Instrument Players - Come and chat (Part II)

[CoteDAzur]

Previous thread is here.

We filled one thread, so here’s another

I find it quite disturbing that the upper keyboard keys move when you play the lower keyboard. Bit haunted, like.

There are lots of nice baroque cello pieces for around Grade 5. I think DS1 played a lot of nice things from the Suzuki cello books. He is now playing and it's gorgeous.

Loose There's also the first prelude from the Well-tempered Clavier. Do that one!

What Never said. The same piece is also in Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach iirc.

Ooh! I’m off to find it, thanks!

It's like the prelude to the 1st cello suite. Almost clinical but pure magic.

This is the one:

That sounded more attention-seeking and passive-aggressive than I meant understand threads drop off etc. (It's here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/music/2975504-Brokens-Grade-4-Piano-Thread?msgid=73509743#73509743 but no-one feel obliged to read!)
Clarinet is going ok thanks apart from the dreaded high notes think grade 6 in 2018 is definitely possible. I'm happy with how it's going overall. Trying to enjoy both instruments and not be on the exam treadmill.

'Almost clinical but pure magic' is a perfect description of Bach Never.

Agree, the two keyboards thing on harpsichord blows my mind.

Broken - That Prelude is nice too but it’s not the one that we were telling you about.

This is the Prelude in C M that Well-Tempered Clavier starts with.

I am very excited about these Preludes!
In addition to trying to play Bach I shall be listening to him when working at home. (Or on headphones in the office!)
Wow! Broken it sounds like clarinet is going really well!

How long does it take you guys to learn a piece ?

When I say learn does that mean memorize or play whilst sight reading?

Another question...How do you know what level a piece of music is ? Does someone tell you ?If I show you something I am trying to play can you tell me if it has a grade or not ?

How long to learn a piece? Forever. I think it takes about 2 years for me to get a piece like a Beethoven sonata up to about OK standard, with maybe 10-20 minutes practice about 3-4 times a week. Some pieces, like maybe Schubert's impromptu in G flat, take about 6 months.

I have no idea if that's fast or slow. I don't really care.

As for the level of a piece, I guess you can google it - if it's been set as an exam piece then it would come up in a search. Sometimes other forums like pianostreet have people making pronouncements on some pieces. Or you can just have a go and see. What are you trying to play?

Thanks Loose
Cote I know, I just meant that's the one I'm playing
Babies difficulty is subjective - even exam boards don't always agree, ABRSM and Trinity have set pieces at different grades for example. Never is right, Google may help. As for how long...depends if the end point is 'can play the right notes in the right rhythm, more or less' or exam/ performance ready. I've been working on the 2 pieces I'm learning since late July, so 4 months ish, but among others I didn't decide to continue with (and occasionally refreshing one I learned back in April-May), ranging from an hour a day to nothing. I've been able to play them fluently for a while and just been polishing. None of them are very challenging though. I learned my grade 4 pieces in under 3 months but do not recommend that this exam session would've been more sensible so nearer 7, but I'd include breaks in that. I think most teachers would introduce pieces early in term 1 expecting the exam in term 3, but again not focusing only on those pieces to avoid boredom, so 7-10 months. Never is right, advanced pieces can take years to learn, I've heard that even for professionals. So depending on the difficulty for you, whether you want a polished performance or just to bash through, amount of practice you do, how much life gets in the way and how many pieces...

Oh and I memorise, but not deliberately, I just do. I'm appalling at sightreading on the piano, can't cope with 2 lines . I'm better at clarinet sightreading.

I can't memorise things. My kids are fiends at memorising, but they didn't get it from me.

Babies - "How long does it take you guys to learn a piece ?"

1-2 weeks to properly play it (with min. 1.5 hours, often +2 hours practice per day), then another week to get the nuances right.

"When I say learn does that mean memorize or play whilst sight reading?"

Sight reading for the most part in the first 2 weeks, then I can't help but memorise it.

I bought this music three weeks ago.

I have tried a few songs in this book but I am practising every day on "My father's favourite and I can now play half a page well and the other half very slowly.

I was trying to figure out if I am on the right track or not. I picked this music as I love it and the reviews said the arrangements are easy.

This is the first page of the music as a photo attached to this post.

Just bear in mind I am a total beginner who last had a lesson 30 years ago and has had a few weeks self teaching myself recently. No exams or anything as a child. So it might be simple but for me it is very tricky.

I am still going to keep playing it until I get it. It might take another three weeks!

I assume it is Grade one or lower because of the reviews. Is that right ?

Looking at that attachment...only the first two lines are identical.The rest of mine is simpler. Only a few chords.

I'm not a good judge of grades, but it looks like it would be about Grade 1-2, though I suspect ABRSM Grade 1 pieces won't have A flat major pieces.

Is it "Level 4 intermediate"? And they say that include Schumann's Album for the young? The thing is, you can probably play some of that at Grade 1 level, but you can also play them professional level. They would sound very different...

So if I take 6 weeks to learn it properly, that is OK. I don't mind taking ages if it sounds ok at the end. Wonder if it will get easier to learn the more I try?

I don't think 6 weeks is out of the ordinary to learn a piece properly.

I think it does become easier to learn the more you learn, IYKWIM. You get better at reading, and you get better at spotting patterns and playing them.

Glad . You said that. I was worrying that I was ridiculous slow as a slug and was never going to learn anything!

I am now able to name a note on either clef....which I couldn't do when I started this time. So I am learning and enjoying my piano app. Nearly finished that, have to look for another one to try.

Besides, there's no hurry, is there? As long as you enjoy it and make progress? Surely that's the point.

I am loving my piano. Really fun.

I have ordered a couple of very easy Christmas books one for me and one for the children. We are going to have a singing on Christmas Eve...depending on how many songs we learn, lol.

There are so many songs I want to learn to play but I keep telling myself finish one before starting another !

I mean only one hard song to learn at a time. I am not counting the Christmas stuff as that is super easy ones just for December.