New Year Music and Musicians Thread

[Wafflenose]

Morning all, and Happy New Year. I decided it was time for a new music thread too. I really enjoy hearing about what everyone (and their DCs) are up to each term, and it's great to hear from new posters too.

I have two DDs. Goo (10) - the child previously known as MiniWaffle. She's not very mini any more... she's 4'10" and catching up with me. Anyway, she plays the recorder, flute, piccolo and a bit of piano when it occurs to her. She is doing Grade 5 Theory and possibly Grade 5 Flute (if the new teacher deems her ready) this term. Next recorder exam will be Grade 7, but possibly not for about 18 months! Am hoping the new flute teacher will also do a bit of piano with her... we'll see.

And Rara (7) - previously known as BabyWaffle - plays the recorder and cello. I was thinking of putting her in for Grade 1 Theory, but she's not keen, so we'll wait. She is in the blissfully calm position of no exams this term - yay!

We all have the local music festival next month. I think Goo is doing 11 Classes, and Rara about 7 (plus possibly helping with some percussion parts). I have 27 groups, pairs and individuals entered, so am going to be busy for the next month or so.

miranda DD looked at the Rockschool guitar syllabus, mainly because it's so accessible (there's a very good app and you can download all the materials and accompaniments). Never gone any further though, because she could comfortably sight read the grade 4 pieces and she didnt really like the pieces from the higher grades (she can play rock guitar but is not primarily a rock guitarist). It is quite classic rock oriented, especially in the higher grades.

I will say though that the syllabus looks well constructed from a "rock" perspective, and there is an expectation that students will improvise and solo right from the early grades. You can check out the pieces on YouTube, and It doesn't cost much to download the app and one or two sample pieces.

I'm certain that the largest part of her sight-reading improvements over the last year or two are because she's been increasingly finding bits of favourite pop music etc. to tackle

I'm sure that makes a big difference. My problem is that if DD wants a pop song piano accompaniment she just makes it up as she goes along! She home-recorded a cover version of that recent Adele song a couple of weeks ago - which might have been a good sight reading opportunity - except that she just improvised the piano part. She'd get top marks if ever required to improvise for an exam, or play a tune by ear!

Yesterday's repertoire included "hot cross buns", "when the saints come marching in" and "song of the Volga boatmen". Yes, there's a new instrument in the house and he's up to tune 42 in Abracadabra for Bassoon. His bid for it was that it would improve his bass clef reading. Yeah, right.

It's a lovely thing and the dog doesn't object to the sound so when DS has had enough of it I know where there's a teacher with a spare bassoon.

This might be a daft question from a musical numbskull so bear with me..
Dd was having keyboard lessons at secondary school with peripatetic teacher as well as clarinet lessons (at music school). She's been playing clarinet for 6 years and keyboard for just over a year. Her clarinet teacher thought it would be a good idea and that it would help with music theory.
We have an old 61 key Yamaha keyboard at home which she plays .. A lot.
Recently the keyboard teacher switched her to piano in the lesson as dd told him she prefers classical music (bit of an odd thing to do? I dont know.. Maybe not!)
Anyway.. We have no piano at home and we can't fit one in and can't afford one.
However I could stretch to a cheaper end digital piano .. just about .
Is this a good idea?
Dd says she could do dynamics ( lol and something else I can't remember the name of) and it would have weighted keys blah blah blah >
She's seen a Yamaha digital piano (p115)
Is there any point / benefit doing this? Or( lol) is dd just wanting something new and shiny

trout short answer is "yes". Beyond the very simplest (pre-grade 1) classical piano, a keyboard is unsuitable. You should be able to pick up a basic Yamaha digital piano secondhand for not too much money. If you are buying a standalone digital piano (the sort that you put on a stand) then you'll need to buy a decent pedal too.

My DD still plays a basic Yamaha digital, she plays around grade 7 standard. It's not ideal, but it's not her first instrument and we are short of space.

Thanks Misti
Lol-She's trying to play grade 3 piano pieces on the keyboard
... Mmmm maybe I need to fork out then

trout I agree with Misti! As soon as DD started piano lessons I realised why she needed at least a digital: the keys need to be weighted otherwise they'd struggle to build up finger muscle to play a piano.

A P Yamaha digital is good but by the time you buy the stand and pedals you'll end up paying a similar price to a higher end Yamaha digital that includes a stand and pedals. Amazon has a few digital Yamahas if you want to have a look.

If you shop around it doesn't need to cost a lot of money - I reckon it shouldn't be too hard to find a basic P series Yamaha secondhand and probably the pedal and stand too. The problem with the higher end digitals that look like a piano (wooden case etc) is that they take up more space. DD has the digital piano in her room, she would play it much less if it were in a family room. The only serious limitation is no damper pedal, but she can practise at the music school if she needs to.

We might get a more expensive digital when we move, but DD will be leaving school (and presumably home) in just over 2 years so it hardly seems worth it. She won't be taking a full size piano into student accommodation but she probably will take the Yamaha which is reasonably portable.

So helpful of you both.. Thanks so much
We live near Manchester so I might take her in one of the big music shops to get an feel of the the models and then shop around

troutsprout We got by with a very old (late 80s), very basic digital piano until DD got to the start of G3 when it just wasn't good enough and we got a quite posh new digital Yamaha on interest-free tick via some instruments for children scheme. The best analogy I can rustle up is that it is like being constrained to black+white or having a full range of colour available at your fingertips. We obviously can’t comment on your DD’s future commitment, but she’s not bullshitting about what a committed child will need.

I’ve never touched a Yamaha P115, but I’ve glanced at the specs. and on paper it ticks the important boxes. My DD will very likely be post G8 by the time she goes off to university and I’d put that one on a list of a credible contenders to go try out and send with her. I recommend that some of the scrutiny is done with a reasonable pair of headphones because digitals often sound their very best through those and that may be how they do a lot of the practice. It also helps cut out some of the cacophony you often get in those places and it’s much easier to freely mess about with and explore a piano when you know other people can't hear what you’re doing.

Try gumtree and preloved also, you can find some second hand ones in really good condition. It doesn't have to only be Yamaha, Kawaii and Roland are also good makes.

DD had the first lesson since the exam and it felt so refreshing. Started a new piece and two technical exercises, one quite easy but sight reading material. Now she needs to get back into practising routine as she took a rather long break since the exam.

I also got the rather long list of repertoire to take her along to grade 5, I love all her teacher's suggestions.

We have a P-105 which I think is the old version of the 115. Basically - it's fine. It's not an acoustic piano, or a Clavinova, but DD isn't going to be a concert pianist.

I find taking a musical teenager to a music shop a rather dangerous experience though . Last time we went, it was ostensibly to buy me a new guitar (I wanted DD to try it as she's got a better ear and more experience than me). DD just had to try a bunch of mid to high end acoustics and fell head over heels in love with a €1500 guitar. Could have been worse - I'm just grateful that she didn't take to the €3,000 Martin she tried .

If I took her piano shopping you can be sure that she wouldn't fall for a p series digital ...

Icouldbe one of DS2s current clarinet pieces is Swinging Shephed Blues which has Baa Baa Black Sheep worked in. It's a Grade 6 jazz clarinet piece, but has elicited much teasing from older sibs about beginner pieces!

Bassoon is lovely, vetoed here on grounds of no more room for big instruments!

DD has announced she might like to start trumpet in the autumn, which means we could dust down DS1 trumpet from the loft.

Troutsprout I'd echo what everyone else has said about keyboards/ digital pianos

This is ours: its good until grade 4

Trout agree about the digital piano. We have a Casio one, actually the same as my piano teacher has at home. There is some weighting, it sounds good through headphones and the pedals work, but if I was shopping for one now I would get a Yamaha. I'm sure your DD will love learning piano, good luck to her!
Icouldbe both my DSs like the sound of bassoon but luckily one has too many instruments already and the other has to get through grade 3 piano before I would even consider it! It is a lovely instrument, though - glad to hear your dog was ok with the sound!

Hi, new to this thread, but wondering if anyone could help. Dd is nearly 15 and she just got her grade 7 viola exam result back (Abrsm) - she is upset. Apart from in grade 1 she has only ever received passes on strings (she did violin first), though she has had better results on the clarinet. She is at a school with lots of very musical types and she feels like a failure, but surely she's not? Anyone got any ideas how I can help her feel better?

Sorry, to clarify - she got 104

Thanks everyone for all your help. 😊 Much appreciated.
Dorothy I think the main thing is to emphasise is that nobody ever asks you your score, they just ask what grade you are at.
It is always the same area she loses marks in?

Dorothy. Echo previous poster noise ever asks the mark just the grade and a Pass is a pass. And a viola player grade 7. Always be in demand !

Thank you! By virtue of being viola grade 7 she has joined the county youth orchestra, but feels that it can be quite hard and like everybody knows what they're doing while she doesn't...

Dorothy it sounds as if self-esteem might be the issue, more than musical ability (I have a daughter the same age and she also puts herself down constantly). If she is in a school full of competitive musical types and her self-esteem is a bit fragile, it may be difficult for her to feel confident about her abilities. In reality, few people ever get to grade 7 on anything let alone on three instruments.

Is there a part of the exams she struggles with? Also, I wonder if she is spreading herself a bit thin - it sounds as if she is doing exams on three instruments and that's a lot of work on top of school.

Apparently the pieces were good, weakness were scales and aural I think (we haven't seen the breakdown). She is doing two instruments, she switched from violin to viola, and is doing clarinet, where she is grade 5. The school has some extremely talented musicians where I think dd with her more "normal" musical ability feels inadequate. I told her that to even reach grade 7 is a fantastic achievement, that is true isn't it?

People with grade 7 passes might be common in some highly selective circles - I'm guessing your daughter is at a private or super-selective school - but out in the real world they are rare as hen's teeth. Especially in viola!

Getting good marks for the pieces in a grade 7 exam isn't "normal" - by definition, anyone even taking a grade 7 exam is in the top 0.1% of the population in terms of instrumental prowess. And really, it's the pieces that count, isn't it? When you play music in public no one cares whether your scales or aural exercises are any good - they care whether the pieces are well played and sensitively interpreted!

Your DD may not be as talented (or driven, or pushed) as some of the other students, but so what?

Yes this is the problem with the kind of school she's at. Thank you for your kind words. I am certainly very proud of her.