of the people doing grade 7 or teachers teaching grade 7 , what pieces have you chosen?

i havent started them yet, i will be in a few weeks, and i expect my teacher will have the final decision on what i play but at the moment i like A1 and A2 so i dont mind which i do. of the B list i only really like B1, the others are ok but i dont think i want to learn them! list C, hmm C1 is nice, but fast and i dont like fast pieces, but then nearly all the g7 pieces are fast lol. but i also have got Carousel(on the alternative list) which is nice.

anyone else?

Hi Clarinet Lover!

I am hopefully going to take grade 7 piano this coming Spring. I have been practising since the new pieces were first released back in the Summer. Firstly, I have chosen A1: Allegro by Handel. I have achieved quite a good standard with it but it is suggested that the left hand plays slightly detached notes which is quite a challenge. Overall, it is quite a nice piece to play. My B piece is B2: Chanson de L'escarpolette. This is also a nice piece and is not too technically difficult to play. Finally, I chose C5: Carousel. When I first started this piece I thought it was too easy for grade 7 but after playing it for a while I can see why they included it in this grade. The only problem I have with this piece is its loudness. In order not to annoy the neighbours I have to always play it soft pedal!

Whichever you choose, I wish you good luck.

Shelton

I am doing A2, B2 & C6 (the little white donkey).

The little white donkey is a very nice piece and fun to play. It brightens my day after a hard day at work.

I actually find the pedalling in B2 rather difficult, but I like the piece very much. Hopefully it'll get better with more practice.

A2 (Presto/Hansler)is okay. The required speed is actually "slower" than I expected. I got a bit stuck in 2 bars in the first page (? 6 & 8 )for a while. It's gettting better now. I actually prefered the Bach piece, but my teacher said I should have a break from Bach as I recently finished playing an entire suite from one of his French suites.

What do everyone think about the sight reading for the grade? I opened the ABRSM specimen sight-reading book and felt a bit "nauseated"!!

As far as I was concerned, the grade seven sightreading was fine except for the keys that some of the tests were in! I don't know if there's a rule about keys for the grade but I began to find that some were in things like G flat major which was a bit offputting at first, but once I'd got my head around these keys I thought the sightreading in general wasn't so bad.

well just after my grade 5 exam my teacher gave me some grade 7 sightreading WAIT A MINUTE!! yuck. they were horrible! i think they are all in stupid keys with too many flats and sharps!!lol

I had 5 flats in my grade 6 sightreading test There aren't any with that many in hte teaching book!

I have looked at the grade 7 pieces for 2005/6, I didn't like any of them hugely. I am tempted to play last year's pieces and not take any more exams till grade 8. I think I am just too fussy!

QUOTE (Catrin @ Jan 4 2005, 02:55 PM)

I had 5 flats in my grade 6 sightreading test

oh dear i think ill easily fail if i get that!

hmm i cant reallt do grade 6 v well so grade 7 is probably a nonononononononono lol! i cant do the scales and dont even mention sight reading and aurals lol

QUOTE

but once I'd got my head around these keys I thought the sightreading in general wasn't so bad.

Thanks!
Actually, this is quite true. After a bit of practice, it doesn't feel too bad now. Those key signatures with 5 and above sharps or flats, I just need to remember what NOT to sharp or flat!

QUOTE

I have looked at the grade 7 pieces for 2005/6, I didn't like any of them hugely.

Have a look at the alternate pieces (ie A4-6, B4-6 C4-6). I think some of these are quite nice.

I am doing C6 (the little whte donkey) for my exam. It's a "fun" piece to play.

Hi, i'm new to this forum. i hvan't played the piano for years but planned to pick it up on my own starting with gr 7 before going out and find a teacher. i'm seeking some advise on the pedalling of grade 7 B2:Chanson de L'escarpolette. Can anybody point me to the right direction? Should pedal be used generously? Any good notes out there on recommended pedalling?

many thanks in advance

im really looking forward to my finishing my grade 7 and im doing it in june-july. im playing A4 - Carrante (Bach), B1 - Equisse ( Gliere) and C3 - Andante Sostenuto .... (KIadosa

I LOVE the B1 piece its great to play

i anyone is playing C3 could you tell me how you are finding the hugely long grace notes!!!!

Thanx

QUOTE (Tomato @ Mar 23 2005, 06:38 AM)

i'm seeking some advise on the pedalling of grade 7 B2:Chanson de L'escarpolette. Can anybody point me to the right direction? Should pedal be used generously? Any good notes out there on recommended pedalling? many thanks in advance

Yes, this piece needs quite a bit of pedalling, nearly every beat for most of it - except chromatic and staccato bits.

As an aid to sight reading at grade 7/8 I usually give my students a piece to learn which has at least 5 sharps/flats. Once they have learnt pieces in these keys, sight reading them becomes easier.

Oh and to reply to the original question, my students are either doing A2 or A6, B1 or B4, C1, C5 or C6.

If you want some pointers on this piece in the absence of a teacher you could listen to the RTHK programmes about the ABRSM graded exam pieces online. They discuss issues that arise in learning the pieces and offer advice on the way in which to approach certain aspects of the piece. They also give a full performance of the piece after discussing it.

Grade 7 part 1
and
Grade 7 part 2

Sorry, I don't know which part the piece you want is in so you'll have to listen to them both if you want to find out (unless someone else knows) but there will also be some information about your other pieces as well should you want to hear about them too. You may find the ABRSM teaching notes helpful to have a look at too (even if you just quickly read the bit about your pieces in a shop!) they may help you to realise where you may have problems and what you should be doing.

Good luck .

part 1 has A1, B1, B2,B3 and C2

so

part 2 will have A2,A3,C1,C3

I will play A2, B1 and C1
I think part C's pieces are the most difficult pieces that I have seen.And the most easiest piece in this part is C1.

Hey clarinetlover!

I'm new around here, but I just wanted to tell you that I'm doing A2, B4 and C3 for my Grade 7 exam next year. I'm practicing the Presto quite slowly for now, and it's quite tricky in some parts! Lol anyway the Butterfly is probably harder than the other pieces in the book, and the Kadosa seemed the nicest to me when I played through the pieces in section C.

wingyi2738, I agree with you about the C pieces, they are definitely the hardest ones in the book, they are even harder than the ones from last year!

AnotherPianist, I listened to the RTHK programmes, and I liked them so much I ended up looking for the other grades as well! Well, only got to the Grade 3 though...

Cheers

caseypianist

I'm doing A1 (Allegro), B1 (Esquisse) and C1( for Jonny Mehegan)

A1-the most difficult thing about it is to get the fingers even ....especially at bar 27 where the right hand jumps a compound minor 3rd....(it's really hard that part.)

B1-Difficult about part playing( marc. at different places....etc), fingering legato...(you should be able to play the whole piece withouy pedal using fingering legato.The most-most difficult thing about this piece which I found is the trills(hard to get even and "smooth and flowing")

C1- The most difficult thing about it was the correct speed ( crotchet=176 is very,very fast!!) and the counting also( which it's full of tie notes...change of rhythm...etc. but however you'll get the feel after many practise....)Also watch out for the precise artitculations....

Out of all three pieces, I like the third one more as I can express more by playing it.

P.S. Hey did you noticed that all the pieces are 1....eg.A1,B1 and C1 !!

Good luck,I'm going my grade7 19 days later!!

I am playing A2 B1 and C5. Doing my exam in November

Am doing:

Bach - Courante (The Beethoven piece is my favourite but realistically it's too difficult for me)

Liszt - En Reve

Sylvie Bodorova - Carousel

[FONT=Arial]Heya Everybody!!!! I've just got my grade 6 results back and I got distinction-yay!!! Is grade 7 hard by the way? Coz i really don't like the look of the sight reading...ahhhh well...oh yeah and also, you know the CD's, do they help 2?

No one has picked my combination yet
I am just about to sit gde 7 and selected
A5 - Beethoven Sonata in Eb for my exam.
B3 - Des Abends
C6 - Le Petit ane blanc

C6 The Little white donkey is fun and quite easy. Only really a question of keeping the tempo rock steady
B3 Des Abends is a lovely piece. I spent ages practising playing each of the 3 parts separately then in different combinations, then playing the melody continuously picking it out from the different parts. If you are a good Bach player then this piece will suit you.
A5 The Beethoven was the hardest to learn and I almost swapped to the Mozart. The left hand technique is tricky ++ lots of slow practise and practise in rhythms

I think if you pick the harder less commonly played pieces you get a better mark. The next few weks will prove or disprove my theory!!

Musicman, how did you find the last two pages with the triplets??? It's totally impossible and I can't do it! Any tips? I'm practising it slowly but I'm doubtful it's ever going to get there...

Hi Rosie
re. Beethoven 3rd + 4th page
This is what my teacher got me doing.
I had to play it slowly, about metronome 88, and put very heavy accnets on the first notes of the triplets. Accenting the first note will help with your timing and coordination. So falling heavily on your thumb. It needs to be very accurate and precise. Then slowly build up speed, when you reach the final speed, take out the accents. If you're having trouble with the notes, try playing the broken chords as normal ones. Try using quite a bit of pedal too, such as changing every triplet , going up on the first beat of the triplet.
Hope it works, this is probably the hardest piece in the syllabus, more grade eight than seven.
Music Man

I'm definitely doing a:1 Allegro by Handel I think I'm also doing c:1 but im not sure on my B piece yet b;1 or b;3 i can't decide!

Do B1! It's so beautiful! Also, if I'm not mistaken B3 is on the piano diploma syllabus for this year , so it's much more difficult... Having said that though this piece is really lovely and very atmospheric, so it's up to you.

PianoEmma
If you are good at playing Bach do B3. It is a similar style with different parts to bring out. I love it ..ooohhhh fancy it being on the diploma syllabus :

I thought I liked it until you said it was like Bach! Bach's 3-part inventions are my idea of a worst nightmare!! I probably wouldn't hate them so much though if I wasn't forced to play them because they're "good for me".

Oh and hands up anyone else who hates Solo per il Cembalo in E flat by CPE Bach! Join the club!

I am doing Mozart, Gliere, and For Johnny Meghan.

I love B1!

But I love Solo per il Cembalo ......etc I can't play it much- only a nit of the 1st page but I like it! And I son't usually like Baroque music

Well I USED to love it. I played it first just after I'd done grade 4, and then when I didn't like any of the grade 6 A list pieces I noticed it was one of the alternative ones, so I started relearning it last September and I've been playing it for about the last year! By the time it came to the exam I had a real mental block about it and it went so badly... So although I hate it now it really is my own fault for playing it too much!

Try having a go at it again, you might like it now!

Possibly in 6 months...(or 6 years! ) My piano teacher was trying to persuade me to play it at a concert she's holding in 3 weeks time, but I refused. That would kill me I think...

A: Allemande-Mozart
B: Butterfly-Grieg
C: Valse Noble-Ravel

I love the Allemande! I'm doing that one too hopefully, although I haven't started learning it properly yet.

I love it too! I did the Allegro first, but my arm always gets really achy by the middle of the second page and the piece more or less falls apart by then and sounds just like a bunch of notes played one after another instead of music. Does anyone else have that problem?

Yes!! And my solution was to choose another piece! I just don't have the stamina to play page after page of semi-quavers. I also tried the Presto (A2), but I played it so much I got bored, so now I'm on the Allemande! I love all the different melodies in this piece...

I love the Allemande on the CD but I cannot get to grips with it to save my life!!

I was doing the Handel but I can't be bothered with grade 7 anymore!

Yeah, which is why I always seem to choose short pieces! The allemande was always my favourite piece out of the grade 7 ones, apparently I play the Grieg best though...

I don't know the Grieg piece... I like Grieg, but I love the Esquisse too much not to do it.

I love the Esquisse

I was going to do the Esquisse, I picked it out of teh B section but my piano teacher thought I should give the Grieg a try. I started the Esquisse for one lesson and my piano teacher never went back to do anymore with it and we started doing the Grieg only. If I retake my grade 7 though, I would do the Grieg still and either the Allemande or Allegro for the A piece, but I definitely prefer the Allamande, and possibly choose another C piece. You know what, I'm gonna try and persuade my piano teacher and my parents to not let me retake the grade.

What on earth do you want to retake grade 7 for?! you got a merit!!

Yeah, 120! Great merit I got there... Yeah, I'll try and persuade my teacher to let me carry on. Besides, I don't think it's that worth it, I'lll just hope I'll get a nicer examiner for my grade 8 in a couple of years' time.

A merit is a merit!!!

If I ever played what my piano teacher told me to then I'd have finished the complete book of Bach's 2 and 3 part inventions by now, resulting in me being hospitalised for brain damage and emotional problems. I took what is probably a record of about 3 months to learn 8 bars of one of Bach's 3 part inventions! I've become somewhat expert in avoiding things I don't want to do...

I used to have a friend whose old piano teacher's favourite composer was Bach, and she'ld have to constantly play Bach...maybe it's the same teacher.
I didn't mind though, different pieces require different techniques, I'm sure I learnt something new from the Grieg anyway.

Remember that when it comes down to it, you are the one paying for the exam, so if you don't want to do it, you don't have to. If your teacher tries to insist when you have made it very clear you don't want to do it, point out (nicely!) that if he/she enters you without permission, he/she can pay for the exam....

I don't think any teacher should insist on a retake when the exams are so expensive!

Yep it costs £50 to do a grade 7 exam! Think how much music you could buy with that! You don't need to re do it

If I retook every exam I'd got only a pass or low merit - I'd be here forever.

Just carry on and forget about grade 7!!

EDIT: My parents pay for the exams

Are your parents happy to hand out £50 just because you didn't get full marks? Are you happy to make them just to keep your teacher happy...?