Working through the ABRSM piano grades

[Hellzero]

18 hours ago, bass_dinger said:

With the piano, I am always playing beyond my skill level - two-handed parallel scales that I can't play with the right fingering; pieces with independent left and right hands; music full of accidentals; music with written timings (not by feel or ear).

My recommendation, as well as any teacher I had, for the two-handed parallel scale as well as independent left and right hands is to play each hand totally separately with the correct fingering measure by measure, then merge them without paying attention to the left hand, which should become an automatism by itself.

 

For music full of accidentals, the trick is to learn these, and forget them, it should also become an automatism.

 

And for the written timing, listen to the original piece or étude, or record it on any midi software like, for example, Musescore and try to memorise the said timing.

 

But always practice slowly, decomposing what you play to merge easily and make pauses, do something else, and start again the next day or even a day after.

 

Too much practice is useless as your body (muscle memory) and brain have to memorise what you're learning.

 

Yes, piano is hard, and I still consider being nowhere even if can play some mildly complex pieces, but I can compose on piano, which is a great plus and an extraordinary powerful tool for that goal.

[Rosie C]

6 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

Yes, piano is hard, and I still consider being nowhere even if can play some mildly complex pieces, but I can compose on piano, which is a great plus and an extraordinary powerful tool for that goal.

 

This exactly. This is  the reason I've persisted with piano despite a lack of natural aptitude toward it. I have a MIDI keyboard on my Mac and use it extensively for arranging and composing. The piano is such a fundamental instrument - its compass covers virtually every instrument - I can play a double bass part on it or a descant recorder part. I can play chords against a melody. Also the piano keyboard is a visual representation of a music score more so that the other instruments I play. I can think 'Gm7' and see it in my mind's eye as piano keys. And so I keep bashing away at it.

 

[Norris]

You are learning muscle memory. That takes time and repetition. Don't beat yourself up if you are struggling to play along to a metronome - that can come later. You are at the stage that requires more conscious thought. Get the notes right first, then think about speed and timing.

 

Btw I got to grade 6 in my youth, but haven't really played piano since. I also got to grade 8 bass trombone. It wasn't done in 5 minutes - there was a lot of repetitive practice involved. Have patience - it won't take too long to get past the beginner grades

[80Hz]

I don't see any point at your stage of life of rushing through ABRSM grades. You don't have to pass Grade 8 by the time you leave school 😄 The experience of growing through music should be positive, so if rushing towards grades is impacting your enjoyment and adding unnecessary stress, absolutely kick that out of your way.

Learning, actually tackling any large task, for me has become about playing mental games with myself. It can only be done incrementally. I now understand that when I'm angry or frustrated with whatever I'm trying to tackle, it's time to step away. Make a cup of tea. Lie on my bed for 10 minutes. Read. Take a walk. Pick up a bass - or sometimes put it down! Whatever it takes to reset the brain chemistry.

 

That doesn't mean that learning shouldn't be challenging. All the "mechanics" of practise are important - scales, exercises, playing with a metronome, etc - but I'm now sure that it has to sit within an overall approach or attitude to growth.

 

In terms of learning strategies I found "A Mind For Numbers" by Dr. Barbara Oakley opened some doors for me. It's about maths, but the "learning how to learn" aspects, understanding how the brain learns, can be integrated into anything. (Learning How To Learn is also a Coursera online class by the same author, which IMO is well worth anyone's time.)

 

Reading back this sounds like a load of influencer woo, but it's taken me a long time to actually understand that I have to work with my grey matter.