Random thoughts or comments...

gizzy · Post by **gizzy** » 12 Jun 2014, 12:23

dave brum wrote:Mabs' website (http://www.mabelfogglethwaitebmushons.co.uk) says her pupils take ABRSM exams, no mention of Trinity. Whether she actually teaches other syllabi remains for me to ask her. Next lesson is on the 24th. (it's not the Mabel you think it is. You're thinking of F@nny Fosdyke, wouldn't go back to her and in any case, she wouldn't have me back anyway!)

If you mean the one with the jeans, no I didn't mean her, I meant your first lady

dave brum wrote:Mabs' website (http://www.mabelfogglethwaitebmushons.co.uk)I think the main reason adults do them are for measured goals, with kids it's different as most of them don't get a say in the matter

I try to make sure they actually want to. Yes, some parents do instigate the process, but I either ask the kids first or sometimes they ask me.

But I've got one little madam (no, that's not really fair, I love her to bits and she was a gossip in Noye's Fludde and was brilliant) who took grade 1 last year and left the work till VERY late in the day, missing lots of lessons, I thought she would fail, and she went and got 70% (Trinity mark out of 100) which is 5 short of a merit. This year both she and I said it would be better for her to wait until November for grade 2 as she wasn't ready enough, but her mum said she wanted her to take it this summer as they were going away for a long time over the summer and she'd forget it if she didn't do it in July. I said she quite likely wouldn't pass, so they would have wasted their money, and the mother said - honestly! - "well, if she fails it, she can take it again in November"

G(rrrr)izzy

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 12 Jun 2014, 13:10

Actually Mabs wears jeans. The other one was F....(clears throat), Mrs Fosdyke. Went to see her last October to give her some music I tried and failed with, all I can say is I hope she doesn't play the church organ dressed like that, lest there be more than a few 'tuts' from slightly less liberal members of the congregation (majority) amongst fears of the demoralisation of episcopal Christianity.

With me it's the ball-crunching fear that I'll fail the SR part because I'm not ready for it. But everything else I could do easily with absolutely no qualms and/or collywobbles whatsoever

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 12 Jun 2014, 13:13

gizzy wrote:Thought you might find this account of the Helen Smith bogus exams funny.

http://news-all-the-time.com/2014/05/15 ... k-parents/

xGizzy

EXACTLY why online translators are free....because they're crap. There are some pretty awful Welsh ones out there.

The tautology...'Helen Smith, 42'. Though she does bear a visual resemblance to Gaby Roslin.

However, a 'song clergyman', wonder how Mabel will like being described as one of those instead of a piano/singing teacher??

gizzy · Post by **gizzy** » 12 Jun 2014, 14:14

dave brum wrote: With me it's the ball-crunching fear that I'll fail the SR part because I'm not ready for it. But everything else I could do easily with absolutely no qualms and/or collywobbles whatsoever

Oh well, that's it then

. Trinity, General Musical Knowledge (but only about the pieces you play, they won't ask you about Sigur Ros) here we come (maybe) Apart from being able to tell them that this note is a B flat, you scarcely need to be able to read music at all!

Yes, I'm looking forward to getting the new books as well. The come out the same time as the new AB books this year, so I'll need a mortgage for what I know I'm going to end up getting

(You still haven't said if Mable-at-the-table is your original teacher or not)

xGizzy

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 12 Jun 2014, 14:32

No, my first teacher was called Britney (mentioned her on here loads of times) then I became disenchanted and went to Mrs. Fosdyke (who made that remark that does not need re-mentioning).

Actually I've just been going through Mabs' notes at the piano and working on the end of 'Landler' (CTM 1 p19) I see it has what is known as the 'For Mash, Get Smash' cadence in the LH.

Will have to travel to see the new books, but my wife and I go to London a lot so we'll just popp into either Chappells or Chimes if we're down in July. You can be sure nowhere in Birmingham will sell them until next March at the earliest. I'm more concerned about any changes to the syllabus though. I could always pay some bloke in Vietnam to supply me with a fake ABRSM pass certificate for a few thousand dong. But before I'd have saved up all those dong, Helen Smith will be out of the nick.....

gizzy · Post by **gizzy** » 12 Jun 2014, 15:07

I'm sure they won't have changed their policy on the supporting tests - it's one of the things that sells them, as a credible alternative syllabus. You offer any two out of aural, sight-reading, musical knowledge and improvisation. That and the fact that there's no singing in the aural tests. And not so many scales to learn for each grade (but you have to do more things with them)

You can get the books online, from Amazon, and almost certainly Book Depository and MusicRoom will have them too and the advantage to using them is that as far as I know you get it post free without having to pay upfront for Amazon Prime.

gizzy · Post by **gizzy** » 12 Jun 2014, 15:09

dave brum wrote:
gizzy wrote:
The tautology...'Helen Smith, 42'.

Um, I don't get it, why is it a tautology? Are all Helen Smiths 42 or something?

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 12 Jun 2014, 16:48

gizzy wrote:
dave brum wrote:
gizzy wrote:
The tautology...'Helen Smith, 42'.
Um, I don't get it, why is it a tautology? Are all Helen Smiths 42 or something?

Mentioned twice in the article. That's tautology innit, sayin' da same fing innit (said innit more than once)

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 12 Jun 2014, 18:04

I've never met a music clergyman or been given a eminence. I feel inadequate now. It reads as though it was translated into Swahili, then into Sanskrit, then back to English.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 12 Jun 2014, 19:06

I thought it sounded quite Borat-esque.

gizzy · Post by **gizzy** » 12 Jun 2014, 19:55

I liked that she now faces 6 depends of rascal.

What a little scallywag she is!

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 12 Jun 2014, 20:11

and I would not take kindly to being called a ABRSM either.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 13 Jun 2014, 07:35

Dotty Dave. I've put coloured dots on my piano keyboard to help me learn a tune I've been struggling with for nearly 4 weeks, and it's really helping. It's the ledger lines above the bass stave, can never remember them in split second timing (all that marijuana I didn't smoke when I wore a younger man's thermal vest). It's that Landler again. But I really want to learn it as the pedal usage makes it sound really proficient. If i can do this, Gymnopedie no1 by Satie should be a piece of Madeira.

Also had a neemail from Mabs, telling me not to worry about the SR she's given me, and just do them. I have to tell myself it's no big deal if I don't play them correctly first time. Like just now. She's so reassuring. I think it's because she's taught literally hundreds of people in all age ranges to play and she's seen it all. I refuse to believe she hasn't ever had at least one more Dave Brum in her lifetime!

gizzy · Post by **gizzy** » 13 Jun 2014, 09:36

Just got the answer to r3 brain teaser but I bet as usual I'm one of the hundreds who don't get read out

(in case you were listening, it's Hair)

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 13 Jun 2014, 14:19

I used to always listen but now I'm at my shop Mon and Fri, my class Tues and on Wednesday...well it is impossible. So that leaves Thursday. But I always catch In Tune.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 13 Jun 2014, 18:33

Pork chops under the grill at the moment. With cabbage and sage and onion stuffing (not home made, I'm afraid) Which only means one thing, I'll be in isolation this evening with piano and open window!

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 14 Jun 2014, 17:06

Better than watching the preposterous amount of sport which seems to be cluttering up the telly...you can have your own wind ensemble.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 14 Jun 2014, 17:09

Have we seen this??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4FBBFsLNek#t=37

These aren't musicians, they're Equity members who happen to play the piano on the side. The error of 'you did say SCALES didn't you?' early in the clip was carefully orchestrated solely to create an impression of candidate nerves. My own experiences were somewhat different, I still have flashbacks.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 14 Jun 2014, 17:11

Gill the Piano wrote:Better than watching the preposterous amount of sport which seems to be cluttering up the telly...you can have your own wind ensemble.

They should give blanket coverage to the next crown green bowls tournament at Potters. At least bowls fans know how to behave with decorum and ladylike/gentlemanly conduct, and do NOT happen to be intoxicated/aggressive/paid too much

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 14 Jun 2014, 19:47

Good news, bad news. The good news is I have now learned a second hymn tune, Hyfrydol. The bad news is I'll never be able to fulfil my wish and play it on a church organ (remembering who the organist is at my local CofE).

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 15 Jun 2014, 17:32

Loading up the mp3 player for some Welsh reggae to play in the shop tomorrow. Yes, you read correctly. Reggae YN GYMRAEG.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 16 Jun 2014, 16:19

dave brum wrote:Good news, bad news. The good news is I have now learned a second hymn tune, Hyfrydol. The bad news is I'll never be able to fulfil my wish and play it on a church organ.

Unless you make it down to civilisation to someone with the knowledge of the hiding places for 5 organs in 5 churches.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 16 Jun 2014, 19:16

Gill the Piano wrote:
dave brum wrote:Good news, bad news. The good news is I have now learned a second hymn tune, Hyfrydol. The bad news is I'll never be able to fulfil my wish and play it on a church organ.
Unless you make it down to civilisation to someone with the knowledge of the hiding places for 5 organs in 5 churches.

You're going to either have to duet with me, or hold the camera and film me for Youtube. And in any case, Earache needs you, you really cannot be doing with wasting your time meeting neurotic Brummies! Wife says she'd fancy a nice trip out to Marlow and a picnic by the Thames in the summer sometime.

BREAKING NEWS Trying something new with the Landler with the LH clords involving 'saying the names of the notes aloud, making sure finger 5 is in that note as it leaps from an octave below ans shaping my hand, leaving my brain to concentrate on the RH. Progress report to follow. So much better than lousy boring foot balls.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 17 Jun 2014, 07:30

Gill the Piano wrote:
Unless you make it down to civilisation to someone with the knowledge of the hiding places for 5 organs in 5 churches.

I seriously think I've got a better chance of taking ABRSM grade 1 and not panicking once than having a go on a church organ. Or maybe doing a duet.

And how do you know I'm not a phoney?? I might not know a thing about practical pianism and those YT links may not have been genuine?? Could be that I'm just a bull**** filled devils advocate rather than a serious piano learner???

And in any case, aren't you busy tuning pianos and accompanying when you're not tending to your old chap?

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 17 Jun 2014, 09:02

dave brum wrote:Trying something new with the Landler with the LH clords involving 'saying the names of the notes aloud, making sure finger 5 is in that note as it leaps from an octave below ans shaping my hand, leaving my brain to concentrate on the RH.

I'm doing something very similar with the guitar, trying to learn the notes on the fingerboard (rather than relying on kinetic memory) by speaking each string number, note and fret number aloud, and it's helping me a lot.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 17 Jun 2014, 14:26

My new plan seems to be working. I now have better continuity. Ditching those Laura Shur sight reading things she's given me (they'll be going straight back to her next week) has given me more time to work on my Landler, plus saying the names of the notes have also given my ears a chance to listen out for what comes next, for example the piece is in the key of G but how the piece drifts into the dominant D, then seems to modulate into D as we get some A chords (D's dominant of course) then back into G for some subdominant C's before coming home to G. Which is also why we practice scales and arpeggios, plus learn about circles of fifths.

Oh and I've been practising another piece Mabs gave me before my last crash. They set me back weeks and I wish I didn't suffer with them.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 17 Jun 2014, 18:25

It'll also help you associate the notes on the page with the notes on the piano, which'll help SR.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 17 Jun 2014, 19:06

Gill the Piano wrote:It'll also help you associate the notes on the page with the notes on the piano, which'll help SR.

Well, to look for the positives in all of this, at least I am telling myself that I CAN PLAY!!! Sight reading is still very much in the 'to be dealt with' pigeonhole. For how much longer it will be there I know not. I want it dealt with NOW!

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 17 Jun 2014, 20:20

By doing what you're doing I think that you'll find you ARE dealing with it, albeit unwittingly!

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 17 Jun 2014, 21:04

..also, by allowing simple cautious thoughts to ruminate, they swell up out of proportion and it turns into a manic phobia of SRing for example. I gather from the tone of your posts you want me to have a go at doing an exam??

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 18 Jun 2014, 07:44

Going to see Mr.Forsyth today. Not Bruce. You know who I mean.

Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep playing!

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 18 Jun 2014, 16:30

dave brum wrote: I gather from the tone of your posts you want me to have a go at doing an exam??

You ain't landing ME with the responsibility of that, mate; if you want to do it, you do it. If not, don't. But I do think it would be a therapeutic experience doing under the auspices of a good, caring teacher who isn't pushing you for the hell of it - it'd wipe out the other experiences. But if you're happy doing what you're doing, fine. You can always just play the pieces from the exAM books and do the scales and so on, and not do the exam - that'll let you know what level you're at without the angst of an exam.

Post by **Feg** » 18 Jun 2014, 21:08

I've spent most of today riding a 650cc motorbike around the hills above Inverary.

I have come off said motorbike three times today

I have a staved wrist

I am a happy Feg

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 19 Jun 2014, 06:43

Gill the Piano wrote:
dave brum wrote: I gather from the tone of your posts you want me to have a go at doing an exam??
You ain't landing ME with the responsibility of that, mate; if you want to do it, you do it. If not, don't. But I do think it would be a therapeutic experience doing under the auspices of a good, caring teacher who isn't pushing you for the hell of it - it'd wipe out the other experiences. But if you're happy doing what you're doing, fine. You can always just play the pieces from the exAM books and do the scales and so on, and not do the exam - that'll let you know what level you're at without the angst of an exam.

I really do not know what I want to do. I can do Grade 1, the SR part is stopping me from doing so. Trinity exams look good but if I do their G1, I feel I would have 'cheated' because I would have chickened out of facing my biggest fear head on (you know what that is) and ACHIEVED sweet foxtrot alpha. I told Mabs at the outset I did not want to do exams. If I were to say to her I wanted to do grade 1 ABRSM then she would recommend entering me for G4 instead as she knows I've done 2 and 3. BUT both experiences frightened me and I feel I would be in a better position to conquer my fears starting at 1 and playing something I can play to an authoritarian scary stranger in a strange place on a pristine piano I've never played before. Those are my OTHER fears besides SRing and I can either attempt to conquer them (and be a better human as a consequence) or cowardly allow them to fester and fester, hampering my progress whether or not I take the exam.

Bearing in mind that I BUY half an hour of Mabs' time every week/fortnight or so and consequently there is limited time to mention these things to her as there's always someone in her waiting room. So these deeply held thoughts of mine never have a chance to get discussed....and in anycase after what certain other teachers have told me (I'm a piano teacher not a psychotherapist, Mr.Brum) that makes me very loth to want to want to open my gob.

Also bearing in mind that I am blacklisted by most teachers in my local area, so that makes me afraid of making a false move, for fear of losing Mabel.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 19 Jun 2014, 06:44

Feg wrote:
I have a staved wrist

A complaint unique to musos, by the sound of it

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 19 Jun 2014, 16:42

What is a staved wrist? Never heard of this condition...

Do what you want to do. Mabel is paid to advise you but can't make you do anything you don't want to. Do the G1 pieces - which will be a doddle for you - and when they're 'done' to your satisfaction, you have until December 2017 to decide whether to take it or not. And as I KEEP saying, SR is a tiny part of the exam. Do your best and bump up your scores in the other sections. It's what I did when I hated scales and nerves tripped me up every time. Get and read The Inner Game of Music.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 20 Jun 2014, 22:03

This is the piece I have to play to Mabel next Tuesday:

You'll see where I've scrawled over it but for the past month exactly (was given it on 20th May) it has been the bane of my life. I've tried everything in that time, playing it slowly, doing it a bit at a time over a couple of weeks or so, repetitive playing etc. all to no avail. When I try to sight read it it just throws me completely because I cannot play it without seeing where my hands are due to the large leaps and hand shapes. So I have to memorise it...and I can't even do that. Time is running out fast.

And yet I was looking at an email from Helen Emo that says that the more I persevere, the easier it will become. Helen's a grade eighter so I trust her and I don't want to give in - but I'm in big trouble with this one now, with less that 3 days. If I don't play this one properly, what's the betting she'll give me something more difficult that'll take me two months to learn??

Oh, and I cocked up my SR again tonight, even playing it at 16 2/3 rpm.

Post by **Feg** » 20 Jun 2014, 22:14

She won't give you something harder, don't be daft!

It is quite challenging IMHO. The LH would give me pause for thought and would require practice on its own to be secure before adding in the RH.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 21 Jun 2014, 06:22

Feg wrote:She won't give you something harder, don't be daft!

It is quite challenging IMHO. The LH would give me pause for thought and would require practice on its own to be secure before adding in the RH.

There is a strong possibility she will, Fiona. I do know her of old!

Rather than starting at the top of the preface list (which shows the pieces in graded/difficulty order) and working the way to the bottom, she's been skipping three and four pieces at a time. The result is that I'm almost at the bottom of the page, with a whole block of stuff in the middle I've not done. If it's taken me one month to do Landler, and yet I can play, for example Bagatelle, which is the next piece in the sequence, within ten days or so, then logic tells me that I'm being pushed again. She told me to go out and buy CTM book 2 (the blue one) when I haven't even done book 1 yet (I got More CTM book 1 just to be on the safe side).

Denes Agay (compiler of the CTM series) is quite methodical in his grading of the pieces in his series, and I think it's an excellent little book, but what's the point of any book if you skip pages? I only tolerate it because I want to be able to trust Mabel.

I also have an email from her in which she says: Don't worry, I shall move at YOUR pace. I think I may have to remind her of that, as a customer. (I serve loads of them in my shop, and they do have rights).

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 21 Jun 2014, 18:23

They aren't sequential, there are usually 2 or 3 at the same level which is why she's skipping some. Stop getting your knickers in a twist and calm down; take it gently and slowly.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 21 Jun 2014, 18:47

Straight Outta Canterbury! Gangsta rap in a Magnificat sandwich, courtesy of Helen Ingram:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9EHoLHbtC4

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 22 Jun 2014, 07:48

The Piano Prep test may be just the thing for me to get over my fears and lack of confidence. I CAN do this and not have to worry about panicking, getting nervous or trying to impress a strange examiner, because they will be on MY side!! Investigate further and don't tell piano teacher just incase parade is rained upon!

http://gb.abrsm.org/en/our-exams/other- ... prep-test/

http://gb.abrsm.org/fileadmin/user_uplo ... st2010.pdf

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 22 Jun 2014, 16:35

It's ideal in one way in that there is no pass or fail, just a report on your playing. On the minus side I think you'd be bored out of your brains and could probably SR the whole thing.

Post by **Feg** » 22 Jun 2014, 18:20

Gill the Piano wrote:It's ideal in one way in that there is no pass or fail, just a report on your playing. On the minus side I think you'd be bored out of your brains and could probably SR the whole thing.

What Gill said.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 22 Jun 2014, 21:47

Feg wrote:
Gill the Piano wrote:It's ideal in one way in that there is no pass or fail, just a report on your playing. On the minus side I think you'd be bored out of your brains and could probably SR the whole thing.
What Gill said.

The sight reading of it at home on my own piano should indeed be a doddle. The challenge would be doing it on a strange piano in a strange place in front of an AB examiner. Should be able to scrape together £32 of my benefits between now and November, I think I may need to take my keyboard, Classics To Moderns 1, my 2 hymn tunes and my trilby upturned to Northfield High Street (my local shopping centre in Brum) and raise a couple of bob

gizzy · Post by **gizzy** » 22 Jun 2014, 22:44

Talking of sight-reading books, there's one geared to Trinity starting from Initial Grade, which actually might serve your purposes. It's called Sound at Sight, and for Initial Grade, there are several things you will know in advance about the shight-reading:

1. It will be in 2/4 time
2. The note-lengths will be confined to minims and crotchets, which, work it out, will only mean one minim or two crotchets to a bar.
3. It will consist of four bars in one hand followed by four bars in the other, with one being marked p and the other f (or of course verce visa)
4. The hand position will be CDEFG in both hands, so you only have to know ten notes, and there will be very few jumps bigger than a third, apart from the occasional trip from one end of the hand to the other.

Grade 1 introduces semibreves but still no quavers, and a few more hand positions, and in fact a little - a very little - 2-handed stuff, which is a good preparation for people who have to suffer ABRSM grade 2

Something coming your way by PM - feel free to ignore

Gizzyx

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 23 Jun 2014, 07:53

Thanks for the PM, Giz - will have a proper lewk when I get back from my bookshop this evening. I'm still not sure if Mabel is au fait with the 'Trinity'. Being Director of Music at a branch of the queen's church (or 'Tory Party at prayer' as Polly Toynbee calls it) should go hand in hand with it, one would have thought.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 23 Jun 2014, 19:22

Good range of music in the shop today. Started off with Edward H.Dafis, then Mel Torme, Benjamin Britten, Dinah Washington, Ravi Shankar, Tony Bennett, Armenian folk music, rounding off with good old Sacha Distillery.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 23 Jun 2014, 20:27

Sat sitted at my desk doing some G1 theory work for Mabel putting in bar lines for the Hebrides Overture. Is that like the Ladyboys Prelude, one ponders?

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 24 Jun 2014, 09:11

Piano lesson at 1515 today, I think my homework pieces are just about okay having been doing lots of extra practice on Landler. But I'm still four bars from the end of Hydrofoil, which I blame on my last 'nosedive'. Have to get it right for August!!

Helen's already had 152 views for this - the 'adversely bottomed maternal fornicator'. The more I watch it the more I think it's a musical masterpiece (NWA's 'Gangsta Gangsta' played and sung on a church organ in the style of the 'Magnificat' canticle, with the first few lines of the Magnificat, the suffix (Glory Be To The Father etc.) with everything else courtesy of Ice Cube, Doctor Dre and Co:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9EHoLHbtC4