hi

is any one doing grade 5 cello . just wondering what pieces you are doing

heya, im starting working for it now. all I have decided so far is gershwin's summertime. I think it sounds so beautiful on the cello.

Im hoping to do my grade 5 cello in the summer...

My pieces should be

gavotte by lully
humoresque by dvorak
and elegy by cole (i think)

the thing thats scaring me is the scales. Ive not done exams on the cello before so having to learn them all from scratch.

I really like the elegy its not that hard technique wise but as its slow you can really put the expression in!

i'm doing noctune, ador i suffer and may be summer time but can't decide on that one

How are people getting on with the scales????

Anyone have any magic formula for remebering them... Im getting better but i have always struggled with scales and sight reading hence the early start with them this year....

I can play most of the scales once i see the 1st few notes in the book but i can never remeber the damn names...

As im dyslexic i might ask if i can use the provision to take the scale book into the exam room (you do get penalised for using it tho) to jog my memory if its still bad nearer the time....

I'm gatecrashing the strings forum here, but my suggestion for learning scales isn't instrument-specific.

Have you tried saying the name of the scale out loud as you play it? Eg look at B flat major in the book, say I'm now playing B flat major and then play it. It helps some of my flute pupils who have trouble remembering their scales.

I agree that naming the scale out loud before you play it is really important. I used to find that I knew the scales when practising but as soon as my teacher (especially for piano) said play eg G#/Ab major/minor I would look at the keys & panic about the notes - if she'd said play a scale starting on that note (indicating rather than naming it ) i wouldn't have had a problem. Weird but probably because i was in a habit of playing scales & not naming them to myself.

AHHHH

i just booked the exam!
Quite scared now


pinkoi
xx