Hello every1!I'm juz wondering how many years(from the beginning) did u all take to reach n complete piano practical G8?Me 6 years.

2 and 3/4 yrs

SuperBB87,

Hi,where are you from? Are you from Malaysia?

about 3 years, or slightly over, till I did the exam

QUOTE (SuperBB87 @ May 22 2005, 07:42 AM)

Hello every1!I'm juz wondering how many years(from the beginning) did u all take to reach n complete piano practical G8?Me 6 years.

Faints at the improper use of the English language, shouts for Noodle to take a look.

SuperBB87, do a search for "Txt Language" on the General Discussion Forum, please!

I've not got there yet, and I'm not planning on taking any more piano exams in the near future!

Does this use of English thing only apply to text talk, or all mistakes made?!

I think the problem is with the excesses of text talk.

Everyone can have a bad typing/spelling day

good good! I'm quite a feckless typist!

Spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes etc. are fine, whether it's difficulty with them or that you are just a fast typer! I mentioned text talk because of the "u's" and "n's" etc.

QUOTE (Hulk @ May 22 2005, 03:05 PM)

Faints at the improper use of the English language, shouts for Noodle to take a look. SuperBB87, do a search for "Txt Language" on the General Discussion Forum, please!

Hope you have recovered Hulk! There I was thinking the 'txt' problem had almost gone.

For anyone who wants to look - there's an item on text language on page 6 of the General Discussion Forum.

http://forums.abrsm.org/index.php?act=ST&f=1&t=5630

Thanks!! Sarah-flute, how did you do that??

QUOTE

Thanks!! Sarah-flute, how did you do that??

I normally do it by opening up another browser and finding the topic I want, then inserting a link into the reply I'm working on (by clicking on the http:// button like you would normally do for a wbesite link.)

Like this-topic link.

ok....ok......i'll use proper English from now on.

Same as hulk, only I didn't bother adding a weblink, just posted the url straight in here ie http://www.google.co.uk which also works!

SuperBB87: good decision

Began piano at 12, took grade 8 at 14 1/2 so 2 1/2 years. Been learning to play it ever since

QUOTE (elmo @ May 22 2005, 01:39 PM)

good good! I'm quite a feckless typist!

(Searching the dictionary for the definition of your adjective)

QUOTE (possom @ May 23 2005, 08:52 AM)

Began piano at 12, took grade 8 at 14 1/2 so 2 1/2 years. Been learning to play it ever since

that's incredible - my polite way of saying I don't believe you

To get the URL you can also right click on press "Copy Shortcut", and then you can press the "http://" button and paste the URL (website address) in.

Ok... it took me more like seven years (e.g. about an exam a year), I thought that was quite normal, as many of my friends have taken a similar amount of time, if not longer. Obviously not although I did have about 6 months to a year without a teacher....

QUOTE (sax_girl @ May 24 2005, 02:04 PM)

Ok... it took me more like seven years (e.g. about an exam a year), I thought that was quite normal, as many of my friends have taken a similar amount of time, if not longer. Obviously not although I did have about 6 months to a year without a teacher....

Why the sad face in there?

I would agree that, taken overall, 7 years to grade 8 is not so normal.... I would consider it quite a bit better than 'normal'.

It does sadden me that people become upset when others have got to grade 8 faster than them. In truth, grade 8 means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. I don't mean to offend anyone here but someone who has got to grade 8 piano in very little time it probably means that they've learnt very few pieces (probably by rote) and have trained for that exam with a lot of help from their teacher; whereas to someone, like yourself, who has taken time to reach it means that you have explored a wide range of repertoire up to and around that level, can confidently play pieces of that level without having to resort to rote learning, you have a solid technique for learning those pieces and your reading skills allow you to learn those pieces reasonably quickly, you have your own musical ideas about how you want to play and are not too dependent on your teacher, you have developed techniques that can transfer between pieces making you generally a better piano player not just good at a limited number of pieces, and finally, and very importantly, if you're given a piece of an easier standard you can pick it up and quickly read and play it musically, that's to me what grade 8 is. So what does grade 8 mean to you: that you have the paper quicker or that you have all these skills? Surely the skills are what's important.

Sure, one can pass grade 8 in 2 years, but can one really become grade 8 standard? Well that depends on your definition of grade 8 standard: with my definition I doubt anyone could....

For what it's worth I'm more impressed by someone that's got to grade 8 piano in seven years than someone who's done it it two (and I really am not just saying this to make you feel better), I think that it's the learning approach and appreciation of the steps and work that it takes to get there that's important.

I agree I'm not saying that if you have passed your grade8 in a small amount of time you are not good. When you have been playing for several years you may be a better player because you have taken extra time. I've been playing piano since I was 6 which is 7 years and I'm only on grade 4. However my teacher says I am good because i have a large repetoire. I have only really picked it up though in the last 2 years. But yes I think the same as Another Pianist. But if you have done grade 8 you are still obviously very good.

Friend of mine went from almost nothing to grade 5 in a few months and took grade 8 within a year (I think - I'd need to check - if it was more time than that it wasn't much more) and got distinction - it's entirely possible. But he'd be the first to admit he did it because he had to - to get into uni - and has spent the intervening years filling in the gaps. Oh, and he had to practice like a demon to get that good... hours and hours of driving his family crazy with scales. Also a very good teacher, and he is immensely talented (same person who got grade 6 with distinction on the clarinet after not very many years and self taught except for one lesson a few weeks before his exam....!)

A friend of mine started working for his grade 8 sax only after he'd given the exam form in. That would be about 2 months. He'd only been playing for 3 years ish. But like Sarah flute's friend, he really had to work!

Something like 28 years for me!
I sat Grade 5 when I was about 12...and then my teacher died! I don't know why, but we never managed to find a replacement.
So I started lessons again about 3 years ago, and in that time have done grades 5 & 6 theory and grades 7 and 8 piano.

So....28 YEARS!! Can anyone beat that?

QUOTE (Petite Joueuse @ May 24 2005, 02:13 PM)

So....28 YEARS!! Can anyone beat that?

No, not yet, but I hope to one day!

QUOTE

So....28 YEARS!! Can anyone beat that?

34 and a half if I actually get it together for the winter session.....

Well, it's taken me about 16 years to get to approx grade 3 standard*, so at this rate, it'll take me 40 in all to get to grade 8.........






* OK, well I did have a break of 13 years in the meantime, I'm not (quite) as bad at piano as that makes me sound!!