10 Grade- A new student...

[Barbosa-piano]

Hello all,

 As some of you probably know, I have been playing the piano for 3 years now, and I am self taught. I went on a sort of an audition today, so I can start my lessons with my first teacher. There were two teachers there, and they really admired my work. They said they had never seen something like that before. I played a Chopin Nocturne, part of Rachmaninoff's Prelude in G minor Op.23 No.5, tried to sight read one of Bach's Preludes, and I also played part of Chopin's Etude Op. 10 No. 1 and Beethoven's Apassionata. They said that it would be hard to teach me, since most of the people in their school were in a lower level, and they said that I would have to take 1 hour lessons, instead of half an hour. Everything went great. So, they decided to put me in grade 10, which they say is a great accomplishment for someone that has been playing for 3 years, and they said that soon I would have to get help from someone with a doctorate.
 That is why I would like to ask:
 1-Is 10th grade an advanced level?
2- How many grades are there?
3- Which would you say is the hardest of all of Bach's Preludes and Fuges?

If anyone could help me with these questions I would be more than thankful...

Thanks in advance...

Mario Barbosa

[Barbosa-piano]

 Hmmm...

[keys]

Which method from which conservatory?

RCM gr.10 in three years is quite the accomplishment.

[Barbosa-piano]

Which method from which conservatory?

RCM gr.10 in three years is quite the accomplishment.

I am not quite sure... I will talk to them and find out...

I also need to have a Prelude and Fugue by Bach ready in 2 weeks... Any advise would be great, there are 48 as you probably know, and I am having a very hard time picking. They are all great...

[keys]

I like prelude XVII in A flat major from book one. I did that one for my Grade ten

[bernhard]

If you need to prepare a P&F in two weeks, you probably cannot fool around with your likes and dislikes. You must get one of the easier ones.

Here are the first ten (1. easiest – 10. difficult)

1. no. 15 in  G (Book II)
2. no. 6 in Dm
3. no. 21 in Bb
4. no. 10 in Em
5. no. 20 in Am (Book II)
6. no. 11 in F
7. no. 2 in Cm
8. no. 9 in E
9. no. 13 in F#
10. no. 21 in Bb (Book II)

For the complete list and discussion have a look here:

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,2857.msg25255.html#msg25255
(basic books to analyse the WTC - list of progressive difficulty)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,4802.msg45607.html#msg45607
(favourites from the WTC – list of progressive difficulty)

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[Barbosa-piano]

 Hello again, I just wanted to say thanks for everybody's help, I was going mad not knowing what to do...

Thanks once more...

Mario Barbosa

[happyface94]

I would say you're the equivalent of a 6-7 years of piano experience. If you follow the Vincent D'Indy program (I suppose not, since its from Montreal, but heck), playing the Appasonata is the equivalent of Grade 10 of their program. Grade 9 is averaging people who have played for 7 years and are around 15-16 years of age. Grade 10 is around more, but since you haven't played that much I'm guessing 6-7 years.

If its considered as advanced? Its definitly not too bad. 30 minutes lessons are obviously not enough, 1 hour is good enough. I would suggest a 30 minute program, or the equivalent of a final of first cycle of Conservatory.

If you have to prepare a prelude and fugue in two weeks, you must choose the easiest one. Not only is the fugue time consuming to finger and learn, it is also very hard to memorize them. I learnt the no.19 in A major quite fast, the fugue isnt particularly hard. The no.16 in G minor isnt bad either. Either way, you must look for the difficulty in the Fugue as it is most likely a lot harder than the prelude. You can even go with the popular no.2 in Book 1 I think

One of the hardest Prelude and Fugue of Bach is surely the A minor from book 1. I'm inclined to say this because its a 6 page 4-voice fugue.

Also, for the grades, I'm not familiar with the Grade 1-10 system, but my conservatory uses the following :

101 -> 105
201 -> 204
301 -> ...

I'm currently in 301, with 14 years of piano, I gave you as advice something in the end of cycle one, which means around 6 years behind me, which would spot you to 8 years of exp. For so around 104, your program should be around 30 minutes, maybe to 25.

[jehangircama]

do the Bflat P&F from book one (BWV 866 I think). And CONGRATS. I've been working off and on on the Appasionata for a loooong time and still haven't finished it off.     

[Barbosa-piano]

Well... I am almost finished with the Appasionata, it is still in progress...
But this is one of my goals...
Just keep working on the Sonata.

Mario Barbosa

[nanabush]

Do the D major it's awesome.  This is off topic, but my music teacher said that quite a few of her students who played that had hurt their write hand wrist from the motion required.  I don't hurt my wrist playing, but has anyone heard anything like this?  It might be a bunch of hocus pocus  , but just want to know if anyone knows anything like this from the D major prelude from bk 1.