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Hi Dave & company!


I have finally managed to play through that bleeding Kummer tune, just need to 'glue' the bars together so I can play it more smoother. Don't know why it took so long, I played through the Don't Vex a T-Rex tune and that in comparison was a walk in the (jurassic) park .

I just had a sneeky listen to the pieces on the AB website and all sounds ok ( need to get the timing a bit better for the kummer tune), unfortunately you can only hear about 5 seconds worth of the piece because they want you to down load it.

If anybody is intrested to have a very quick sneeky listen, heres the link:
http://www.abrsmpublishing.dloadshop.com

Hi Dave,

I was actually (kind of) joking about becoming a piano tuner, after spending 6 years in higher education it would be quite a waste of my parents hard earned chash to completly change my career at this stage.
If my loal college did one of those short courses like flower arranging, tea tasting, etc if piano tuning was on the list and I had the time and money maybe I would give it ago! ( tea tasting does sound good though )

Actully Dave I'm a newly fledged graphic designer/ illustrator. I should really get back into painting again though, just need to get off my Ars# .

Oh yes Dave, do you have a proper metronome? not the one on your Clav mind, a real one? Its just I'm not 100% sure what speed to play the exam pieces as thoses metronome marks mean nothing to me as I only have the one on my Clav.

Ha ha ha get of my arts! Yeah thats it! ( Why did I not think off that!).
Yeah that is romanticising my life a bit. Haven't painted properly since I left art college, I'm not much off a Van Gogh then!

Never mind about the nome then Dave, coz I wanted to know what setting I would set my Clav's metronome to be the same bpm as what it says on the music.

I like the way you call it a nome, they should make a gnome shaped nome then it could be called a metrognome!

I saw a really kitsch metronome in my local music shop. It was a cat and there was another in the shape of an owl with a bowtie! As much as I am tempted by the novelty of having a cat one ( I wonder if it meows on the 1st beat!? ) I would like to get a really nice normal one.

Can anybody Gill, PianoAngel, Mark? recommend a good make for me to get?...

Doesn't matter which nome you get, they all do the same job. Depends if it's going to live on the piano, in which case get a nice big LOUD one, or if it's going to go in your music case, in which case (boom boom) you can get a little digital one. I've got three; an old wooden clockwork one that's b*ggered but I keep it because I love the look of it, a tiny digital one in my handbag (because people ask me about playing when I go around tuning sometimes) and a clip-on one because it has a clock on it so I know how much time I've wasted footling at the piano when I should've been doing housekeeperly type stuff ( :\ )!
Take very little notice of the recommended speeds - they'll only frighten you and/or encourage you to play faster than you're comfortable with. The Board has a maxim for playing scales, 'As fast as you can, as slow as you must'. I'd apply that to pieces too. Just use the nome to make sure your playing is at an even pace, and that you're not slowing down/speeding up in places. It's not a stopwatch!
And although I've played the piano for so long, I know exactly what you're going through, because I'm trying to learn the classical guitar. Therefore I'm fully conversant with the tongue-sticking-out-F-word-on -every-second-beat technique...

Hello there

Dave, well done on cracking the T-Rex!! The sense of achievement when you learn to play something you've been working on is amazing!

Moonlight, I love the sound of those metronomes!! I've only used the metrognome (loving that ) on my clav once and it annoyed me!! My teacher told me that same as Gill - that you shouldn't worry too much about the given metrognome markings, they are only a guide.

I feel for you with job-hunting Moonlight! I finished university last year and graduated in June. I didn't start my job until September, and although that's not too long, it really felt like it! I had no money as my student loan had run out waaaaay before the end of term, and my parents were hassling me non-stop about finding a job! Plus as I was home all day, I became the family skivvy (which is fair enough really!) to 'earn my keep'!! What sort of art jobs are you looking for? You sound really talented! Maybe you could paint some piano related pics?!

Hi Guys!

OK cool Ill just get a nice clockwork (old fashioned) style one then. Thats my Christmas prezy sorted out!

Hi Dave!

I had a look at My life Story, not quite me cuppa tea I'm afraid...I had a look for the piano painting lady but couldn't find it. Why don't you go to the page and copy and paste the web address as a link, like I did down here? Then I can go straight to it.

Have any of you guys seen nora the piano playing cat? If not then click on the link: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ860P4iTaM

Hi Sparkley,

I graduated last year too! worked for a bit, 5 months then ...well here I am I know what you mean about parents hassling to get a job , I still live at home with my parents.

Got some good news! I have an interview on Friday, wish me luck guys! Then I too can get myself a piano teacher!! if all goes well.

Funnliy enough I do seem to draw a lot of music, piano related pics nowdays, I'm currently doing some illustrations of this little pianist man character I made up a few days ago. I'm going through the various Italian words that tell you how to play the piece. For appasionato I did him snoging his piano as he plays... ahem anyway.

My eyes are falling out of my head, been on the computer allday today...
I'm off to relax and pratice.

HA HA HA HA

that clip was really funny , maybe I should give it ago!!! Thanks Dave I loved the piano painting idea.

I really must get going now before I go blind from the computer radiation

dave brum wrote:I have a very bad habit of saying 'OH, RUBBER DUCK' or 'something Locks!' when I make a mistake

Yes I know you mean Dave about that, I have a realy bad habbit of saying F###! each time I make a mistake, I'm so used to saying it I say it almost causally now. Hope when I get a teacher they are not some nice old lady piano teacher up the road, I don't think she/he would be impressed. Hopefully I will get a youngish teacher with a sense of humour.

I also stop when I make mistakes, however I can control it. I can just cary on playing but I CHOOSE to stop because I'm not happy untill I have played it through at least once without mistakes.

Yeah Dave,

Thats a much better thing to say, I'll need to re-learn to say that instead.
But I'm sure its easier said then done...

See I told you!!!!!!!

Or its sounds like cheesy sad background music to an American drama series like 'Medium' or something...

Has anyone listened to the CD or had a go at any of the alternative pieces for Grade 1? One of my students has opted to play Bluemerang by Alan Haughton, which I think is a great piece! It's in the book 'Piano Time Going Places' which also has a lovely piece 'Flying Above the Clouds' which is in the Grade 1 for 2007-2008.

PianoAngel wrote:Has anyone listened to the CD or had a go at any of the alternative pieces for Grade 1? One of my students has opted to play Bluemerang by Alan Haughton, which I think is a great piece! It's in the book 'Piano Time Going Places' which also has a lovely piece 'Flying Above the Clouds' which is in the Grade 1 for 2007-2008.

No I haven't, but I may have a look. I don't understand why the AB don't put all of the pieces into the book! I remember before the days of the Grade books you had to buy separate books with each piece in, lol

Yeah it is the exam we going to do Dave. I don't know why they don't put all the pices in the same book too. I wanted to do the Purcell or Handle piece but I can't be asked to go out and buy yet another music book! I'm running out of room - in my room!

Look at the list of contents in the front of the book. Underneath them there will be a list of alternative pieces. More to confuse you with!

Yeah Dave. The book you have is called 'Selected' pieces from the syllabus. Not sure if copywrite reasons prevent them putting all the pieces in one book, or if they just choose not to.

Well Done Dave

I should really get back to practincing the grade 1 stuff esp the T-Rex tune.

Its ok about the Mozart piece I sent. When theres a new piece in a new key the page contains a 'finger drill' to make you learn the scale of that new key and its arpeggios. But it splits the scale between the hands for some reason so you don't do the thumb-under hand-over thing

Its a good book that John Thomson one, if a bit old fashioned, but I must admit I like the oldness of it and the classical, and folk music in there. I seem to have a short attention span with modern chord based piano music books.

Quintuplet semiquavers can be tricky to play if you think too much about them. Sometimes it is good to go back four bars or so and take "a run race at the section" and it will also give you some time to 'hear' the phrase in your head.