ABRSM grade 8 piano in 3 weeks

Is it that time again already?! Practice the scales that you struggle with everyday, you can even practice without the piano, drum the table whilst picturing the piano in your head.

Reply 2

*anon*

anyone else doing it this term? im finding it so hard to practice with A2 exams aswell :frown:

my scales are terrible especially 6ths and 3rds, anytips on how i can get the learnt? my life is hectic at the mo, i really love playing but i havent got the time to prepare for the exam!

Ditto to the situation! Just got my date today, 1st July.

To be honest, I have to prioritise academic stuff waaay above piano, even if my teacher doesn't like it - he's just gonna ave to trust me that I'll work my socks off after my last A-level exam for it :smile:

3rds and 6ths. I'm a bit renowned for an..."alternative" way to learning things due to far too much playing by ear and being generally a bit rubbish, but I play the right hand over and over with my eyes closed, and then add the left hand in, and I ALWAYS watch the left hand!

Reply 3

I don't see why you scheduled your grade 8 to coincide with your exams :s-smilie:

I'd never be able to handle it!

But I'm learning it for the Christmas period I think

And for scales?

Learn them slowly, and in dotted rhythms, to help make them more legato and not disjointed.

Reply 4

ArchedEdge

I don't see why you scheduled your grade 8 to coincide with your exams :s-smilie:

I'd never be able to handle it!

Because otherwise it would never get done, with going away to uni etc.
Not the best forward planning, I agree, but that could only have been solved by being quicker with earlier grades - and that's all just hindsight.

Reply 5

emilY?

Because otherwise it would never get done, with going away to uni etc.
Not the best forward planning, I agree, but that could only have been solved by being quicker with earlier grades - and that's all just hindsight.

Oh good point :p:

Which pieces are you doing for it? I should have the same syllabus as you...I think.

Reply 6

ArchedEdge

Oh good point :p:

Which pieces are you doing for it? I should have the same syllabus as you...I think.

I'm doing the Bach Prelude and Fugue, the Clementi and The Puppets' Dance... thingy!

To be honest, I've grown to detest most of them, although the Bach was my worst nightmare but I can play it ok so I don't mind any more! Sick of "The Puppets' Dance" though, I just KNEW there were pieces I would have preferred on the alternative pieces list that I just didn't make the effort to buy!

I also have stupidly small hands/small stretch, so note holding is often a problem, grr!

How about you?

Reply 7

emilY?

I'm doing the Bach Prelude and Fugue, the Clementi and The Puppets' Dance... thingy!

To be honest, I've grown to detest most of them, although the Bach was my worst nightmare but I can play it ok so I don't mind any more! Sick of "The Puppets' Dance" though, I just KNEW there were pieces I would have preferred on the alternative pieces list that I just didn't make the effort to buy!

I also have stupidly small hands/small stretch, so note holding is often a problem, grr!

How about you?

I've only picked my list B so far, which is the Haydn Sonata in C

Personally I think the list is a bit crap this year...there's some good pieces

but there's nothing which really really stands out apart from a couple of pieces.

I wanna do the Chopin Nocturne for List C, but as it's quite popular, I don't really wanna do a piece which a lot of others will be doing.

Reply 8

Mr. Orange

17

emilY?

I'm doing the Bach Prelude and Fugue, the Clementi and The Puppets' Dance... thingy!

To be honest, I've grown to detest most of them, although the Bach was my worst nightmare but I can play it ok so I don't mind any more! Sick of "The Puppets' Dance" though, I just KNEW there were pieces I would have preferred on the alternative pieces list that I just didn't make the effort to buy!

I also have stupidly small hands/small stretch, so note holding is often a problem, grr!

How about you?

My friend who plays piano is playing the Puppet Dance. It's such a cool piece, boy I wish I played piano :frown:

Reply 9

choc-addict--x

I'm doing grade 8 at christmas but i'm starting to worry about the oral even though there's still ages to go lol!

When i did grade 6 my fingers were like chopsticks lol and i screwed up the pieces... this was partly because the room was cold but also as i was so nervous! i hope it won't happen again!

I'm doing sonata in a minor by scarlatti, allegro sonata in f and the puppet's dance... (well, it seems like most people are doing that piece!)

Reply 10

choc-addict--x

I'm doing grade 8 at christmas but i'm starting to worry about the oral even though there's still ages to go lol!

When i did grade 6 my fingers were like chopsticks lol and i screwed up the pieces... this was partly because the room was cold but also as i was so nervous! i hope it won't happen again!

I'm doing sonata in a minor by scarlatti, allegro sonata in f and the puppet's dance... (well, it seems like most people are doing that piece!)

Did you skip out grade 7?

Reply 11

choc-addict--x

ArchedEdge

Did you skip out grade 7?

yep i did, i did loads of work for grade 7 and i would have happily done the exam but my piano teacher told me it would be more worthwhile just to go straight in at 8 as the jump between 7 and 8 is not that big.
i learnt some pieces from grade 7 and then me and my piano teacher decided that we would rather spend the time concentrating on grade 8... i don't think the leap is that big in terms of the difficulty of the music.. it's mainly the aurals i'm finding difficult as i didn't prepare for them when learning grade 7 :s-smilie:

Reply 12

choc-addict--x

yep i did, i did loads of work for grade 7 and i would have happily done the exam but my piano teacher told me it would be more worthwhile just to go straight in at 8 as the jump between 7 and 8 is not that big.
i learnt some pieces from grade 7 and then me and my piano teacher decided that we would rather spend the time concentrating on grade 8... i don't think the leap is that big in terms of the difficulty of the music.. it's mainly the aurals i'm finding difficult as i didn't prepare for them when learning grade 7 :s-smilie:

Oh there's definitely a big gap in the aurals, I already have problems with them so it's no fun moving up to another grade and having to learn all the crap :s-smilie:

There is quite a gap between 7 and 8, though it's less about technical ability and more about how you approach pieces and your own interpretation.

Reply 13

*anon*

OP

9

emilY?

Ditto to the situation! Just got my date today, 1st July.

To be honest, I have to prioritise academic stuff waaay above piano, even if my teacher doesn't like it - he's just gonna ave to trust me that I'll work my socks off after my last A-level exam for it :smile:

3rds and 6ths. I'm a bit renowned for an..."alternative" way to learning things due to far too much playing by ear and being generally a bit rubbish, but I play the right hand over and over with my eyes closed, and then add the left hand in, and I ALWAYS watch the left hand!

at least im not the only one!! ive just done about an hour on the scales... its ssoo boring! mines on the 24th June and my last exam is on 19th June so yeah il have to have a weekend blast at them lol
im going puppets dance :biggrin:

that mozart and alternative scarlatti piece. and guess what...... I CANT EVEN STRETCH AN OCTAVE PROPERLY :mad:

Reply 14

*anon*

OP

9

i also have had no time to listen to the aural CD that my teacher gave me, and as for sight reading, i think il scrape a pass on that hopefully! 30secs isnt enought though i dont think, and next year they're changing the syllabus to sightreading pieces that actually sound good!!! :frown:

Reply 15

tinkerbellejess

Try hofnote for aural practice if you're really struggling. Then you can practice lots of similar exercises to the exam.

Reply 16

ukebert

sightreading was always my achilles heel. Still is as a matter of fact. I had some ghastly contrapuntal piece in the style of bach but by a modern composer for mine, failed it utterly. Missed a distinction by 4 marks. Bugger :p:

Good luck, I do hope it goes well :smile:

Reply 17

ukebert

sightreading was always my achilles heel. Still is as a matter of fact. I had some ghastly contrapuntal piece in the style of bach but by a modern composer for mine, failed it utterly. Missed a distinction by 4 marks. Bugger :p:

Good luck, I do hope it goes well :smile:

I actually CAN'T sight-read, seriously, my sight-reading is probably about grade 3 standard.... I play too much music by ear and never read the stuff.

Urgh, I cringe just thinking about it. Sight-reading fully makes me look like an absolute piano novice, its really embarrassing!

Won't be aiming for a distinction then, ha!

Reply 18

ukebert

emilY?

I actually CAN'T sight-read, seriously, my sight-reading is probably about grade 3 standard.... I play too much music by ear and never read the stuff.

Urgh, I cringe just thinking about it. Sight-reading fully makes me look like an absolute piano novice, its really embarrassing!

Won't be aiming for a distinction then, ha!

Did you do Suzuki? I did, it doesn't help with sight-reading :p:

Don't worry about it. It's perfectly possible to get a distinction even if you don't do well in sightreading, just be prepared with your scales and aural. I didn't get one because I was on a crap piano and couldn't play one of my pieces (my best piece as it happens) properly.

Reply 19