Skipping Piano Grades

[borisleehk]

I finished my Grade 3 piano exam 3 years ago with distinction when I was 10. Now I am 14 and tried Grade 7 and Grade 8 pieces for about a year having no problem playing the song but still having some technical problem I've had my Grade 5 theory exam, should I directly skip to Grade 8 or do Grade 5 exam just to get more of the basics?

[mhhudson15]

I had the same problem you're having right now just this summer. I taught my self for 2 years and can play songs up to about level 6 or 7. But, when it came to technics, theory, and dynamics, I was lacking quite a bit. The biggest lesson I've learned is that just because your fingers can press the correct notes when they're supposed to does not necessarily mean you can play the piece. They're more to a song than just finger gymnastics-- you have to turn it into an actual song with an interpretation, a message, something you feel when you play. If you skip a grade level-- or multiple grade levels-- the higher level songs you play will sound dry, mechanical, and unemotional. I had to backtrack and catch up with everything in between, and it was a LOT of work. I'm still making up for the slack now. It'll be tedious and frustrating, because for a while, you won't feel like you're getting any better. But I promise you, in the long run, you'll be glad you did it.