Is anyone else playing "Wonderful Tonight" ? I have found this very hard, and comparing it to the Mazurka from Coppelia, it looks harder on the page too.
Any thoughts?
Bev.

Until I read this thread I had no idea that this song (by one of the worlds greatest guitarists), or at least an arrangement of it, was on any syllabus at all! Now that I know I will make the effort to go out and buy the book, after which I may be able to comment.

For the moment I will merely say that it's a regular fixture in my folk club repertoire (on the guitar and singing, with the audience singing along the bits where Clapton plays a guitar solo) and is one of my favourites.

I think it is harder than the other two options due to all the tied notes in the accompaniment.
I also think it is a hideous arrangement and I really wish the AB would stick to music originally meant for piano

Thanks folks. I wil conquer it though

I agree, it's awful!!!

yep I agree - but the kids love it! Guess the examiners wont love it too after listening to it all year!

courting controversy - I like it. I do mean to listen to the original and that may lead me to rethink.
I agree re what makes it difficult.
As for the old G1 'industrious student' - don't get me started. RH bar 2 comes out as staccatissimo crotchet followed by whopping accent and the LH phrasing mimics the right even though it is supposed to be 2 bars legato - that's how I did it for x, I'm told. I'm sure you didn't or weren't meant to I think under my breath. Whilst the piece can be played musically it seems a big ask for G1 and I'm sure some will hate that phrase.

I've started learning this piece a couple of weeks ago. I agree that's it's rather challenging (for my ability, that is). But it's quite nice, I thought. I intend to learn both this and the Little Pepper jazzy piece and decide which one goes better to actually do it on the exam (I have loda of time as planning to take the exam in the spring).

Hi Bev - I've recently started on this. I'm taking it very slowly and (on the advice of my teacher) practicing hands separately without the grace notes. I found the left hand very difficult at first, but its getting better with practice.

Good luck!

I love Eric Clapton and am saddened to have to hear this piece murdered so frequently...sorry everyone learning....

Apart from this, it is remarkably difficult - I played through and thought it wasn't too bad, then the second time I had to really concentrate on the 4 parts that are written - it might as well be a Bach fugue!

It's finally coming together. Mad Tom is right, not so mad really. I just hadn't played it enough
Bev.

Forget about Eric Clapton, I am quite capable of murdering Mozart, Bach, ... quite a long list of famous composers really! Still, it will all have been worth it when I reach concert pianist standard.........

My 8 year old daughter has chosen this piece, she'll hopefully be doing the exam in June, I agree it has been very difficult, and the cause of tears, but I think its finally getting there, but does seem a lot harder than the other pieces.

Is the difficulty of a piece taken into consideration in an exam?

No.
They are all marked equally according to the marking criteria.
This sort of came up in my clarinet lesson today. Though some of the pieces you find harder are worth doing for musical and/or technical reasons in the exam you might as well play to your strengths and do what you enjoy playing and can play well.
What one person finds hard another might find easier.
There's time yet for the summer session and if she likes the piece chances are it will work well for her when the time comes.

Oh, hate to hear a child crying over a piece... I hope she likes the piece, just that it has some parts that she cannot conquer easily.

Here's an example of the piece being played by a teacher (mqbdp), if your daughter needs some reference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_vw93pF29E

I personally don't like the way it sounds... Sorry, I like the song itself, but not the arrangement. Doesn't really flow well...

Did you explore another piece, C6 - Tango fuer Elise? I loved it when I heard it, and actually went my way out to transcribe it for fun! You can hear it played by the same teacher:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBIwMp8nE5A

One of my young pianists has chosen the Eric Clapton because she finds it easier than the other two - one of which she just could not get her head around.

I think Wonderful Tonight is anything but wonderful and I don't think it is suitable for Grade 2.

I also dislike arrangements and although I am using "Reviewing the Situation" in this Grade it is only
as a last resort. The Grade 2 list is not really very nice this time.

No, I have to agree on the whole. Have just been trying to interest an 11 year old boy in some of the group A pieces - not easy going! He likes Mozzie and Tango fur Elise - not much help as far as doing the exam goes!

I can see us doing ok with Mozzie, but not getting far with two others. Hmmm.

Is another board or just not doing grade 2 an option?

well, said pupil has been under pressure with entrance exams for past two terms: has now come through that and we have kind of held off doing grade 2 until this point. Another board - possibly - it's a thought.