Hi everyone!!

Im doin grade 4 piano but my teacher has given me a couple of grade 5 pieces to look at. Im doing Allegro molto by kuhlau and the Bossa Nova. Havent decided on the last one yet. I just wondered what pieces anyone else was doing?

Nat

QUOTE (Natalie @ Mar 3 2004, 05:19 PM)

Hi everyone!! Im doin grade 4 piano but my teacher has given me a couple of grade 5 pieces to look at. Im doing Allegro molto by kuhlau and the Bossa Nova. Havent decided on the last one yet. I just wondered what pieces anyone else was doing? Nat

Hi Natalie,

Do you like jazz? If not, you may choose C3 - 'Pastime Present'. You like but you feel difficultly to handle, then you may choose C6 - 'Tomorrow'. Most of my students love Bossa Nova rather than Pastime Present and Tomorrow but Pastime Present is easiler than Bossa Nova. Tomorrow is also easiler than Bossa Nova. You may talk with your teacher and your teacher may give you some advice.

Good Luck!!

May

I do like jazz music but i think i would rather listen to it than play it!!
At the moment im not really enjoying Bossa Nova i think mainly because ive only had it a week, once ive got the hang of it, it could grow on me!!!
I haven't chosen a B piece yet any recommendations?! As for the A group the only one I like is the Allegro Molto by Kuhlau, i think its quite easy(but fast!) and i just love playing it!!!!!!

Nat

QUOTE

I haven't chosen a B piece yet any recommendations?!

I reckon all the first three B group pieces are good.

One of my students has learnt Lied and Song of the Skylark - not sure yet which one she will play. She likes Lied; I think the other suits her playing better! We'll see. Actually I think she would do ok with either.

Have you looked at C1 (Bartok) ? The speed changes need neat handling, but it's quite a fun piece.

Maggie

QUOTE (Natalie @ Mar 3 2004, 05:19 PM)

Hi everyone!! Im doin grade 4 piano but my teacher has given me a couple of grade 5 pieces to look at. Im doing Allegro molto by kuhlau and the Bossa Nova. Havent decided on the last one yet. I just wondered what pieces anyone else was doing? Nat

[QUOTE]

I am also doing allegro molto and bossanova, and chose B6 - Schumann's Phantasietanz. This can sound/look scary to begin with but ins't really that hard. Notewise its very simple, but be careful at the start to play it really slow and get the fingering right.....then you can slowly speed it up, it sounds great!

Hi

Ive just bought the book and had a look at the pieces. I think i might try Lied as my B piece because it seems quite nice!!! and 2 teachers have recommended it!

Yes i have looked at C1 and it does look quite fun!! I think the three I will try first will be Allegro Molto, Lied and Bossa Nova. My teacher said that she might teach more than just those pieces and then we can decide which one suits me best.

Ive been practicing the allegro molto and im in love with the piece i think its great!!Does anyone else find it fun?! I especially like the last part of the first page its just great!!! Im mad i know!!!

Nat

I agree! Allegro molto is really nice...and yes I also love the second part of page 1...and gets really nice at the end of this section, especially if you can get the phrasing right and get the grace notes smooth (first 2/3 bars of page 2)

Lied I like, and also Etude in F. B3 sounds great but is quite hard. But I still think B6 is the best though - you can order the music for this on the ABRSM website. Also, have you thought about getting the CD? This way you can really find out which pieces you like best by hearing them played properly!!

Not sure if I like C1, but the bossa nova is pretty cool! And good luck with the scales - quite a few for grade 5!

Have fun!!

I haev my piano lesson on wednesday so im gona talk to my teacher about looking at some of the alternative pieces and about getting the cd. Does the cd have the alternate pieces on or just the pieces in the book?

I have had a brief look at the scales for grade 5 and im not sure i like the look of them lol!!!!!!

Nat

p.s im still in love with allegro molto!!!!!!

Yeah, the CD has all the pieces for the grade, so 18 tracks in all

Am nearly there with the scales, just having a bit of trouble with some of the minors....and only just starting to work on the contrary motion ones.

Keep loving Allegro Molto....just played it myself, is real nice

Ben

Im still loving allegro molto haha!!!!

Ive started to play Lied now and i think its quite nice, but I find it hard to bring out the melody in the left hand(1st part) abd keep the right hand notes quiet. Any tips?!

Nat

QUOTE

but I find it hard to bring out the melody in the left hand(1st part) abd keep the right hand notes quiet. Any tips?!

Try 'ghosting' the RH. That is, play the LH and just pretend to play the RH without depressing any of the keys. Try that a few times, just on a section or two. It takes a bit of practise sometimes, but once you've got it you'll find it a doddle

When you feel comfortable with that, let your RH play the notes just a little. Then work on the balance.

This is also a great way to practise scales.

Thanx Louise!!!

Im off to the piano now to try it out!!!
I will let you know if it works lol!!!


Nat

That sounds like a good idea.

The technique I find to work is just to concentrate on the notes that you want to bring out; so once you can play it reasonably fluently just think about those notes and not the others, sing those to yourself in your head and they just seem magically to come out... (I don't just mean that you think they do because you're thinking about them )

Another tip, this applies more to bringing out one note from many played with the same hand: try leaning your hand towards the notes that you want to play. To play your left hand louder perhaps try leaning your whole body (from your hips) in that direction.

Im still trying out those suggestions, I expect they wil take a few days to work. Although I am getting there slowly!!!lol

Im supposed to be doing Bossa Nova but im not sure I like it anymore, and i am looking at Pastime Present(C3)
Does anyone know which piece is the best to play or the easisest?!

Nat

QUOTE

Does anyone know which piece is the best to play or the easisest?!

I don't think there is a 'best' piece.
It should be one that you are happy with.

My gr5 student has learnt Bartok and Bossa Nova, and we'll decide at the last lesson I guess which one she will play.

The teaching notes suggest that the Bartok needs really good control, and might be tricky to bring off on an unfamiliar piano, (advice is don't play it first!) I think it's my favourite of the three in the collection, because I like the folk-music connection.

I guess the Bossa Nova is fairly straightforward once you have learnt the notes, and it's quite a fun piece to do. My hunch is that might be the safest of the three, but that's a totally personal opinion.

C3 apparently has challenging passages, and needs neatness and precision. Can't speak from direct experience as I have n't explored this one with a student.
Hope this is helpful.

Maggie

Thanx maggiemay!

at the moment my teacher is doing allegro molto and Lied with me, she hasn't started teaching me Bossa Nova yet, ive been looking at it myself coz she gave it to me ages ago when I was doing grade 3!!!!

I think I will keep plodding along with it and see what my teacher says. She did say though that I miht learn more than just 3 pieces and then decide near the exam which to play!

Nat

Ive got the hang of Lied now and im starting to like the Bossa Nova!!!

Im still loving Allegro Molto!

Ive started some of the scales and they are really horrible,this week im supposed to be practising Fminor contrary motion and its not going good, i just can't do it!!!!!!

Nat

Anyone playing B1 Etude in F, my teacher told me to play it as a sight reading exercise last week and I think it is a really nice piece I cant stop playing it!!!!

Nat

Hi Natalie,

QUOTE

Yes i have looked at C1 and it does look quite fun!! I think the three I will try first will be Allegro Molto, Lied and Bossa Nova. My teacher said that she might teach more than just those pieces and then we can decide which one suits me best.

results are just in - in case you are interested
my grade 5 student played (and scored)

A2 Kuhlau (27)

B2 (Song of the ?lark) (29)

C2 (Bossa Nova) (26)



Hope you are getting on ok with your pieces!

Maggie

what wonderful marks maggiemay,you must be proud!

why thank you kindly ma'am .......... however I have to say that this is a student who had learnt overseas for some time and has spent only 2 years in this country, so much of what she can do is not down to me.

Unfortunately she has to return home in a few weeks; at least we did the exam this term and didn't wait for the summer - that would have been a great pity! We did have to work really hard on the scales (she had not done them in an organised way before), and on the vocabulary for the aural, as English is not her first language, and she was anxious that her less fluent understanding should not get in the way - this was an interesting exercise for me and I enjoyed exploring this with her, especially the work for aural test 5c.

btw the examiner wrote generous amounts of comments, and I had no difficulty reading them ! so a bouquet in that direction.

Maggie

congtratulations maggiemay!!!

i think i will be playing those pieces so thats a good sign!!!

Nat

thanks Nat ! it was this student's first exam, and we enjoyed working for it (but it was my student who did the work so she should get first cred !)

btw I forgot to mention that apparently she played Molto Allegro a bit below speed - we were working on this in the run up to the exam, and I thought she was close enough, so I don't know whether on the day she went a bit cautiously, or whether we were further away than I thought.

Anyway, he pointed out that although it was definitely not played at the composers marked "molto allegro", he enjoyed it all the same. Just goes to show that even if not quite up to speed you can gain a perfectly decent mark (27) as long as the examiner finds the interpretation ok

Maggie

QUOTE (maggiemay @ Apr 8 2004, 10:34 AM)

btw I forgot to mention that apparently she played Molto Allegro a bit below speed

thanks for telling me that, I will try to make sure that i play it at the marked speed!!!
If you don't mind could you tell me what the other comments were for the pieces so I know what to look out for!!!!!!
Thanx

Nat

ps- if you see you're student again say congratulations!!

I have chosen Allegro Molto, Song of the Lark and An evening in the Village - I had to do the ones that were in the Grade 5 book, not any from other lists.

Nat - sorry for delay, boards had moved on while I was on hol!

Thanks for your congrats. My student was very pleased with her result.
The other pieces were:

B3 Song of the Lark 29
The tonal colours and shapes were beautifully turned, and the release of notes was sensitively judged. The ending was delightful.

C2 Bossa Nova 26
You achieved lovely singing tone in the right hand. More could be made of the cross-rhythms ------ but there was musical flow and sense of phrase-shape.

This student came for her last lesson this week, as she has to return home in a few days and will leave the UK. She was sad to say goodbye - it's nice she feels so positive about her time here! I'll miss her.

Maggie

Thanks maggiemay!!

I got confused with the pieces i not doing song of the skylark im doing Lied!!but im playing bossa nove and allegro molto so thanks for the comments on them!

Nat

QUOTE (maggiemay @ Mar 5 2004, 09:38 PM)

Have you looked at C1 (Bartok) ?  The speed changes need neat handling, but it's quite a fun piece.

I did the Bartok for my exam and it was my favourite piece and also the one that I played the best. Which is interesting because when my teacher first gave it to me I didn't like it at all. I wanted to do the Bossa Nova but my teacher felt that piece wouldn't be right for me. Which just goes to show that these teachers know what they're talking about.

QUOTE

I did the Bartok for my exam and it was my favourite piece and also the one that I played the best. Which is interesting because when my teacher first gave it to me I didn't like it at all. I wanted to do the Bossa Nova but my teacher felt that piece wouldn't be right for me. Which just goes to show that these teachers know what they're talking about.

Sometimes we do -- not that we have all the answers, but it's good when something clicks.

My recent grade 5 student didn't like any of the group C's, and has not much experience of twentieth-century music at all, although that is now starting to change, partly due to the fact that we did the exam.

I encouraged her to try the Bartok, (we listened to some folk music from eastern Europe etc) and then the Bossa Nova. She ended up liking the BN, having not much liked it to start with, and in the end opted to do it for the exam.

She has really enjoyed learning to discuss the various styles of music (which I think she hadn't done with her previous teacher), and feels she has widened her experience considerably. We had to work really hard on the language side here, as English is not her native tongue.
She was very sad this week because her family is moving, so unfortunately it was her last lesson. It's bad for my reputation as a teacher to have students leave the house with a long face !
in this case there was not much I could do to cheer her up ...

But it's great she feels so positive about the directions I've encouraged her to move in.
Maggie

you have obviously taught her well, i hope you get another student like her!!!

Nat

yeah... me too

I'd just like to add my voice of approval for the Bartok my pupil changed from the bossa to the bartok as i thought it would suit her playing more and although at first she hated it when she started playing it well she enjoyed it immensely and ended up with a creditable 26

I dont dislike the Bartok but its hard to get used to i think! i might have a go in the hols!!

I agree Natalie the Bartok is hard to get into to but once you do it's a great piece to play. There is so much you can do with it in terms of musical expression.