What is your piano "grade"?

[allchopin]

I have heard of people with a certain grade of level when playing piano; what does thi mean? How do you get this grade?  Can i grade myself?

[NetherMagic]

well allchopin my grade is according to the Royal Conservatory of Music, which is in Canada

I'm currently grade 10, but I play at performance level (how i know is because i can play performance level pieces!) but I don't have the theory requirements to go for the exam yet

but yeah, there are lotsa different grading systems

[allchopin]

how do you know youre a 10 without an exam?  and what is performance level? What pieces are this level? And how well do you have to be able to play them to be considered this level?

[NetherMagic]

actually i did take the grade 10 exam and i passed

In the RCM system, after grade 10, it starts goin into the ARCT, iunno wut it stands for, but there are 2 types, one is teacher level, the other is performer

Performer level includes a variety of pieces, so it's kinda hard to say, but pieces included in this level would be like beethoven's pathetique, fantaisie impromptu, moonlight sonata, etc, pieces with that difficulty

to be able to take the exam for ARCT level (either teacher or performer level) you must pass grade 10 at either a total mark of 75% or have every area beyond 70% (i remember i think 5 pieces must be played, each counting as one separate area, and other areas include scales, ear test, playback, and sightreading)

grades 1-10 are rated not very hard, cuz I remember I even had a memory lapse and completely blanked out in the grade 7 examination but I still got like 77 or something out of 100 (which isn't very good but at least i still passed with the blank out)

For performer if you stop just once completely, as in everything breaking up, then you fail immediately.  Teacher is probably the same, but teacher you also havta write essays and other sort of things, and you need to explain to the examiner your teaching methods and such
well you can check more info on www.rcmexaminations.org

newayz ya allchopin if you wanna check how good you are go check the music organization in your area.  I guess you could take one of their practical exams.  I actually got really bad marks since I only started practicing the piano for real like iunno 10 months ago (which is a loooong time after my gr10 exam)
I managed to get a tight 76% for my gr10, just 1 mark above passing grade to get into the performer level hehe  

[BuyBuy]

In Spain, where I studied, this is how the grades go :

grade 4 : you can play Debussy Arabesque, sonatinas, Czerny easy etudes...

grade 6 : you can play Schubert impromptus, some Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven easier sonatas, Czerny op.740, Chopin mazurkas and some nocturnes, some Bach preludes and fugues...

grade 8 : you can play some Chopin and Liszt-Paganini etudes, Beethoven advanced sonatas, Chopin polonaises, Bach suites, Debussy preludes or images...

[MrPiano]

ya, even the ARCT level doesn't have like, reeeeally hard pieces....when you said that if you stop once, you fail, i was thinking....woahhhh, thats really tough.  but also, for grades 1-10, it depends on who your examiner is. some are harder than others.

[bachopoven]

I am surprised to see that sight reading ability is not one of the measures for a grade level. Ot is it assumed? Does anyone know?

If you ask me, I grade myself on my sight reading ability, which is poor but getting better. I find the other areas of the piano, such as speed and technique, to be fun and less distressing.

[NetherMagic]

bachopoven sightreading is included in the RCM examinations if that is what you're referring to, but they aren't really that hard, even for me (i'm soooo low on the sight reading food chain)

but arent there some pianists who can play really tough pieces but still have poor sight reading?

[eddie92099]

but arent there some pianists who can play really tough pieces but still have poor sight reading?

Such as Alfred Brendel.
Ed

[chopinetta]

there are a lot of systems and curriculums in learning piano, though, like the suzuki method. they have a different grading system, etc.

you can also check out hmmm, lemme see, thompson grading books?? bah, they're not tough. maybe you do have to go to your music organization and get your grade, or ask your teacher how.

[Roastie_FC]

In Australia we have AMEB (Australian Musical Examinations Board) or something along those lines lol!
The grades are as follows:


Preliminary
Grade One
Grade Two
Grade Three
Grade Four
Grade Five
Grade Six
Grade Seven
Grade Eight

anyway i've been learning for 2 years exactly as my scholarship only lasts for 2 years but im seeking for another scholarship.
I'm currently at Grade Five

[xenon]

I too am in the Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada.  I have recently finished my Gr. 10 exam with 92/100 (blasted ear tests  ).  I am now doing my Performer's Associateship (Gr. 11, aka ARCT).  To find out what "grade" one is in, take a look at the syllabus.  However, I am beginning to be displeased with the RCM.  They have constantly jacked up their examination prices and their service is going down the drain.  My teacher once said, "I remember when an ARCT exam was only $100 CAD."  Well, now it is over $300.  My Gr. 10 exam was $188 CAD, and for the new season is now $194 CAD.  

One's "grade" also depends on the theory courses they have taken.  These are the co-requisites required by each grade:

-Grade 5 - Preliminary Rudiments
-Grade 6 - Grade 1 Rudiments
-Grade 7 - Grade 2 Rudiments
-Grade 8 - Grade 2 Rudiments
-Grade 9 - Grade 3 Harmony, Grade 3 History (Romantic Era)
-Grade 10 - Grade 4 Harmony, Grade 4 History (Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical Eras), Grade 4 Counterpoint
-Grade 11 - Grade 5 Harmony, Grade 5 History (20th Cent. Era), Grade 5 Form and Analysis

At roughly $80/exam (average), calculate the price, along w/ the practical (instrument).  Ouch^21

Here's a list of all exams and their costs:

Practical
-Introductory $45
-Grade 1: $57
-Grade 2: $59
-Grade 3: $61
-Grade 4: $63
-Grade 5: $65
-Grade 6: $73
-Grade 7: $78
-Grade 8: $89
-Grade 9: $110
-Grade 10: $188
-ARCT - Performer:  $305
-ARCT - Teacher: $325

Theory
-Preliminary Rudiments: $60
-Grade 1 Rudiments: $63
-Grade 2 Rudiments: $67
-Grade 3 Harmony: $70
-Grade 3 History: $70
-Grade 4 Harmony: $73
-Grade 4 History: $73
-Grade 4 Counterpoint: $73
-Grade 5 Harmony: $75
-Grade 5 History: $75
-Grade 5 Analysis: $75
-ARCT Teacher's Written: $93
-ARCT Composition: $93
-ARCT Composition-Final Submission: $308
-Comprehensive Theory: $338

Grand Total: $3124 CAD <- Wow, and that's more expensive if you have a sister that does piano too .

And that's last year's prices.  This year is more!


allchopin: Give me a list of your current repertoire and I'lll check to see what level you are at .

One has to take an exam to go to the next one, heh.

NetherMagic: What's your center code?  Mine's 482.

[allchopin]

ok heres what i know by memory, and can play roughly well.  This is also the order i have learned them, since about 6th grade.
------
Moonlight Sonata Mvmt. 1
Pathetique Sonata Mvmt. 2
Chopin - Nocturne #1 in G minor
Chopin - Nocturne #19 in E
Brahms - Waltz in Ab
Brahms - Intermezzo in A
Fantasie-Impromptu
Chopin - Prelude #7
Schumann - About Foreign Lands and People
Mozart - Sonata in A – mvmt. 1
Chopin - Prelude #9
Chopin - Mazurka #3 Op. 68 in F
Chopin - Mazurka #2 Op. 6
Chopin - Etude #9 in F minor
Chopin - Etude #12 in C minor
Chopin - Nocturne #1 Op. 48
Chopin - Prelude #15 ‘Raindrop’
Chopin - Mazurka #2 Op. 24 in C
Prelude #1 in C from Well Tempered Clavier
Chopin - Waltz #19 in A minor
Chopin - Minute Waltz
Mozart - Sonata in A – Mvmt. 3 ‘Alla turca’
Chopin - Ballade #4
Theme from “The Incredible Hulk” (kinda random  , but good piece nonetheless!)
Schumann - Traumerei

This all, of course, doenst take into account all what theory i know.  

[xenon]

Okay, I'll check the syllabus for your pieces.  The Hulk music could possibly found under the Popular Selections Listing...hmm...

[manfredkremer]

ok heres what i know by memory, and can play roughly well.  This is also the order i have learned them, since about 6th grade.
------
Moonlight Sonata Mvmt. 1
Pathetique Sonata Mvmt. 2
Chopin - Nocturne #1 in G minor
Chopin - Nocturne #19 in E
Brahms - Waltz in Ab
Brahms - Intermezzo in A
Fantasie-Impromptu
Chopin - Prelude #7
Schumann - About Foreign Lands and People
Mozart - Sonata in A – mvmt. 1
Chopin - Prelude #9
Chopin - Mazurka #3 Op. 68 in F
Chopin - Mazurka #2 Op. 6
Chopin - Etude #9 in F minor
Chopin - Etude #12 in C minor
Chopin - Nocturne #1 Op. 48
Chopin - Prelude #15 ‘Raindrop’
Chopin - Mazurka #2 Op. 24 in C
Prelude #1 in C from Well Tempered Clavier
Chopin - Waltz #19 in A minor
Chopin - Minute Waltz
Mozart - Sonata in A – Mvmt. 3 ‘Alla turca’
Chopin - Ballade #4
Theme from “The Incredible Hulk” (kinda random  , but good piece nonetheless!)
Schumann - Traumerei

This all, of course, doenst take into account all what theory i know.  

I am quite impressed how you can proceed with such an imbalance, as about half of the pieces are by Chopin

[vsrinivasa]

No one grade in particular. At this point I just play whatever I want, irrespective of difficulty, except for something like Petrouchka, which I'd only attempt if I knew I had a lot of time. I would say I am somewhere between LTCL and FTCL. I am taking the LTCL next year, but that is more for the purpose of personal fulfillment, as I have DipABRSM and would like a Licentiate level diploma.

Here are some things I have learned in the past few years or so (not including things listed in my signature):

Chopin: all Ballades, all Scherzi, Etudes Op. 10/1, 10/2, 10/7, 10/10, 25/1, 25/5, 25/8, 25/11, Nocturnes Op. 27/1, 27/2, 48/1, 72/1

Liszt: Les Jeux d'Eau A La Villa d'Este, 3 Concert Etudes, Sonetto de Petrarca 104, Gnomenreigen, Mephisto Valse 1, La Campanella

Ravel: Miroirs (full suite), Menuet Antique, Jeux d'Eau, Le Tombeau de Couperin (except Toccata, which I am now practicing)

Debussy: Images (full suite), Estampes (full suite), Feux d'Artifice, Le Vent dans la Plaine, Ce qu'a vu le Vent d'Ouest, Suite Bergamasque (full suite)

Schumann: all Novelletten, ABEGG Variations

Mozart: Sonatas K. 310, K. 576, K. 533

Beethoven: Sonatas Op. 2/2, Op. 2/3, Op. 7, Op. 31/2, Op. 31/3, Op. 57

[rachmaninoff_forever]

I think these levels/grading systems are ridiculous.

I'm over level 9,000.  Hopefully 136418934613984319864986;2336;1913648enrique will get the joke.

[vsrinivasa]

I think these levels/grading systems are ridiculous.

I'm over level 9,000.  Hopefully 136418934613984319864986;2336;1913648enrique will get the joke.

They are. Why do grading systems exist? At this point I just play whatever I want. If it's grade 1, I will still play it if I like it. If it is listed at FTCL, I will still play it if I like it. So there.

[j_menz]

Hopefully 136418934613984319864986;2336;1913648enrique will get the joke.

That will make one.

Personally, I'm Wizard Level 4 with (tickled) Ivory clusters.

[vsrinivasa]

Personally, I'm Wizard Level 4 with (tickled) Ivory clusters.

Nice. I am now Magical Divine Level 320450837082035081083401703250972049672356928937502703750204909730976093704970783094705970170497037 5067109375097204967039740706932395879284796705072047067402704570297406920974057209704702730402. I passed the exam last year. 

[the89thkey]

Once you get past a certain level the grades are meaningless as everything is just 8+

[thesuineg]

One of the most important things for a pianist is a personal goal, allowing you to become an artist with your own views. competitions and "grades" eliminate these views and make them all the same to everyone around the world. I've been told that I am above the grade level system, but honestly I have no interest in it at all. I also no people who are "grade" 10, and they play like complete robots. For what purpose?

[the89thkey]

One of the most important things for a pianist is a personal goal, allowing you to become an artist with your own views. competitions and "grades" eliminate these views and make them all the same to everyone around the world. I've been told that I am above the grade level system, but honestly I have no interest in it at all. I also no people who are "grade" 10, and they play like complete robots. For what purpose?

Well said. Personally I don't care about these "grades" either. If they play well they play well, and if they are unmusical and have a high grade I couldn't care less what it is. The grades are devised by people who want to make developing musicians have a competition with each other, which is exactly what we don't want. Music is not about competition. Nikolai Lugansky hates competitions, he has said it in half his interviews. I'm sure most experienced concert pianists have similar feelings.

[indianajo]

This is interesting. This grade talk was invented decades after I passed John Thompson Grade 5, which was as high as they used numbers in the nineteen fifties.  Then there is the word "ubersomething" about scrore sources.  We thought the standard for everything was the G. Schirmer edition.  I feel like I'm slumming when I play the Penguin books edition of Beethoven complete Sonatas.  The arrangements sound like the record (LP) though.  
I play what I like, even though it takes 2-32 years to learn the pieces I like.  Pictures at an Exhibition, I heard at a master in piano performance recital, I'm beginning to get it.  Beethoven Moonlight Sonata mvt 3, you hear on the radio, has taken me 32 years to get the trills like I like them. There aren't any sheet music stores within 1000 miles, I'm going to have to mail order the next thing.   I'm probably grade 0010, it takes me so long to learn things that interest me.  Even though people play these pieces on the radio. I started on Rhapsody in Blue the  simple solo version last month, am going to stop until buy the 2 piano real version, so I don't fill my head with easy tricks.  I wonder how many decades that will take.  The simplified solo leaves out some runs and parts I hear in my head when I dream RIB.