To be honest, I am beyond bored with DipABRSM repertoire. I took the exam once and just missed the pass mark, I spent a year and a half preparing a retake only for my teacher to tell me it wasn't the best idea after all and it was better for me to just learn things I enjoyed playing as she could tell I was bored senseless with my diploma program.

For the record, were I to take DipABRSM in the near future, my program would be:

Bach P&F in G minor (4/5 mins)
Beethoven Sonata op 26 (20 mins)
Szymanowsky Etude op 4/3 (5 mins)
Takemitsu Rain Tree Sketch II (4/5 mins)

Total timing c. 33-5 mins

If I do eventually go through with this, I'd be interested to hear what people think about Szymanowsky qualifying as Romantic? I know he is at the latest end of the period, but I would only count works such as the Metopes as " modern", those etudes are all clearly late romantic in my view?

Alternatively, I have just found out that a university degree including a final performance recital (which mine does) and a course tutor reference (they have already given me glowing ones for other things) is an acceptable prerequisite for LRSM. So I could just bypass DipABRSM which I am sick and tired off and go for LRSM, having spent the last 4 years playing nothing but that kind of level of repertoire anyway.

Obviously if I did LRSM I would not do it for a while yet, definitely not even beginning to prepare this side of my degree. I think the fresh/in my opinion 'better' repertoire that involves will motivate me a LOT more than perfecting that program for DipABRSM would.

What are people's views?

Why did you want the diploma in the first place? Have those reasons changed? If you think that through, it should help you come to a decision. Many performers never take ABRSM diplomas at all, as they feel that what matters is how good you are at auditions, and therefore a diploma is out of date even by the time it's awarded - after all, you may not have played at all in the intervening 8 weeks!

It's not for anyone else to tell you what you should do here, but it does sound as if you have had enough of the programme you've been preparing. If you do decide you'd still like to try for DipABRSM, I think you should change at least a couple of the pieces; there's nothing worse than a recital where the performer has lost enthusiasm - it's like stale bread! Otherwise, just stick with your university recital.

Enjoying what you play is of major importance and if you can bypass the Dip' and move on to LRSM, playing music that motivates you all the more to improve, then do so. I am fortunate in that music qualifications are a luxury to be celebrated if achieved, nothing particularly hanging on the result but certainly not to be endured.

When I was little(!), playing with 'Matchbox' cars, I used to have rolls of 'track' - plastic orange and yellow track along which to race the cars. As the momentum of the cars ran out, so they would naturally slow right down, so you could buy a 'Super Booster' that imparted new energy to the cars as they passed through this black rectangular box, breathing new life into them.

I see the diplomas as 'Super Boosters' but rather than waiting for me to have run-down before they have an impact, they are the carrot that pulls me along. If I manage to come through the other side, then I will be invigorated once again and the cycle will repeat itself, but up another notch.

On another thread regarding reaching a plateau, there is the image of looking back to see quite what a journey you have made. I have made enormous strides in certain aspects of my playing in these last two years, under my piano teacher. If I make the same progress over the next two then the mere presence of the Diploma will have served its purpose again.

The refining that goes on when preparing for an exam serves a wider purpose. If you can persevere with that process over the time-scale that is demanded at each new level, then why not sit the exam, but not at the cost of losing your enjoyment of the music and at LRSM level and above, much of the repertoire is glorious.

I can understand that you may no longer wish to take the exam. That you would prefer to take a different route to LRSM (perhaps via a degree). Or perhaps no exams at all. I can understand that you may have played your four exam pieces so much that they have become over familiar. But they are all wonderful pieces so I am sure that a short break is all it would take for you to enjoy them again.


But "bored with DipABRSM repertoire"

This I cannot understand at all.

I would not expect anyone to like everything on the current repertoire list, but for most tastes there is enough great music on the 2005-present list for many, many years of happy study.

I agree with Tom. I've found countless jems in the dip repertoire and having passed it in this last session, am still finding myself playing composers and pieces I've never played before. However, I am with you on your main point; I only ever play things that I enjoy. True, I may grow to enjoy them over years (my Bach fascination after years of loathing) but I'd recommend just buying loads of CDs and listening and then grabbing whatever you fancy. If you're at the Dip standard, there should be nothing that you can't handle with some elbow grease and determination!

I know someone who has both DipABRSM and LRSM in piano (he got a high distinction for LRSM o.O), and he never 'prepared' for either. He was fortunate enough to have a teacher who just pushed him in that direction without his knowledge then turned around one day and was like right, I think we have a suitable and polished program now, let's enter you for a diploma.

I would work so much better with a teacher like that. This is why I am considering LRSM. With DipABRSM, I'm not bored of the repertoire I'm bored of the association with diploma if that makes sense? The Szymanowsky, for example, is a beautiful piece and I love it, but I know that if I played it with the knowledge that it would be for the DipABRSM I would grow to hate it like I have so many other pieces, even equally beautiful pieces such as the Brahms Intermezzo; I played that when I took the exam and failed and now want to go back in time and torch the manuscript I hate it so much.

What I am thinking is that as I play things at that level anyway, it would be a lot better for me to perhaps do a similar thing to my friend and have my teacher turn around one day and say right you're ready for LRSM now. In fact it would probably be better if she had me work the pieces up to standard, entered me for the exam without my knowledge and then turn around the day before the exam and say right you're playing this recital to an examiner tomorrow, you owe me however much for the entry. For most people that idea must seem a nightmare, but I would be better that way.

I want to do some form of diploma exam to prove to myself that I can do it. I don't take failure very well and although I've improved vastly since failing DipABRSM, it will always bug me that I didn't finish something/do it properly. Perhaps this is a reason to retake DipABRSM as knowing my strange mind, even if I were to pass LRSM I would still be thinking yes but you failed the Dip...

I hate the way my mind works, I really do...

I'm not surprised you are bored if you've only done 4 pieces for a year and a half since the exam, plus presumably for quite a while before. With reference to Mad Tom's reply, I agree: I don't think I could be bored with the entire repertoire list, but I don't think that's what you meant.


Early Szymanowsky, including this one, is unquestionably late Romantic: Late Szymanowski, like the metopes, unquestionably modern.


Why are you playing music if you don't enjoy it? If you don't like what you're playing, don't need diploma, don't want diploma and are ready and able to move on, then move on to something you do like. Besides the perfect performance is like the horizon: However far you go, you never seem to be any nearer.

How can you say such a thing??

This really calls for the proverbial washing out of mouth with soap and water

yep yep yep hear you brother! (or sister!)

2 things; it annoys me when students can only play their grade pieces. It's as if the teacher hasn't bothered to teach them anything.

And with your uni course that offers performance, mine does to and you can pick and chose what you want as long as you have 1 piece from Dip for first year, 3 for second year etc which gives you a lot of scope to try different things. I've played loads of stuff off the Dip list this year but find it's a good basis to know 'what is Diploma standard'. If one of the Petrach sonnets is, then it stands to reason that the other two will be near it...same with the Beethoven Sonatas...

mainly though, find stuff that you enjoy and play it. Be it Elton John, Oscar Peterson or Haydn...you've got to find the love and then the hunger for new music will simply take over