Looks like i'm the only one not doing any exams this term then!!! My violin can't cope with too much excitment, or the examiner!!!!

I'm doing Rockschool grade 8 performance Certificate for vocals!!! Eeek!!

Hello to all my dear friends on the forum.

Good luck to all those taking exams this session, practical or theory or anything else...

I'm sorry I've been distant lately, it's been so busy at work I seem to spend my days trying to fit in the next practice session, spending time looking on, or replying to, forum items seems to have taken a back seat.

I do have my Grade 6 Clarinet on 30th June, although I'm not so confident at the moment, my pieces aren't too bad, A1 Baermann. B5 Finzi, Romance, C7 James Rae. But I'm stuggling with a few of the minor scales and the Diminished sevenths needs work and don't even start on my awful sight reading.

Still onwards and upwards, I'm happy with my Arpeggios, Hurah!

Hope to catch up real soon and maybe meet up at the next play-day or event.

Regards, Peter.

EEEEEEEK

20-22 days till piano

23 days till flute



Not that I'm counting...

Good to see you posting again - good luck for your grade 6!

I had been wondering if you were indeed entered and how you were getting on. Daughter's got her Grade 6 on 4 July. I think there's still some uncertainty about which pieces she will actually play- eek! As of yesterday it was A2 Hurlstone; B2 Hindemith; and C2 Demnitz, but the Hindemith is so long and a nightmare to fit with the piano part, so she may yet do something else.. and after begging to do the Demnitz because she was struggling with "Mind the Gap" it's gone a bit to pot, and she's wondering if she would be better off with the James Rae, like you....

She's struggling a bit with the minor scales too. She doesn't like to think about what notes she's got to play, just hopes the fingerings will come automatically, which they often don't!

It's all good fun (for those of us not actually taking the exam!).

Glad you're still posting, and I wish you well for the exam.

Thank you Halka,

I do hope your daughter comes to a decision about pieces soon, and excells in the exam.
The 'A' and 'B' pieces were easy to pick because I really like Baermann and Finzi.
The 'C' piece was harder to pick, the good thing about the Rae piece the time is just stated as 'Frantic' so I'm hoping the examiner doesn't expect it quite as fast as the recording.
Major scales are okay but like your daughter I'm relying on auto memory for those minors, with a little luck I'll only get asked ones I know!

wishing your daughter all the very best and thanks again.

Thanks to you too Barry.

Regards Peter.

Date received - 2nd July.
Mock exam last night, I thought it was rather scruffy but teacher gave me a decent mark. At least I kept going (even in the sight reading much to my own amazement).

I'm taking G3 clarinet on Monday. I'm getting more and more nervous!!!



Have updated the list and added myself and controller76:

Smd G5 theory
Stetenorve G3 theory
Pushpull G4 Oboe
Alicia Ocean G8 Theory
Maisie G5 Clarinet
Sbhoa G5 Clarinet
Macha G6 Theory
Macha G2 Oboe
Sarah 123 G8 Recorder
KatyJay (pupils) 2xG2 Recorder, G1 singing, 3xG1 & 5 prep tests
KatyJay FTCL Singing
Robodoc G7 Flute
The Old Lady G3 Piano
Sue HM G2 Harp
Lizzy Violin G5 Violin
Appassionata G5 Flute
Barry-Clari Elementary Kodaly
Jazzycat G5 Clarinet
Altoclef3 G5 Theory
Maya3 G8 Viola
Deborah (pupils) G5 & G6 Clarinet
Jazz Chicken G3 Theory
Jo Mook G3 Piano
Tooty G5 Clarinet
Music Margarets son G1 Piano & G1 Theory
Music Marcret (pupils) G2 Piano & Prep test
Lottie G3 Viola
Maggiemay (pupils) G3 Theory, G1 & G3 Piano
Sbhoa (pupil) G5 piano
Appassionata (pupils) G2,4,4 & 5 Clarinet
Madbassoonist G6 Piano, G3 Bassoon
Bobziekins G5 flute, G5 piano
controller 76 G6 clarinet
eirlys G3 clarinet

Sight reading....
I appear to have overestimated my ability.

You're a good sightreader. You coped admirably with the Haydn the other weekend.

You didn't witness Monday's attempt.

I'm taking my Grade 5 piano and feel quite confident about the scales/pieces as I've been doing all of them (pieces included) regularly for at least a year now so there shouldn't be any major problems (except anxiety, that is!). I'm having no theory exams as I passed Grade 5 last year and the leap between that and Grade 6 theory seems almost insurmountable. Hope all the effort shows up.

I've got Grade 5 theory a week today, and I KNOW I'm going to fail. At least I've got the whole of next week off work to cram.

Also performance assessment a week on Tuesday.

19 days till piano, 21 days till flute



Just thought I'd say this though...

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!

for distinctions all around

Got the final little bit of this on the afternoon of June 26th, the bulk of course I've already done...

Lots of luck to you all! I'm looking forward to a bumper crop of good results in a few weeks time!

I shall be 72 at the end of July and am taking grade 2 clarinet on 10th July and am thinking - only thinking mind you - of taking grade 3 on 21st July. I do possess a performers LTCL however (achieved quite a few years ago) on the organ, so I'm hoping to be able to cope with the sight reading and the aural tests. If only the wretched thing didn't squeak so much!

to the forum, and all the best for your grades. The clari is such a great instrument, isn't it?

Yes, IMHO the clarinet is the greatest of the woodwind family. Is there any woodwind music whatsoever that can even approach Mozart's clarinet concerto? After trying a Buffet R13 and a Buffet RC I settled on a Yamaha SE-V which is in the same price bracket - ie expensive! It is quite beautiful and a delight to play. Also, a few months ago I bought a Yamaha YCL 221 bass clarinet - equally beautiful yet so much easier to blow (at least in the lower register) than a Bb.

Now and again I play the bass in a clarinet quartet I have formed with three of my piano pupils who also play the clarinet, but by and large I am sticking to the lower reaches of the instrument. Once my grade 2 is out of the way I am proposing to have a few lessons on the bass after which I am hoping to explore its top end.

The best bit of the bass clarinet is undoubtedly it's bottom-most notes, if you can get those to sound really beautiful, then you're well on your way.

Really good that you've formed yourself a quartet : there's loads of music out there. June Emerson's website lists loads of good music for clari quartet

Yes

Good luck with the exam.

Do make some suggestions then - I am quite open minded, I promise!

Hrm the feeling of impending doom is rearing its ugly head. Practical next Monday!

Good luck Solari.

Thanks muchly It's fine playing stuff at home but you just know that nerves will be a big factor

Bear in mind I play oboe.

I know. I'm also conscious of the fact that I'm practising on a keyboard, and an acoustic piano feels much different. Whenever I have my lesson (on a piano) I never do as well as when I'm at home. I defintely need to find another opportunity to practice on a piano.

What keyboard are you using? Does it have proper weighted keys?

I have an entry level yamaha. From memory, it's a PSR-E313. It claims to be touch-sensitive; the keys don't feel weighted much to me. Even though I've only been playiong for six months, I'm beginning to wonder whether I might want to upgrade maybe next year.

It's worth getting something with weighted keys, definitely. That keyboard will be touch sensitive for velocity, but do you find that when you play on a real piano, that you are playing too softly or too loud?

I play on my niece's keyboard when I go over there and not having weighted keys drives me insane! Saying that, it's much easier to play fast passages on certain pieces

Both too softly and too loud. i.e. there's no consistency. One other side effect is that I can tell which keys on my teacher's piano are out of tune. Obviously, I'd never tell her. Looks like I'll have to start saving my pennies.

Piano grade on the 2nd July.

Good Luck to everyone!

Welcome to the Forum, Pheonix! Your signature is interesting as it says that you have a B.A. amongst other things. Did your course not cover much piano playing?
Best of luck with your piano exam too.

Hello and thank you.
And no not really- or not to the level I now need. I studied as a major singer, but I did study piano in the first part (year) of the course for minor study. I would have kept the study up longer if the course allowed! (I couldnt afford to continue privately). Some experiences earlier meant I became underconfident on the piano and stopped taking exams, although carried on lessons 'for fun only' rather than 'for fun with the bonus of taking ABRSM exams'. I think alot of music courses will rncourage you to only study one instrument at higher levels, rather than spread your time and resources too thin. I chose my 1st study after the first year and stuck with it! Now I have time and resolve to get teh grades i missed on piano.

I will still be nervous as anything though!!
Hope that answers your question! Thanks for the good luck wishes.

Finally received my exam date - 9th July. One more lesson before the exam... if only I could get my arpeggios right first time I would feel so much more confident

I'm taking flute grade 3 in about 3 weeks' time. Still haven't managed to get the study sounding decent though!

Best of luck jazzycat. The arpeggios are but a small part of your grade : I'm sure you'll be fine.



Good luck Ellie

Thank you!
I'd better go and do some work on it, really... that way I might stand a chance of getting it a bit better!

I have exams this upcoming saturday.
Wondering if I will be the only adult there or that I am in a room full of kids.

Thank you b-c! They went better today. So did the pieces. I have chickened out of doing Scaredy Cat and have started the Demnitz D minor study which has far less potential for disaster

The Demnitz is a nice study. I've still got my old Demnitz study book, with the cover taped back on...
Very pleased to hear the arpeggios are improving.

Is that the one I'm playing?
Seems to have plenty of potential for disaster to me....

I now have the dates for my exams! They are written on the calendar in huge red capitals! Piano is 16th July at 11.36am. (To go to it I'll be missing German and most of Biology... yes!) Bassoon will be either Monday 20th or Tuesday 21st July. The start of the summer holiday! Unfortunately, it has to be then because the school visit has to be outside of the main session.

Just slightly worried... last lesson the sight-singing and the singing back went pretty badly, but on the other hand the sight reading was great. Oh well, only a month to go then it'll be over with for another term...

Nick


:bassoon smiley which doesn't exist yet :

No no sbhoa! It's a lovely study and you will play it beautifully

I didn't say that I don't like it.
Just that I'm hoping in the next 2 weeks I stop falling over myself in places..... and stop squeaking like a complete beginner!

What sort of squeaks are you doing, do you know sbhoa (with apologies for the offtopicness...)?

Horrible ones.... trying to work it out actually.
I THINK it's partly tension. Sometimes I think my bottom lip moves with my tongue .
I also just seem to be plain overblowing (like adding register key).
If I don't sort it over the weekend it can get looked at properly on Monday.

Is the study that jazzycat is doing the same as the one that I am?

Tension will cause squeaks, and will tempt you to overblow on occasion. Your bottom lip moving with your tongue is a surprisingly common thing I find in clari players, and the end result is a continually moving embouchure. And therefore squeaks...



Yes, it is. The AB syllabus has a choice of three Demnitz studies to Trinity's one, but jazzycat has picked the same one as you.

Ohhh dear my piano lesson went terribly yesterday

I did a mock last week and got 126. This week I got 117

I mucked up sightreading completely, my fingers shook for scales, and the pieces were all jerky. I got full marks on the aural though But I love my teachers piano so much more than mine, it's softer to play, yet the keys are still heavy. It's beautiful. A big grand piano, the make is something beginning with B, and it has a U in it somewhere. Possibly Bluthner. Mine is an electric yamaha aria, and all clunky. But I've only just got it, and my parents won't upgrade until grade 5.

I'm wondering if I could ask my music teachers if I could practice at school everyday. They have pianos in the practice rooms, which are open before the school day starts, and I live within walking distance, so might be able to sneak in a 45minute practice session on a proper piano every day before school. My pieces are so embarrassingly simple at the moment though, that I'm not sure if I'd want to.

Don't know what I'll do over holidays though. Cycle to grandparents?