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by **Gill the Piano** » 24 Mar 2012, 19:29

dave brum wrote:How is YOUR sight reading Gill?

Good. But I've been playing since I was 4, so I'm 40-odd years up on you. However, if you ask me about my scales, I will be fairly abusive...

by **dave brum** » 24 Mar 2012, 20:16

See my post on scales on the 'whinge' thread in the Idle Fat-Chewers League section.

Well, if I'd learnt to sight read say when I started to learn Welsh around the age of 21, I wouldn't be typing this out now. I'd probably be, just like you are doing tonight dear Gillchops, preparing the hymns I'd be playing on Sunday morning in church. But here I am, a depressed wreck of a half man half zombie with a brain slowed down by anticonvulsants and antidepressants with nothing but musical dreams to provide relief from this sustained decay.

Any ideas what else I should do with my £44 exam fee?? Buy something nice for Mrs.Brum - after all we are on the outer suburbs of the city of the decree nisi anyway.

by **dave brum** » 24 Mar 2012, 20:18

dave brum wrote:Okay. Desparate times call for desparate measures. If ANYBODY can make a confident sight reader out of an old spazz like me, I will give them £50 in cash. And I will be willing to travel anywhere in the United Kingdom to achieve this.

I'm upping the ante.....

SEVENTY-FIVE POUNDS.

by **dave brum** » 24 Mar 2012, 22:20

Well, the small discrepancies in my exam pieces like bad habits with fingering, speed, varying dynamics of each hand is being taken care of and by the time of my next scheduled lesson on 05/04 should be well and truly sorted. I actually enjoy playing the exam pieces. Staying away from the one thing that bugs me the most, I actually had a good playing session tonight....shocking, isn't it? And Paul Harris can go and stick his head up his....erm, 'arris.

by **Colin Nicholson** » 25 Mar 2012, 08:53

AH HA! Thats one of the many reasons for insecure/ hesitant performances of sight reading - sorry to say, but its true.

What you are doing is great, but you need some 'theory' coaching aswell - you'll start to read the music differently.

Imagine.... a five year old reading a solicitor's letter (I'm like that!) .... ??
The kid can just pick out the words they understand like 'and' 'it' 'Dear' etc etc.... but will just overlook words like 'legislation' ...... they will see & understand each word on its own - but wont be able to understand the 'content' of the letter, how it is worded, who it is worded to etc etc.... same with reading music.

How do you get on with the Paul Harris books? do you do those questions & answers pages? I could take you through one if you want.

That sight book is called:
'Sight reading for today' by Joan Last. Publishers: Bosworth

Part of many things in Grade 3 are not actually written into the syllabus, but become like a normal 'idiom' as part of your day-to-day playing. This book covers extras like:

1. Rhythmic tests with staccato & slurs
2. The key of B flat major
3. Syncopation
4. More rhythmic tests
5. Chromatic passages
6. The key of E major
7. New rhythmic feature - dotted quaver + semiquaver
8. The key of E flat major and C minor
9. Semiquavers in 3/8 time
10. Single tied notes in chords

Your teacher should also be able to outline the basic primary & secondary chords in an extract, for eg Primary chords are I IV and V (one, four and five) - or the chord of the tonic, subdominant and dominant. Being able to spot these within a melody, or bass line helps to give you an overall picture of the music (less emphasis on the actual reading of the notes) - and taking on board the simple cadences for each tune. This way, we also learn various 'stock' progressions by some keyboard skills, short improvisation of cadences.... (without music) ...... however, you also need some theory backing along the way.

Alot of this I cover during the 'intermediate' period between exams - NEVER use them as teaching material just prior to an exam.... so you may need some extra training in that separately, then you'll be amazed how you read music more fluently.

by **dave brum** » 25 Mar 2012, 13:25

Yes I do see what you mean Colin. It IS like the whole thing fails to make any sense at all and because of that it doesn't seem to want to sink in. I could possibly be going about it the wrong way.

We do tend to avoid theory but then again we have never discussed it. I never 'try' to tell my teacher her job! I always like her to lead and teach in her style and I follow her. But maybe her style doesn't suit me (absolutely no criticism of Ada here, given the fact she's kicked my behind for thinking that I have been 'slagging' her off elsewhere online, something I would not wilfully do, but given the fact she does take umbrage very easily as I've mentioned before).

I've seen the Joan Last series available online at musicroom.com but I'm not sure to invest in them as I don't want it to be a waste of money, as has many other 'better sight reading' courses I've tried and failed. Also I am not sure whether I should just stop doing it altogether and just put the Paul Harris book and the purple AB book in the recycling box and play for FUN. Talking of the PH I do absolutely everything the book asks of me, including all the questions in the third section of each stage. I usually pencil in the answers under the questions but Ada doesn't notice them.

I think it may well be time for a re-think here.

by **dave brum** » 25 Mar 2012, 19:40

I've decided to stop doing the Paul Harris and the despair dirges because it is getting me nowhere and making me ill.

by **dave brum** » 25 Mar 2012, 21:37

dave brum wrote:
dave brum wrote:Okay. Desparate times call for desparate measures. If ANYBODY can make a confident sight reader out of an old spazz like me, I will give them £50 in cash. And I will be willing to travel anywhere in the United Kingdom to achieve this.

I'm upping the ante.....

SEVENTY-FIVE POUNDS.

My final offer:

ONE HUNDRED POUNDS IN CASH - GUARANTEED

says YOU cannot make me a good sight reader.

by **Colin Nicholson** » 26 Mar 2012, 00:57

Is that a 100 quid straight bet...... or the equivalent of tuition fees?

by **dave brum** » 26 Mar 2012, 05:46

Could be both really. But nonetheless it's five crisp purple freshly minted twenties in one's piano playing hands if you can cure my phobia and paranoia of sight reading piano music.

by **dave brum** » 26 Mar 2012, 15:13

Had a trip to 2 local sheet music retailers today. Fairdeal Music in the city centre have the Grade 5 Joan Last SRFT but no other grades. It looks good at that particular grade. Then oakleigh Music in Halesowen have something I've never seen or even heard of before called 'Joining The Dots'. an ABRSM sight reading course in each of the 8 grades that actually looks good but I wanted to mention it on here so our Colin may be able to give me his thoughts on it. The Grade 1 book that I had a look at seems like what Colin's told me about the Joan Last series, one chapter for one topic/key/pattern/general criteria. However I am loth to want to invest in any more sight reading courses in case they may be yet another waste of money...not at least until I've seen the G1 SRFT and how Joan Last introduces the subject and enables the student to gain a foundation in sight reading, something I don't believe I had in the first place as I skipped g1.

One thing I did see is the Paul Harris Pre-Grade 1 red book. Sight reading that I'm not afraid of!

by **Gill the Piano** » 26 Mar 2012, 16:55

Don't forget your public library; there's no need to buy many books as more than you realise are available to order from the library.

by **dave brum** » 26 Mar 2012, 18:16

Gill the Piano wrote:Don't forget your public library; there's no need to buy many books as more than you realise are available to order from the library.

I guess you're a librarian or something?????

I will check the catalogue. The Birmingham Central Library (famous for getting up the hooter of our future King) has one of the best sheet music sections in Britain. However with the move to a new 21st century library in centenary Square in September 2013 the music section is only open three days out of seven now.

There's even a plastic pig (to use Gillspeak) in there with a pair of headphones attached.

by **dave brum** » 26 Mar 2012, 20:53

Gill the Piano wrote:Don't forget your public library; there's no need to buy many books as more than you realise are available to order from the library.

Good news, the Central Library has g1-g8 but incredibly the little library in Northfield has them too (highly unbelievable as I didn't think they kept any sheet music) and I have to go into Northfield church tomorrow morning so I'll call in the library on the way out.

I'm not sure exactly how to use them, are they like Paul Harris (one a day sort of thing) or are you supposed to do summat else with them?? Help, Mister Nicholson!

by **dave brum** » 27 Mar 2012, 12:23

And now it's bad news, firstly I can't find the SRFT book in Northfield (despite the help of the librarian) which means a trip into town on Thursday morning for it. Though we might have a nice trip out to Leamington tomorrow and there's a very good music store there so I might look for it there (but not buy it!) Then Colin tells me he has other commitments so he'll be out of circ for a while.Then I get back from my keep fit and my lounge stinks of cats bladder wine. Naughty Sophie Anne!

But I had this music and piano related brainwave which I think I'll share in the Idle Chit-chat section.

by **dave brum** » 27 Mar 2012, 21:30

What to do if you don't understand any commercially available sight reading course?? INVENT ONE YOURSELF??? After all only the learner knows where his/her strengths and weaknesses are.

So I've downloaded some free music writing software and I've devised my own exercise which I can actually play. And, unlike Mr Harris I've put words to them like 'you-can-sight-read-if-you-try' sort of thing which spurs me on.

This could be something that may be dangerously close to the concept of fun. But I'll bet you Ada won't like it one bit tho....

by **dave brum** » 30 Mar 2012, 11:27

A possible breakthrough. I will learn to sight read. But I won't do it Paul Harris' way, or the ABRSM or even Ada's way.

I'll do it MY OWN WAY!!!

by **dave brum** » 30 Mar 2012, 14:59

Been looking at Grade 4 pieces. Obviously the pieces change in January 13 so I won't be doing them (unless I do it before Christmas) but the pieces look quite within my reach after a few weeks study!

by **OneHandOnly** » 03 Apr 2012, 07:32

Well, my sight reading has come on in leaps and bounds lately

,that is, until my exam yesterday :cry:

Not so much reading as playing random notes and running out of fingers :oops:

Failed everything due to an overwhelming fear of playing to an audience,even of 1 person.NO MORE EXAMS EVER!!!!! :evil:

by **dave brum** » 03 Apr 2012, 09:14

OneHandOnly wrote:Well, my sight reading has come on in leaps and bounds lately ,that is, until my exam yesterday Not so much reading as playing random notes and running out of fingers
Failed everything due to an overwhelming fear of playing to an audience,even of 1 person.NO MORE EXAMS EVER!!!!!

well, you'll 'ave to take up either the comb and tissue paper or the tumble dryer venting connected to the porcelain convenience (a Lavaphonium I believe is its proper name, as featured on That's Life) You can rest assured ABRSM or TG will never offer exams in those musical instruments.

I still find it hard to believe that I am no longer the king of the cr*p sight readers...

by **OneHandOnly** » 03 Apr 2012, 17:27

Sorry to disappoint you Dave, i sight read ok, i just don't do exams :lol:

You are still the king and long may you wear the crown :twisted:

by **dave brum** » 03 Apr 2012, 17:32

OneHandOnly wrote:Sorry to disappoint you Dave, i sight read ok, i just don't do exams
You are still the king and long may you wear the crown

breathes easily! Though I've met a couple of folks on Facebook who are helping me with my sr...and they're both piano teachers from the same part of England!

by **OneHandOnly** » 03 Apr 2012, 17:37

Excellent news Dave,you'll soon be enjoying it. I intend to follow the syllabus all the way to grade 8 but not do the exams :wink:

. Grade 3 sight reading starts tomorrow, hurray!!!! :piano;

by **dave brum** » 03 Apr 2012, 17:48

huh, I WANT to enjoy it OHO. As for Grade 3, I have the £44 exam fee ready to pay my piano teacher when she asks for it. Just hope I don't have any serious attacks of 'my little problem' because if I do, you can forget any thought of doing it and I will have my wife on at me saying I could have spent the money on her instead.....

When will you know the result?? (incidentally if you got my PM stick in a friend request and I'll accept you. All of my FB friends play the piano and that's exactly how I want it)

by **dave brum** » 05 Apr 2012, 17:13

well campers, that was an admirable failure round at my teacher's house. I'll bet she's never ever had a pupil burst into tears before, or ask to leave five minutes early. Enjoy that?? I've been to happier funerals.

by **Gill the Piano** » 05 Apr 2012, 17:57

You really are making yourself fixated on sr, Dave. Just calm down and ignore it; concentrate on the bits you do so well.

by **OneHandOnly** » 05 Apr 2012, 19:14

Dave, stop moaning, pay the money and go for it.You won't be able to do any worse than me and failure is always better if you can share it with another no-hoper

Joking aside, i'm sure you'll pass with or without reading well, you've got the rest of your life to learn.

by **dave brum** » 05 Apr 2012, 21:28

OneHandOnly wrote:Dave, stop moaning, pay the money and go for it.You won't be able to do any worse than me and failure is always better if you can share it with another no-hoper
Joking aside, i'm sure you'll pass with or without reading well, you've got the rest of your life to learn.

Well the exam fee is £44. Ada now owes me £54, total £98.

Rest of my life?? I'm 42. I am now closer to the Grim Reaper than the Stork.....

by **dave brum** » 06 Apr 2012, 09:12

Gill the Piano wrote:You really are making yourself fixated on sr, Dave. Just calm down and ignore it; concentrate on the bits you do so well.

Because I'm crap at it Gill that's why. I left it too late in life to start learning the piano as I've said before. However I persistently look for the comedic element of it rather than the worry. However I fail at that too.

The sound of failure does not speak my name. It shouts it from the rooftops.

Concentrate on the bits you do well

Oooh, the irony.......

by **Gill the Piano** » 06 Apr 2012, 20:01

No, your pieces are really well played on the link you sent me. Dunno about your scales as I have never heard them.
From 'Remote Viewing' by Moorhouse. "...if you begin a mathematics class at any grade level with the conviction 'I cannot do math [sic]' or 'I'm not any good with numbers', then that is exactly what you will reap. Your intention is a statement of your own identity and this intention creates a manifest behavior [sic] that in turn reinforces the identity all over again. You can either unleash your personal ability, or you can, by your own intention, limit your ability to do anything of value in this life. It is all a matter of choice on your part. You may choose possibility or you may choose limits."
So go for it !

by **dave brum** » 06 Apr 2012, 20:10

well I don't have a teacher any more and I don't know if I want one, the ones round here do not seem to understand what I suffer with...

Its like my weight. Ive lost 2 stones but I know it'll go back on again, it always does. Better to have tried and failed than not to have tried at all and just sat in (ebony and) ivory towers....

by **Gill the Piano** » 06 Apr 2012, 20:16

Think positive, did you READ what I typed????

by **dave brum** » 06 Apr 2012, 20:53

I've forgotten how to think positively Gill as nothing positive ever happens to me. The medication has taken all my get up and go away and left me a nervous wreck. How do you think positively when all you've ever wanted to do in your whole life is moving further and further away from your reach, your marriage is breaking up, the weather is bloody awful, David Cameron is Prime Minister etc.etc.etc.

by **dave brum** » 07 Apr 2012, 12:09

Here's a thought. Can one actually enter ones self for an ABRSM exam or must a qualified teacher who is some sort of AB member or other do it??

by **Colin Nicholson** » 07 Apr 2012, 14:24

Hi Dave,

Anyone over 18 yrs can enter themselves in for an AB exam. You need to register first (its free) - and after you send off your first entry form, when they return the details to you (exam date & time, venue address etc) - they will give you an applicant number - usually about 6 or 7 numbers in length. You then use this for future applications (so you dont have to repeat your address & contact details each time).

The first time you fill the form in, where it says 'Applicant number' - just leave that blank, but fill in all the rest of part 1.

The code for piano is 01 code for theory is 99

Everything is explained on the form & separate sheet of paper.

You also get a leaflet 'Exam help & guidance', and a list of all the Exam centres, giving the counties, and relevant town or city - note, some towns only do the practical exams, others do theory, some both. Next to each town/city is a code (eg Bradford = B270).... you then quote the centre name & code (section 2a on the form).... the rest is fairly straight forward. You can also apply online >> www.abrsm.org (look for online entry & services)

The closing date for entries (postal) is 27th April.
Just send them an email and request for an application form, or pop into a music shop. Also good idea to get their piano syllabus and terms & conditions leaflet.

Cheers

by **dave brum** » 07 Apr 2012, 16:16

Colin, since I made that post I think I may have some leads that i can follow thanks to my Facebook friends (who all play the piano).

Did you get my FB friend request btw???

by **Colin Nicholson** » 07 Apr 2012, 16:25

dont use FB much, just for some advertising etc. and some contacts in Oz. Cant find your request - try again if you want.

by **dave brum** » 07 Apr 2012, 16:52

Colin Nicholson wrote:dont use FB much, just for some advertising etc. and some contacts in Oz. Cant find your request - try again if you want.

cancelled the original request and put in a new one.

I've also put one in to Feg, but she may have lorst it...

by **Colin Nicholson** » 07 Apr 2012, 17:58

Dave,

Thanks for your friend request, but at the moment I am putting my FB a/c on 'hold' - due to various reasons I cant discuss. Nothing personal of course. On this forum, I prefer to keep FB completely separate to this - and should have nothing to do with any replies I make on the forum.... I hope you see my point. Various information I prefer not to share on FB as I do on here - and this has no detriment to anyone.

I hope you managed to find the info about exams Ok on Facebook.

Thanks

by **Gill the Piano** » 07 Apr 2012, 18:06

dave brum wrote: How do you think positively .

READ WHAT i TYPED. And try not to type/think negative thoughts. Or if you think them, don't reinforce it by typing it out.

by **dave brum** » 07 Apr 2012, 18:55

. Give me one reason to be positive

by **OneHandOnly** » 21 Apr 2012, 18:10

I'll give you a good reason Dave, just got my results....... passed everything

i don't know how i managed it as i thought i'd messed it up badly. So there you have it, from nothing to grade 2 sight reading in 2 months.Believe me,if i can do it , anybody can :piano;

Just taking a break from the purple grade 3 book :evil:

by **Gill the Piano** » 21 Apr 2012, 18:37

Well done, OHO! Grade 4 book on the way...?

by **dave brum** » 22 Apr 2012, 07:45

Echo what Gillcakes said, what overall mark did you get?

I shall be transacting the sum of £44 to Ghislaine today and the process of entry for ABRSM grade 3 pianoforte will be off the ground and running in time for the closing date of May 4th:

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH all who partake in the examination of the clavier

by **OneHandOnly** » 22 Apr 2012, 11:16

Well i only managed a very disappointing 119

but given my mordid fear of playing in front of an audience,albeit an audience of 1, coupled with hands that wouldn't stop shaking and a mind that went blank on entering the room, it was better than i had expected.I'll save the distinction for grade 8 :lol:

Everything goes perfect at home,less perfect with my teacher and a disaster in the exam.Does this happen to anybody else or am i just special? :cry:

Good luck Dave

by **Gill the Piano** » 22 Apr 2012, 17:23

No, that's completely normal. I remember being asked for C major at Grade 8 - Doddle, I thought, except for a while I thought there were no C's on the piano...amazing what panic does!

by **dave brum** » 22 Apr 2012, 20:06

Ghislaine has gone now, I've just returned from New Street Station where I saw her on a train to Euston.

But she has told me that upon arriving back home in Cambrage tonight, she'll be going straight online and entering me for Grade 3. The point of no return has been passed.

Not all plain sailing though. She did put a piece of G3 sight reading in front of me and gave me the exam standard 30 seconds to prepare before playing it, the mist came in front of my eyes and I became scared. And I stopped as soon as I made the first mistake I stopped. Second time around I was much happier and the words Giz hammered into me whilst I was struggling will now spur me on to carry on to the end. I will now have to do some more purple book stuff at g3 level just to kill off my fears in the exam room.

I WILL do this for my little Gizzycakes! And as soon as I have a date I will let youse all know!!!

by **Nutroast** » 24 Apr 2012, 14:20

You go for it, Brumster. What a great idea to do a practice run and I'm glad you found it easier the 2nd time around. That's all you need.... I KNOW you can do this, you just need to agree with me and it will be rightly yours!

by **dave brum** » 24 Apr 2012, 17:03

I even took the Grade 3 SSRT booklet to Keep Fit this morning to have a go at in the echoey church hall with all the people talking in there. Which actually was a major test for my concentration as I did three of them but now I'm becoming more familiar with key sigs and (probably more relevant) intervals I feel like I'm actually getting somewhere.

The negativity were the adverse and startling side effects of citalopram hydrobromide talking and not Dave Brum the pianoman. Which with my GP's consent I have now halved the dosage of.

by **OneHandOnly** » 24 Apr 2012, 18:43

I'd love to be practicing right now,unfortunately i also love warm weather so i'm sunning myself on the beach in the lovely 26degree spanish sun

. Hope not to have to practice with the fingerless gloves when i return on saturday.
Glad to hear you're on the mend Dave but don't sight read better than me,it was great having someone worse lol :twisted:

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