Grade 3 piano for me!!

My first piano exam, very scarey, no accompaniest to stop me freaking out!!!

I expect you're right, I've felt the same before with the summer holidays. It's violin grade 7.
N

Is it a flute exam, nova, or a clari one?

Edit: sorry, you posted the reply while I was writing!

I really hope it is violin; if I've entered for flute instead the examiner will be very surprised...

I thought from how you played at Leeds that you were way past doing exams on the violin. That's why I assumed it was either your flute or clarinet.

Immediate uprush of confidence, thank you!

N

Will probably be doing Grade 3 sax (first music exam in a quarter of a century! ). The original plan was to go for Grade 1 or possibly 2, but my teacher casually took me through the Grade 3 pieces in my last lesson before the summer holiday break and then "left" them with me, and somehow that seems to have transmuted by the first lesson this term into a "decision" by me to go for Grade 3 .

I just hope I don't go to pieces when I get there! Bit difficult to play sax with a trembling lip and shaky hands .

I'll be taking Grade I Violin. I'm more nervous about whether I've filled in the application form correctly than I am about taking the exam!

I'm sure you have! It's those of us who fill in loads (because we're teachers, not examaholics ) who make mistakes.

and to the Forums.

Equally, the Board are very good at spotting the occasional mistake and will contact you if there's a problem.

aboard the forums!

Grade 3 theory and Grade 2 cello.

See my changed signature.

Does anybody else think it is a bit late in life at age 69 to play melodic minors for the very first time in an examination? . I am entirely grateful to the person (sorry I have forgotten their name) who posted that one way to remember is after the minor third note, play the up direction as a major of the same tonic, then come back down in the minor key signature. [I hope I have got that right, or I am really in trouble ]

Bit tricky for C# and G# though.....which of course are both on the list for Grade 6

You can use the method for C# if you remember that the major has every note sharpened. The upwards scale has every note sharp except the minor third; the downwards scale is as E major.

For G# minor, either treat it as a special case or play it as Ab minor (with every note flattened on the way down).

Definitely going to be TG G5 recorders. Had no lesson this week as I was on holiday, but for the first lesson back after the summer the week before, he reminded himself of what we've been working on and decided that we (I!) should go for it
I've been able to go up to one hour lessons now too, which is a real luxury...but I think I might need it! The two dominant 7ths and one diminished 7th are going to be the death of me...

Yeah, me too. It can't be as nerve racking as the practicals.

Going for grade 3 clarinet

Welcome to the Forums

What pieces are you doing for your I exam? I took grade 3 clarinet earlier in the year and played Witches' Dance, Jazz 3 and the James Rae (Strange but True?). I got really nervous and messed up the high notes in Jazz 3, to say nothing of totally forgetting my scales. The examiner was very nice and gave me some really easy sight reading and aural tests so I came out with a merit, much to my surprise.

I'm trying to get the better of my nerves by playing in concerts etc and will probably have a go at Grade 5 next year sometime (leaving out Grade 4 - the fewer exams the better).

Good luck with your preparation

Maybe Grade 5 flute (at last!) But I have such a good memory of how I have felt in other practical exams, I will be trembling in fear at least a week beforehand. However, it has been on the back burner for so long that I really think I should just bite the bullet and do it. I have to make up my mind in the next 5 days.....

I have entered myself for Grade 5 Theory, the first music exam I have ever taken.
I'm in the Netherlands, and I knew about the exams in UK, but did not know you can take them in this country as well.
I would have done it sooner I think. G5 Theory will be on November 4 this year, thereafter I am planning to take G6 Piano and then probably G8 Piano (depending on the results in G6). If I fail ... well. I don't think about that yet.
Good luck everyone.

And good luck to you too! Hope it goes well!

I'm paid up for grade 1 piano. As a Scotsman, now that I've paid, I have to get my money's worth. So there's definetly no going back.

Great!

Good luck to you David!! Where are you taking your exam? You are only down the road from me, I'm near Hitchin. (In a way I wish it were me posting here but I am too much of a cop out )

Thanks mo

I'm assuming the exam will be in St Albans, where I live. Slight wrinkle is that I'm on holiday for the first week in November, so no chance to practice. I've therefore requested my dates to be as close to the end of the schedule as possible (mid December I think). If nothing else, this gives the maximum amount of time to practice.

Are you intending to sit any exams?

I wasn't, then I was, then I wasn't again! I really want to but I suffer from severe nerves which I am trying to overcome. My hands visibly shake even in front of my teacher, so we both decided it was more sensible to get over the nerves first.

I am hoping that changing my lessons to 1 hour every 2 weeks, plus throwing myself in the deep end and playing in a few learner concerts will help me tackle it once and for all (as I am getting fed up with it!).

I am also attending 2 weekend courses at Benslow Trust in Hitchin in April and June (I think). After a weekend of playing in front of a group of people and an experienced pianist should sort me out!

Let us know how you get on.

What's Benslow Trust?

www.benslow.org

It provides music courses and instrument hire. I am doing 2 courses - sight reading and kick start piano. They are admittedly not cheap - £155 each for the weekend, but hey nor are piano lessons and per hour I think work out very good value, considering a single lesson costs me £28. I decided to do them purely to get over my fear of playing in front of others. Interested? Would be nice to play with, sorry let me rephrase that; play piano with some fellow forum members.

That sounds quite interesting. Have you mentioned it to your teacher? I'm not sure if a teacher would see this as being undermined or something though?

You got my hopes up with your first proposition. Although not sure mrs m would take too kindly.

Benslow sounds interesting, but does seem expensive. It would be useufl to understand what the structure of the course looked like as I'm struggling to see what better tuition you can have than a 1-2-1 lesson with your teacher.

£28 a lesson! How long does it last - all day?
I pay £95 for 10 half hour lessons....although they always last 45mins - an hour. Maybe I'm such an enjoyable pupil to teach. (Unlikely).

You're getting 'em cheap (IMO). I pay nearly TWICE that. I'm sure you're a pleasure to teach

For sure, I'm a star pupil:

Always on time
Never miss a lesson
Always do my homework
(given all this, it's a mystery why my playing is still rubbish)

I think what my teacher enjoys best is the arguing e.g.

teach - that C should be played ff
me - no, I think it should be softer than that
teach - look, there's an emphasis written above it
me - yes, you wrote that in
teach - ahhh. ok, but I'm still right
me - no I disagree
teach......

and so it goes on

You sound like a joy to teach!!!!!



I don't think she has a problem with me going (I hope not). I would rather her know than me hide it from her. The only reason I discovered it was because she mentioned it to me in the first place (they hold learner concerts) and suggested I played there to confront my nerves. A few months later once I had discovered these weekend courses I told her I had booked them up solely to confront my nerves. It's a shame they are so far in advance as by then with all these concerts, learner meet ups I might have got over it by then! Again I think it will be nice to meet local people of the same ability anyway, even if I don't learn a thing!

My teacher has confirmed my application for Grade 2 piano has been received in London No backing out now then


Mini Mo, your weekend courses at Benslow Trust sound really interesting. Hope you enjoy them.

Yahoo!! Found out yesterday that I passed my autumn exam for Grade 8 violin. It was my second attempt this year, after much hard work. I was travelling half the country to get to my teacher twice a month (for the second attempt not the first attempt). Unfortunately, as the exam progresses, both my hands were starting to shake. My vibrato was more like tremolo at times and some of the big shifts weren't accurate. Anyway, I thought it was a much better performance than my first attempt, but you never know how strict the examiner would be.

The word delighted doesn't even come close to how I feel!

Congratulations! What an achievement

Many congratulations, rhythm

Thank you. I'm not a good violin player but I'm still over the moon with just passing the grade.

Got my exam dates yesterday

25th Nov for Clari and 5th Dec for piano. Now the practising really gets underway

Anyone else got their dates yet??

Lois

1st Dec for Violin up here in Central Scotland. Eek!!

26th November for grade 2 piano

Middle of December - miles away. Gives me plenty of time to put it all off until the last minute again.
N

Piano grade 8 - 6th December

Oboe grade 5 - 30 November.

Bit of a relief because I have so much going on in November and I was worried it would clash with something I couldn't alter. Now I just have to hope my accompanist is free on that date...

Good Luck everyone!

Grade 3 theory on 11 November, and Grade 2 cello on 26 November - 4 weeks today! Now I just have to persuade someone to be the accompanist...It makes piano exams seem easy, but it'll be good being able to play my own instrument.

Grade 2 piano 26th November

Still got plenty to do.

Good luck everyone!

I have thought...there is a chance I'll end up doing a cello exam in 2010...

Just had notification for an exam on 7th December - week and time as requested...

W

I have a feeling that ' ' you posted Flossie = 'go on b-c, do a 'cello exam'...

Go on. You know you can. You know that you want to really.