Working through the ABRSM piano grades

[Rosie C]

36 minutes ago, knirirr said:

Do you mind if I ask what you didn't like about it?
As it happens I did a grade exam around the same time, also with a merit, and didn't much fancy another one. There was no time to warm up and at one point I was surprised by a request to sing from dots, which is never going to happen. 

 

It was very impersonal. It was a couple of years past the height of covid, but the examiner was sat behind the sort of translucent plastic curtain you see in supermarket butcher's counters. She wasn't at all friendly and didn't give the slightest bit of body language. 

 

In comparison the three (?) Rock School examiners I've had were all friendly and chatty - talking before the exam about things beyond the range of exam - do I play in a band? How long have I been playing the instrument? etc. and a warmer, friendlier dialogue during the exam, smiling occasionally, just little things that put you at your ease. The very first Rock School exam I did was "Grade 1 Acoustic Guitar" and I turned up with a guitar-bodied mandocello and the examiner was really interested in it as she played guitar, and when it got to the chords part of the exam we talked about voicings and how I couldn't really play an E minor, I could only play an Em/G. Anyone who likes to talk chord voicings gets a 👍 from me.

[bass_dinger]

1 hour ago, Rosie C said:

The very first Rock School exam I did was "Grade 1 Acoustic Guitar" and I turned up with a guitar-bodied mandocello and the examiner was really interested in it

 

That shows the difference between ABRSM and Rock School exams.

 

You are doing acoustic guitar grade 1, but  turned up with a different instrument, and had a nice chat about that choice. 

 

ABRSM? You can't even choose which note to play. Play it, as written - note, value, dynamics. 

With regards to the instrument, ABRSM make no allowances for the fact that the student may have learned on a keyboard with no dynamics, but when they are doing the exam on a piano they are expected to play the written dynamics. 

 

 

[Rosie C]

5 hours ago, bass_dinger said:

 

That shows the difference between ABRSM and Rock School exams.

 

You are doing acoustic guitar grade 1, but  turned up with a different instrument, and had a nice chat about that choice.

 

 

I did check beforehand and they said it was fine but if the instrument wasn't capable of doing something the examiner could make no allowances. Which was fair. 
 

[SumOne]

I think the Japanese concept of 'Kodawari: The relentless pursuit of a perfectng a craft' right down to very small details, kind of fits doing piano grades...or certainly more so than my somewhat punk attitude to playing Bass!

 

My lessons mostly consist of the teacher telling me to slow down, focus on one small section, perfect the details, repeat, and repeat again!

 

He has suggested I could possibly pass Grade 3 in June, or at a bit less of a rush to do it in November, so that keeps me on track of my longish term aim is to pass grade 5 before I turn 50 in summer 2029. So I'd better embrace the process for a lot of hours yet and get all 'Kodawari' on it! 

 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by SumOne

[bass_dinger]

I had my lesson today.

 

I seem to have developed a negative mindset, that tells me that I cannot play the piano.  Certainly, I have given up on the three pieces that I initially selected - they are now frustrating me.  My feeling is that, if I can't play them after a month of trying, then I am better off moving on to another piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LawrenceH]

8 minutes ago, bass_dinger said:

My feeling is that, if I can't play them after a month of trying, then I am better off moving on to another piece.

IMO there's good mileage in playing through a lot of pieces in the early stages and moving on quite quickly. My daughter's sax teacher has been doing this with her, and she has been progressing quickly and, importantly, maintained motivation.

 

If you go back to those pieces in a month after working on something else you might find them a lot easier and fresher.