Hi, Just wondered if there were any adult piano players, like me, working towards grade 8. How are you getting on and what pieces are you tackling. I have looked at the Piazolla and the Cimarosa so far. I can't decide what to do from list b. Any ideas? As an adult returner, it has been a hard slog getting back on track and I'm not sure whether I could cope with the techniques required in the Beethoven. Are any of the list B pieces not quite as technically difficult as they seem. Would love to hear about your experiences. How long has it taken people to get from grade 6 or 7 (as a returner) to grade 8 standard?

Hey gards - you would probably have better luck with this if you posted it in the Adult Learner's section or maybe Viva Piano.

Hi gards,

I'm an adult learner who's working towards Grade 8 piano. I'm doing the Haydn from List B, the Brahms from List C and have been doing the Cimarosa from List A. However it doesn't do all that much for me and I'm thinking of swapping to the Bach P&F (which I want to learn anyway). I ahve limited time and energy for piano and would rather put it into something I really want to play.

I would thoroughly recommend the Haydn from List B. I haven't yet got it up to speed, but I've found it very approachable. The LH in particular is straightforward, which is what I prefer.

I took Grade 7 four years ago, and only scraped through. It dented my confidence a lot and I'm only just beginning to feel I'm approaching Grade 8 standard. I didn't take Grade 6, and Grade 7 was too much of a leap only a couple of terms after Grade 5.

Im not doing Grade 8 but know nearly all the list B pieces. I agree that the last movement of the Haydn A flat is probably the least demanding technically, but its really does not 'do' anything for me.
When my daughter did Grade 8 about 15 yrs ago she did the whole of the Clementi B flat Sonata (now its only first movement). This too is not overly technical. But personally I'd go for the Beethoven every time, it's really not so difficult, though unless you can play it as 'decent' prestissimo, I'd avoid it. It falls flat if its a bit undercooked, as it did for a performer at the Wirral Festival I attended last Saturday. Since a girl also played the Haydn above, it was easy to compare them., and the way they were both played, the Haydn had the edge.

I have played through the grade 8 pieces this year as I have a student who is doing the exam - they are learning:

A Piece - Hindemith (a praeludium and fuga from 'Ludis Tonalis')
B Piece - The 3rd movement of the Beethoven Sonata in C Minor (Opus 10, no. 1)
C Piece - Alligator Crawl by Fats Waller

I have to say, I don't find the B list hugely inspiring, although they are all very staple pieces and are good for students to learn. The Beethoven that we chose (see above) is actually very vibrant and the Prestissimo mark (about crotchet = 160) is not that demanding once the notes and articulation has been learnt well. We found that after he knew it well, he was playing it at around crotchet = 152 naturally, so the 'full sepeed' was not so much of a jump.

The C list however, is full of beautiful pieces! If I could, I would have got him to play the Alligator Crawl, the Listz Consolation, the Brahms Intermezzo, the Piazzola, and there are more that I can't remember right now because I don't have the book. A really hard choice becasue there are so many that are really appealing.

From the B list, I agree that the Bach P&F is a god one, but most of my students play them anyway and I don't like to include them for exams. The Shostakovich P&F though is a good choice I think.

Well I am not doing grade 8 but I bought the ABRSM grade 8 book to get the score of the Piazolla piece - Retrado de Alfredo Gobbi. It was cheaper than buying the separate sheet music for that piece on its own!

The Piazolla piece is nowhere near as difficult as it sounds, but then I have quite big hands. I think some parts of it it could be much harder for someone that could not stretch a tenth with ease. Alligator crawl is fun too, but though it looks no harder than the Piazolla piece it takes a lot more work to make music from it. But list C is stuffed with lovely pieces. The difficulty is not finding one you like, but being restricted to only one.

I think your initial impression of the Beethoven in list B is right. It is a couple of levels more difficult than anything else in the book ... at least when it is played Presto with clarity and with bold dynamics, as it is meant to be - but no doubt that will be taken into account in the marking. I think the Clementi piece is the most straightforward of the three, and the safe choice, unless you already know the Beethoven, or are especially fond of Mendelsohn.

From list A I very much like the Cimarosa piece. It sounds like nothing much until you get it fluent, but then it is quite lovely and falls nicely under the fingers. The Handel is moe conventional and sounds much more rooted in its time. The Hindemith I just don't understand at all. I can make nothing of it.

There is a lot more in the syllabus than the selection printed in the exam book, but you really don't need to look beyond the book to put together an attractive programme.

My one Grade VIII girl is insisting on doing the Mendelssohn. Even though I love it and he is probably one of my favourite composers, her stretch is not quite up to the rigours of the piece. It's also 9 or 10 pages long. I always say to my students, if your heart tells you to do a piece then you must, within reason, listen to that voice. Is anyone else taking or teaching the Mendelssohn. It's beautiful, but certainly not too easy for the grade!

LR

Thanks - I've had a quick look at the Haydn now and it looks like a good option. Yes, what a challenge to do grade 7 so soon after 5. Sounds like you are well on the way to grade 8 now though. Good on you, I have another few weeks on the Cimarosa left (estimate!!) and then I will start the 3rd piece - probably Haydn now! I last took a piano exam over 20 years ago and suffered badly with nerves, so I'm not sure whether/when I will put myself though grade 8!!!!!


I agree on the Shostakovich - really exciting option!


Mendelssohn was my first choice on hearing the pieces, but I agree that it is very hard - and very long. I am now leaning towards the Haydn, because although I slightly prefer the Mendelssohn I don't have a strong yearning to play it that is sufficient to meet the challenges, I fear. Good luck!

I'm doing:

A - Hindemith
B - Beethoven (C Minor Finale)
C - Liszt Consolation (additional piece)

However, I'm really worried that the Beethoven is going to let me down in the exam, so I'm looking to work on a different B piece so I have another option by the time the date comes round.

I'll be looking at this thread with interest and I might have a go at the Haydn in the meantime.

Good idea to have extra one worked up. When are you planning to take grade 8? Have you had a big gap between 7 and 8? I took grade 6 more than 20 years ago, was on the cusp of 7, stopped playing, except for odd occasions for about 12 years, started playing on and off about 10 years ago and have only been back playing 'seriously' and regularly for the last 18 months or so. With all those long breaks, it's been a real slog to get back to a decent standard and it's hard to judge when I will be up to grade 8.
How long have other adults taken to get there??

I'm taking my grade 8 this summer (if I can afford the fee by the closing date!)

I didn't take any other grades before this - it will be my first one
I was going to take ATCL this summer, but decided to ease myslef in by taking a grade exam - which although was good for personal and techinical development, is a really silly idea, because I wasn't nervous about the diploma, because I saw it as a performance, The thought that this is a test is really bugging me!

I was at grade 8 standard 5 years ago, but due to circumstances at the time, I never did anything with it. About 3 years ago, I stopped playing because I found myself in a situation with no piano and no way to play on one. I've been playing again now for about 8-9 months and although I don't have to work hard to play the piano, that 'time off' has meant my finger strength has really started to disappear, so I have spent a lot of time working on technique. It still isn't quite where it used to be, but it is improving!