(Mostly) August Music Thread

I can list most of our instruments but I actually don't know how many guitars we have! I know there are 2 bass guitars, a drum kit, electric piano, 2 keyboards, 2 flutes, 1 tin whistle, 1 melodeon, 1 mandolin, a recorder and a cello!

Irvine, normal for us. Particularly piano. DD's grade 2 pieces are almost ready and we daren't stop playing them until she sits the exam. We tried the grade one pieces for a warm up the other day, and she managed one okay. The other two were just not there.

Ps Irvine - I'd make sure his scales and arpeggios are tip top as well as continue to do the pieces

Irvine - totally normal. My DD who has passed G7 violin couldn't remember one of her G5 pieces which she played beautifully less than a year ago!

Hello, can I have a bit of advice please?
My ds has been practicing grade 2 piano pieces at the moment. My ds passed grade 1 in spring.
I asked him to play one of the grade 1 song today, and he couldn't play! He totally forgot how to play, and it was horrible. He can play by sight reading, but no fluency or any dynamics.
Is this right? Does he need to work on grade 1 a bit longer than going straight to grade 2?
Ds's teacher went into maternity leave mid July, so we don't have a clue what we should be doing really at the moment.

I broke my toe on the flugel, two months on and it still hurts. It's one of the few things not in a gig bag and I walked into that nice hard case in bare feet.

Oh i forgot the instrument list....
3 violins, 1 flute, 1 drum kit, 1 electric piano, 1 cornet, 1 flugelhorn, assorted recorders all plastic and 3 plastic fifes.....

Fab shoes - I want 'em.

Instrument collections. Do cases count? We currently have three double bass bags. Really looking forward to selling the beginner's bass and bag and returning borrowed bass to school. Fortunately schools go back in mid August here in Scotland.

If anyone else here plays double bass - I know there's at least one excellent bass guitarist..... best thing DS ever got was a set of wheels a bit like a skateboard, which strap on to the double bass case. Very easy to wheel it about.

Happy NCO-ing everyone.

Double and especially Alex, that is crazy!!!! What do you do with them all!?! I think I need to at least organise for a spare bow and the current one rehaired. I feel ashame of myself

Our instrument list:

1 piano
1 alto sax
1 oboe
1 bassoon (hired from music centre)
1 very sad violin
1 acoustic guitar
2 classical guitars
1 ukulele
1 electric guitar
1 bass guitar
2 recorders

I thought it was a long list until I saw some others - especially your's Alex!

Waffle those shoes are amazing - love them! I'm not surprised Goo has been coveting them.
DS1 has practised drums and bass today, I've done some useful piano practice and so far DS2 has done nothing! I will chivvy him tomorrow, don't quite have the energy today! I think he's trying to avoid scales!

Fab shoes waffle

3 kids dropped off at residential, me and dh have had a childfree lunch and are debating what to do with the next three days ......

Dd1 is the tall and willowy type whereas dd2 is all muscle. Both weigh about the same but different heights

What a lovely pair of shoes Waffle!

waffle those shoes are amazing!

We have chosen NCO pieces, though one of them we have put to one side for now so she's not bored of it by the audition. She starts with her new teacher 3 weeks before the audition so her current teacher wanted it well planned and ready for then too.

Have an amazing week those doing NCO this week. I think I am going to take my girl to the U13s concert, inspire her a bit!

Love the shoes waffle!

Thank you Waffle you are amazing! I'll take our holiday for two weeks and then look at the books and choose two contrasting pieces with your support and if you don't mind I'll send you some videos to see the progress. At the end of the day she's got nothing to lose she will still practice anyway so we'll take it as good experience.

Good luck to all the NCO kids now and the auditioning ones.

I find it amazing how many people are reporting pieces changing a few hours/days before the auditions/exams. I'd have a heart attack if dd would do that, well done to them for the confidence and still getting a success story.

P.S. I just love those shoes!

I'm struggling to get DD2 to practice at the moment as we still have a houseful of guests until Thursday. We are trying to find times when nearly everyone is out and she shuts herself in our bedroom and plays. Normal routine needs to be established as soon as possible. Still 3 weeks til NCO U11s and she has a lesson in 2 weeks, so hopefully she can sort herself out.

Re. NCO auditions, the teacher has chosen two pieces, but DD2 seems to hate one of them and will avoid playing it if at all possible. I may have to e-mail the teacher for a third alternative piece. All I want is a period of DD playing things that she enjoys after all the stress of Grade 7 last term. DH still threatens to return the bassoon to the music centre.....

The first time she auditioned was for U10 and one of the pieces got changed the day before to one she hadn't played for 6 months, but she still managed to get in. Just depends what they are looking for - although playing a minority instrument probably helped!

DS was meaning to play the special piece at a concert in July as his solo piece, but decided to save it for someone else to perform one day at the last minute. He dig an old piece out for the concert.

Green, sadly we dropped 'the special piece' although DS learnt and can play well now. It belongs to his previous teacher and should be played by someone else. We don't do NCO this year. We won't see DS's new teacher till early Oct. It's not the main reason why we don't do it though, as it's the case for many of the applicants - I don't know anyone around me who sees their teacher during summer. We just have plenty other things going on next term.