Instrument Players - Come and chat (Part II)

[CoteDAzur]

Previous thread is here.

We filled one thread, so here’s another

I completely know what you mean with your last teacher Mistigri, I know I am so spoilt with my lovely teacher. It looks like he will move on to pastures new at some point, and I will be absolutely bereft when he does!

I couldn't help buying Debussy's Deux Arabesques the other day (urtext this time Cote 😊)- so beautiful and a bit easier than Clare de Lune (which I adore). I'll be concentrating on g6 pieces until the exam in the autumn, but I like to have something lovely to look forward to learning after an exam.

Urtext rules!

Mistigri - I understand your reservations re Conservatoire but if there's any chance that you might make it work, it really is worth a try. Being part of a Conservatoire is so much more than having a teacher come to your house once a week. It is the concerts, joint projects, exchange of ideas, even a certain musical energy that makes the experience so much more enriching.

Cote - yes, DD was at the conservatoire ... unfortunately all that stuff is exactly what I'm unlikely to have time for (I have a full-time salaried job, a small business and a disabled partner).

On the subject of sheet music cote have you played the prelude and fugue in d minor from WTC book 1?

Looking for second prelude-fugue set to tackle (I can play c minor from book 1) and it looks approachable, as these things go.

(I'd love to do no. 5 in D major but I think the fast left-hand notes would defeat me.)

I haven't played that pair but they don't look very difficult. Left hand is very easy in the Prelude.

I would like to play the E minor Prelude & Fugue from WTC 1 after the summer holidays

Oh I remember playing the e minor. It's lovely.

Is the E minor hard?

The D major and D minor preludes both look easy, but the D major fugue is probably a bit harder than I want right now (I don't think I'll get the fast left hand passages fast enough or even enough) and I'm not sure I like the D minor fugue enough to put the time in.

Ideally I want something that isn't any harder than the C minor.

C minor Prelude is enough for me at the moment but progress is being made. I'm planning to leave work a teeny bit early today for some more practice time!

The e minor prelude can't be very very hard if I played it before I left home. (Piano pieces I have played in the past are either pre-leaving home or post-leaving home. Though that's probably quite inaccurate - I'm sure I was technically better pre-leaving home...)

Is anyone doing exams this session? All the best if you are x

I think I've decided on the e minor. There are some lovely recordings of it that don't go at a million miles an hour.

It's a good thing our house is detached because I did my piano practice at 10pm and when I finished DS got his guitar out

I found this a fascinating read, especially as I'm currently playing Chopin's prelude in b minor

www.charlestebbs.co.uk/chopin-asynchrony-arpeggiation/

That is interesting fluke - it really sounds different doesn't it. Have you tried playing it that way? I wonder if there were more varied interpretations before recordings...guess we'll never know exactly how pieces were played and how much they might have deviated from exactly what's on the page.

Haha. Will you try to play it like that in the exam?

It's tempting, but beI think the examiner might have a minor cardiac event if I do... It changes the whole character of the piece doesn't it.

I got my new flute today 😊 I went for an Altus. It's lovely! I need to do some serious work on the lower register though, I'm very weak on D1, C1 and now B1 (as I got a foot joint)... Still, it sounds ok considering my 20 year gap in playing! I dug out my old copy of Platonov's 30 studies for solo flute so I can hopefully rebuild my dexterity. I do find my little finger on the right hand locks into a straight position when I'm playing - anyone got any tips on how to correct that?

DS1 does this not-quite-in-time thing with the Raindrop Prelude. It winds me up a little...

That's interesting Never - maybe it's a well-known thing...or just a natural interpretation of the pieces?

Your flute sounds nice Fluke. Mine has an Altus head joint and I think that's what makes it. Not sure about the little finger though - I'd never really thought about mine, but my technique is probably not the best! Do you still have to do scales and aural for a diploma, or is it all about the pieces at that level? They ask you questions about them don't they - or have I imagined that?

Abrsm offer a performance-only diploma now, the ARSM. That's what I'm hoping to do. No scales, sight reading or viva voce. It bridges the gap between the full diploma and g8. I've got some work to do to get back to that level though, this is a medium term goal for me.

Tintini I think it's a natural thing to do. I'm sure I did plenty of that when I was young - too much, I think, whereas the recorded performances do them almost imperceptibly mostly.

I see them as seasoning.

Hello everyone,
Can I join in. Just read the last couple of pages.
I've recently started playing the violin again after a gap of about 30 years. I have a lovely teacher and am enjoying it in a way I never did as a child. I'd like to do G8. I stopped exams at g7 as a kid at about 13 or 14, as I used get so anxious I'd always end up performing really badly, scrape a pass grade and feel gutted. I carried on playing until I left home. I've always felt I should have grade 8 and I think I'd also like to do a performance diploma in the future. Do lots of adults do grades? Haven't mentioned it to my teacher yet. I guess I'd need to find an accompanist. Is that expensive?
How do other people practise? I try to be all structured and purposeful but end up doing a lot playing through things as that's more enjoyable. A d scales! I nearly burst into tears the first time my teacher suggested we start with one, but they're slowly coming back. Does anyone do them regularly??

Welcome Itwasall - we're happy to have you join! I'm glad you are enjoying your playing so much. There are quite a few of us on here who have come back to playing after long gaps (20 years for me) - it's great isn't it?

I think there are a couple of people on here who are working for exams, although that route is not for me.

Scales on the other hand - can't get enough of them! I hated them when I was a teenager when I just saw them as an exam thing to be got through. But I think it's because I didn't understand the point of them. Now for me they are the key to unlocking the music.

Hi itwasall, welcome! I did G8 flute, G2 piano and G5 at school. I didn't feel at all comfortable with the piano. Fast forward 20 years and I started piano lessons again 18 months ago... And absolutely love it. I have a wonderful teacher. I did G3, 4 and 5 last year and have been consolidating at that level for a few months. Now I'm working towards g6, which I will hopefully take in the autumn.

I practise scales etc daily. I hated them on the flute, but quite like them on piano - I'm a visual learner and I find it much easier to learn the patterns of scales on the piano.

Personality I find exams quite nerve wrecking as an adult. But I've done better than I thought each time - I was thoroughly convinced I had failed each one but I got a distinction and two merits. Exams are a great motivator but not the main objective for me. I obviously love a good exam result, and it's helpful to me professionally as I've started work as a music teacher, but it's the actual playing that I love. I can happily practice for hours without getting bored.

I have to practice the flute in shorter bursts though, as I get a bit light headed! Need to build up my stamina again.