once every 6 months is because a friend recommended I go for G5 and my teacher said we could try it but I'll probably be taking the exam only in 2010 or 2011 hehehe.

Do we have to have a good vibrato by G5? The AB regulations says a "reasonable grasp" of vibrato or something for G5.

Well my favourite piece is Buskin', does no one else like this? It doesn't seem to be mentioned very much! What's wrong with it?!

I really like those pieces too, I don't like the A2 piece though.

I have listened to The Snowman on the CD and it sounds quite fun. Where can you get the music and how much is it? I should really look into things like these...


Hmm...yeah, what if it SOUNDS like vibrato but its not actually quite right?! That's what mine is like anyway...

Tambourin, Sicilienne and Buskin' together make for not only fantastic teaching material which will set you up well for the next level but they also make an interesting programme taken together. Pupils have also been enjoying Andaluza and Ghetto Song - plenty of scope for improvisation in both of those - and offer a good alternative for the musical but, as Amanda's so wonderfully put it, the 'intonationally challenged'! For a simpler flowing melody, the Rieding is a good exam choice although for me, personally it is a bit bland.

Overall, as a teacher I'm really enjoying the scope and variety of the current AB violin Grade 5 book - pity I don't feel the same about the Grade 6!

We have that Carse book (list B) - I think son may have considered a different piece from it for his Grade 5 violin.

No Romantic storms of passion here, more soulful Edwardian eyes under big white hats, acres of off-white linen in soft classical folds, with a little satin ribbon or heavy lace here and there. It's a style that may grow on you...

Those are the exact three pieces I am planning on playing. I've gotta see what my teacher says though hehe. Personally, I'm a little afraid of Buskin' cuz I'm quite err...speed-challenged.

My daughter loves the old grade 5 pieces and hates the new ones and refuses to learn any of them. So we are off to the music shop to look at the alternatives today.

Don't be too put off by the suggested speed of Buskin', you can achieve a super musical performance at slower metronome speeds and stay well within the character just by keeping the bowing really crisp, really feeling the first beat of each bar and making all your articulation clear. This one, more than some other pieces really benefits from lots of work with the piano to be really familiar with some of the harmonies and rest-counting.

Enjoy!

Well, I have chosen A1, B3 and C5 for my exam pieces. I like the rhythm of A1. B3 sounds nice compared with others. C5 is easy in the sense of fingering, but you need to have a very good bowing technique, in order to avoid any "bow shaking" in the exam room!! Cos C5 is too slow!!!

If I was to do the exam, I would play the same pieces too.

I posted this ages ago, I haven't made much progress with my pieces cos I'd been busy and hardly practice much. I was planning to do my grade 5 this year but at the rate I'm going, I'll probably do it next year. My violin playing is going downhill, I need to make the effort to practice more. I find the rhythm in the new grade 5 pieces a lot harder than the old pieces. So it'll be good practice for me, it'll make me work harder on rhythm and bowing.

We started looking at the pieces yesterday. I'm only going to take my exam in 2011 because I only have lessons once every half a year. We're currently looking at A1, A3 and B3 at the moment. Does anyone have any advice for the chords in A3? I've got quite tiny fingers and having one finger on two strings is a little difficult (even after I thinned the neck). Thanks!

These are also my choices. Am planning to do my exam in Jun/Jul, after 4 years since my last. I still find it difficult to be articulate in Tambourin.

Anyone doing Grade 5 this year ? Any advice re techiniques?

the icon above described how I feel right now about my grade 5 looming round the corner

I am 'trying' to do:
A5 (I think it's A5) Giga by Mascitti
B2 Andaluza (I do this quite well actually, needs a little more vibrato I think)
C5 (I think it's C5 can't remember) Dance of the Snowmen

I did learn Sicilienne and Romance, I found all B pieces 'easy-ish' to learn, in C pieces I've learnt Cossack Dance (but not to a good level), Cavatina (to quite a good level actually), in A pieces I've learnt Tambourine a little but not to a high level at right speed, A3 Bagatelle I've learnt quite well, A2 I've touched on and did not think of it as 'too difficult'

but yes, don't think I am 'good enough' to give much advice but just wanted to say, I am 'one of those' taking grade 5 this year!

I'm (hopefully) going to be taking Grade 5 in July but my choice of exam pieces is based on what my violin likes (anything happy and cheerful and he (Foxy) gets very stroppy).

From the A list, I'm doing the Giga - love this piece but my fingers aren't quite up to speed yet; from B it's the Sicilienne - my teacher thought it would be good to have a slower piece - finding this a bit trickier as fingers don't want to shift.

The C piece is my favourite, I'm doing the Cossack Dance which me and Foxy love. I had wussed out of this one and was learning Buskin and figured I couldn't really do Dance of the Snowmen in July. Cossack Dance, I find technically very difficult but I am determined to crack this piece.

Good luck to everyone doing their Grade 5 this year.

BlackBird, we have one piece in common

I have a love/hate relationship with Giga, I loved it when I first heard it and thought: THIS IS THE ONE I WILL LEARN, looked it at and thought: this is EASYYYYYYY
How wrong I was first looks definitely are deceiving!!!
It is NOT easy at all to play it 'well at speed'. At the moment I can play it 'ok to well' at average speed of 120 to 125? The ABRSM Cd plays it at about 168 or so but I am not a grade 7 violinist so I think I will settle for 140 (that's what I am aiming for.....) after all it's 'playing it well' that counts the most (of course if one plays it TOO slowly then it's all 'out of the window again' )

I LOVE cossack dance, it's the best out of all of them in all lists I think

Andaluza I HATED the first time I heard it but my teacher then made me play it and somehow I got used to it and I learned to play this piece well so quickly he said I should stick to it so I did.....

Sorry if i'm going slightly off topic here but, over the last few months reading threads here and there i've seen comments posted like, not just on violin but piano and speed of the scales. I guess I'm really asking is what is this AB regulations one what is expects at a perticular grade. ?

Lib

Hi Lib, you can find this on the 'general strings syllabus' (look for links to it in the 'exam' bit of the website).
For example, for scales there is 'no minimum speed' set as such, but there is 'bowing requirements' and if you look at how you are supposed to bow some scales, to do it 'nicely' and fit all the notes in the one bow, you will end up doing it at a minimum speed as such, the importance is on intonation and good tone production more than on speed.
for vibrato none is expected before grade 5 and at grade 5 it is only required that you 'show some grasp of it' (as mentioned above) which to me sounds like: doing a little bit of vibrato on longer notes, not necessarily getting it 'right' in how 'quick or slow' your vibrato is and doing it in pieces which would normally 'require it' (ie I am playing a baroque piece called Giga, in baroque music you didn't have vibrato so I am not expected to put any in it).

Hope my 'gibberish' makes sense

Good luck for the 11th March jojo

First time I looked at the Giga, I thought "oh that looks ok". How wrong was I. At the moment, there is one note that is always catching me out and I'm almost hypnotising myself watching my fingers moving of their own accord. I've stuck with it because if Foxy is in a good mood, he will sing it out.

Agree with you about the Cossack Dance - it's my favourite of all the pieces