Grades

[beethovenfan]

Hello,

i'm new here but I read a lot of posts.
The topics are very interesting - nice board.

At first I have to say "Sorry" for my terrible English, but it was not my best subject in school. 

I hope, you'll understand me.

I want to know what grades following piece are, because in Germany you often just find grades for complete suites or sonatas, but not for single pieces.

Here are the pieces I want to know:

Tschaikowsky (The seasons)

March
May
October

Debussy (Childrens' Corner)

Little Shepherd
Dr. Gradus
Cakewalk

Bach (WTK)

Prelude in c . minior
Prelude in E - Major

6 Little Preludes
d - minor

Thanks a lot,

beethovenfan

[MatthewClarke]

Hello Beethovenfan,
 Welcome to the forum, I am new myself and this is my 1st post.
I played the Tschaikowsky October for my AMusA, or the diploma exam after grade 8, in AMEB (Australian Music Examination Board, look it up on the net), if that helps you, sorry that is the only piece I know by grade.
 All of the pieces mentioned seem about a medium standard, I personally believe the October should be a lower grade, but the expression in it is difficult for some people so I guess that is why it was a diploma piece.
 Unless you are doing an exam, I wouldn't worrie about the "grade" of a piece, I would just play what you can play and gradually improve the standard of piece as you become more experienced at the piano, I personally didn't like exams but I did too much of them haha.
 Bye for now.
...from Matt

[beethovenfan]

Hello Matthew,

thanks for your post.

You're right, the expression of Tschaikowskys October is very difficult.
Just Playing the notes is very easy for me, but the dynamic ist very tough.
My piano is very loud and so it's nearly unpossible to play pppp at the end and piano possible during the piece,  but I like the piece or is it called song very much.

In fact I play all music I like, even it's an easy one but I just want to know what level I am, because many people say: Oh, I play for x years and now I learn the Pathetique or Rondo alla Turca by Mozart.

[MatthewClarke]

Hello,
 just tell them you play the piano, and that you can't truly grade anyone's playing.
 
A lot of the time there are 1st graders who play their music better than the 8th graders and I would see more potential in the 1st grader's playings and limited in the 8th grader's playing unless they change the way they approach the piano.
 
What's a hard piano concerto? Prokofieff's 2nd?
Let's take that concerto for example.
You can have someone playing around with it and who's playing quality is of a low grade.
But you can have someone playing Tschaikowsky's October who has practised it day and night for 10 years and you would say their playing is high grade.
 
Also even if you put all the "work" into something, you may not understand the music, although it is technically efficient, it just doesn't convey the feelings that the composer intended, for example I was listening to a recording of the Grieg Concerto, it was technically brilliant, but it didn't make me cry, it is meant to make you cry, because it was inspired by Grieg's daugher's death and he was mourning over her.
 
What is the point of having technique when you can't use it? Technique is meant to be a tool for the pianist to be able to express his feelings with sound. You can be a very musical person and all it takes is to learn the technique of any instrument just to express your musicianship at the instrument you wish.
 
Bye for now.
...from Matt.