Hi, everyone...it's my first time to leave message here...

i will take the grade 8 exam next year (April)...

Still I have problem on my Mozart Sonata in B...

I can't play fast (about 112 in one min)....

And the usual change of the time value make me confused...sometime i will play fast and sometime i play slow...

what can i do???

and also the aural part seems a bit difficult esp the modulation and the cadence part...how can i improve??

Modulations and cadences need guided practice, and a lot of your own. I found it eaier to recognise a cadence by listening to LOADS of different music, including popular. It eventually became instinctive.

The only time I would have a slight hesitation is with a plagual cadence, untill I realised how often it was found in "church" music. Listen to the "Amen" at the end of a lot of baroque religious music and it will usually be a Plagual cadence.

Basically just practice.

I am preparing for my G8 and have chosen Mozart Sonata for List B as well.

Regarding tempo, it is suggested in the AB exam book that quaver=116. If you can play at 112, I don't think you are particularly slow. Bear in mind that it is “Allegro Moderato” which means it shouldn't be played too fast. There is also a short note in the exam book to affirm that one should avoid playing it too fast (I can't remember the exact wordings as I haven't got the book with me right now).

I have listened to the exam CD and noticed that it is played faster than quaver=116 (perhaps 120+). I would say that don't try to play faster than what is demonstrated in the exam CD.

Regarding unstable tempo, I'm not sure whether you mean slowing/hurrying the whole piece or just a few particular bars. In either case, I always practice the piece (or the bars that I have problems) with metronome once or twice, before playing it without the help of metronome.

What do you do for List A and C?

QUOTE (samanthafung @ Dec 22 2004, 06:50 AM)

I am preparing for my G8 and have chosen Mozart Sonata for List B as well. Regarding tempo, it is suggested in the AB exam book that quaver=116. If you can play at 112, I don't think you are particularly slow. Bear in mind that it is “Allegro Moderato” which means it shouldn't be played too fast. There is also a short note in the exam book to affirm that one should avoid playing it too fast (I can't remember the exact wordings as I haven't got the book with me right now). I have listened to the exam CD and noticed that it is played faster than quaver=116 (perhaps 120+). I would say that don't try to play faster than what is demonstrated in the exam CD. Regarding unstable tempo, I'm not sure whether you mean slowing/hurrying the whole piece or just a few particular bars. In either case, I always practice the piece (or the bars that I have problems) with metronome once or twice, before playing it without the help of metronome. What do you do for List A and C?

quaver=116???????

i am playing crotchet=112... then would I be so slow???

For the tempo, I hurrying when I play some of the quavers....I don't know why...

Now I practice more and more with my metronome....(I hate using that before...)

List A I play Bach...

List C I play C2...(only practice a little bit...poor me..)

QUOTE (Hand, Toe, Knee @ Dec 21 2004, 04:53 PM)

Modulations and cadences need guided practice, and a lot of your own. I found it eaier to recognise a cadence by listening to LOADS of different music, including popular. It eventually became instinctive. The only time I would have a slight hesitation is with a plagual cadence, untill I realised how often it was found in "church" music. Listen to the "Amen" at the end of a lot of baroque religious music and it will usually be a Plagual cadence. Basically just practice.

I have no problem on recognise the cadences...but I have the difficulty in identify the two chords before the cadences....

I'm sorry that I misread your post.

crotchet=112... um, it seems that you may need to work harder. Don't worry, you still have 4 months to practice on your pieces. It will come.

You seem to have problems with particulars bars. I would suggest that you keep practicing these quavers over and over again with the aid of metronome. This is the way I do anyway.

The fingering of Bach in List A is quite difficult to master. If you can play Bach, I think you will overcome your problems in playing Mozart.

QUOTE

I have no problem on recognise the cadences...but I have the difficulty in identify the two chords before the cadences....

Ahh...I wasn't terribly good at aural (and probably still am not!), but the key to identifying the two chords which precede the cadence would be to listen to the bass line and identifying the bass notes in relation to the tonic. With a bit of guessing and practice, you should be name the two chords with relative ease. Not a problem at all!

Hey!I'm playing that piece currently too.
Make sure you get comfortable with all the notes first and speed it up gradually. This is especially important for those bits with the demisemiquavers especially the end bit-you need to play all the notes!
Sheena