Clean forgotten...

...that I passed.

I was going through the ABRSM tag on my tumblr dashboard & saw someone posted their G5 certificiate.. A bit jealous initially then I remembered I also will have the same thing. Haha...

Currently I've started playing G6 pieces... & just recently started studying music theory for G5.. I realised the importance of music theory to my study in piano playing.. For example, it helped a lot for me in remembering what major/minor is that by seeing the key signatures alone... Skimmed through the workbook today, I noticed it sometimes refer to the Eric Taylor book Part II.. Fortunately, I'd bought the book weeks ago...

Australian Guild Music Theory Exam (Grade 4)

Sat for the exam last Sunday (Nov 11th)... Usually the venue is at UMS' School of Art Studies. This time, it's held at SIA, KK Times Sq. The last time I sat for a Guild exam was 2008.. The exam-takers were more less than the time I took Grade 1 paper.. I kind of saw the list when registering, seems like most of them were grade 1-3.. only me taking grade 4.. Our sitting arrangements were made according to our grades.. I was at the back.. next to me was taking grade 6 (no grade 5 though)..

I finished last haha.. the questions were more tricky than the trial/past papers I did.. when the last person before me left, I was still checking for mistakes.. Fortunately I checked, I saw many careless mistakes!!

I just hope I'll pass (^.^)

Playing "Face Down" on the piano

KYA~~~ It started with this youtube video of someone who made a piano cover of the song.. & it turns out the user sells his/her transcribed piano scores. I purchased Face Down (full version) first. I also purchased Meikyuu Love Song from the same person but I haven't started studying that yet... :P. 

Here's the video I was talking about.

SO MUCH FUN playing this on the piano!!!!! Suprisingly I caught up pretty fast (maybe because I'm very familiar with the song) but I can't play it smoothly yet. :P

Anyway... I found several different piano/keyboard covers for Face Down. Quite interesting to listen to other players' intrepretation of the song.

This one is like a slow (& kind of sad) version of the song...

Midi version(?)

Another midi version?

Music box version

First Piece

I made a surprising breakthrough (for me it was!) in piano...

Somehow... I've memorised the first piece I'm going to play for the exam!

KYAAAAAAAAAAA~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm never really good at memorising things so this was quite an accomplishment for me!

Actually, I got one third of the second piece memorized too... I just need to spend more time on the piano!

Perhaps it was "growth"...

I almost can't believe it when I realised there are less than two months left before my piano practical exam. Still so bad at scales and the other things you played after that. There was a period where that's the only thing I play during extra lessons... it was kind of a robotic experience. *sigh*

And... the aural parts. GAH. I still can't get the part that is so new to me - singing just by sight-reading the notes.

What frustrates me most is it really, really, really felt like I'm almost there but I couldn't reach it. It sounds like I just need to practise more really... but with current situation in university, it was hard to do them. I think I've reached a point in my life where I see how highly connected everything related to me are to each other, I became overwhelmed that I'm unsure how to proceed... and I kept being reminded how I hate what I'm studying now in university...

Recently, I tried to proceed carefully... by trying to address smaller problems first before the big ones... for piano, it was a pleasant surprise to me when I finally can play a song (still with mistakes though) that sounded like random notes played together months ago. Like I finally can hear the voice or something...

Reading some discussions on piano forums really encourages me... I might be bad at some areas (for now) but that doesn't mean there's no progress happening!!!

It gives me a glimpse of hope for my musical future. There are so many pieces and songs, so many more musical journeys yet to be explored, ... it is limitless... and it makes me happy to think that I have this chance in the future.



Persevere.

ABRSM music theory exam [12-March-2012]

Sat for the theory exam in KK High School yesterday with my brother. My brother took the grade 1 exam while I took grade 3. There were some questions that I got a bit confused at... but I'll pass. I believe I will pass this exam :D

I realized that having a mock exam day every week for a month before the real exam is really helpful. Like helps with not being nervous etc.. I could apply the same for the subjects I'm taking this semester.

Piano Classes [10-Mar-2012 & 11-Mar-2012]

Theory again.. :P

The music theory exam is tomorrow~! Actually I haven't memorise the italian terms... Uh-oh. 

Anyway... I kept getting confused at how to describe the intervals for minor scales. Today, all confusions were cleared. LOL. FINALLY understood how to look at it. & Miss C said she's going to stress on the scales after the music school's midterm holidays... Still haven't practise that scary looking minor scales. She also talked about the aural section. Seems like there'll be a part where I have to sing out notes on paper... and then the examiner plays the notes to check if I sang correctly.  This is actually scary... but I'm kind of excited to learn this! (crazy?) Isn't this basically sight-reading??? Sight-reading is a nice skill to have IMO...

Piano Classes [04-Mar-2012 & 05-Mar-2012]

Did theory exercises for Grade 3 because my brother and I will be sitting for ABRSM music theory exam next week on March 12th. 

Bought two songbook that focus on moving up grades (like pieces with level in between such and such grade). I already have g1-g2 & g2-g3 at home, the ones I bought were g3-g4 & g4-g5 :P... Tried playing them already. Very nice. My playing progress was much slower when I play the g4-g5 pieces ... so I guess I'm really right on my supposed grade, huh.

I wonder if I'm experiencing this music learning the way I would be if I learn earlier (or similar like others who started early)... For now, the way I'm seeing it, I'm learning not because I'm that passionate about music. It's more like I'm appreciative of the opportunity I get to learn something I forgo in the past... it's like the fun just have barely started (lol).. Of course it's fun now... but as I just rewatched Nodame Cantabile, I realised there are so many more that I could learn regarding music.. & many pieces I want to play... well.. not that I'm aiming to go to a music college or something.. it's really a personal thing. I was thinking that I want to be someone who could play one of Beethoven's sonatas (for example) without having to graduate from a music college in the future. Very personal thing, right.. 

Piano Class [25-Feb-2012]

Last week, my class was postponed to Sunday... Great day. I think I played better than Saturday's classes. I really miss going to class every Sunday...

Today played pieces only. Wasn't any better than last week's.. started on second piece though. My biggest problem with this second piece is how to express it... maybe.. partly  I chose this so that I could learn how to control the dynamics of anything I play on the piano :P

My music school is moving to a new place so our classes would be held at their other venue starting next month (while they still have to do renovation at the new place)... The other venue seems to be a place for those taking Rock school kind of lessons...? Dunno what that meant really hehe... but I've never been there so I'm kind of excited to go there next month.

Ohno has a new dorama next season. "Kagi no Kakatta Heya". SO, SO HAPPY.  So happy that I ordered the novel (:P) before it was confirmed by newspaper reports (originally people found out from a magazine scan yet to be published...) along with Arashi's latest album songbook...

Can't wait for my order to arrive!!!

Piano Class [04-Feb-2012]

The music school's classrooms (studios?) are REALLY fully booked on Saturdays! 

Last Saturday, my class (actually since it changed to Saturdays, I have music lessons together with my brother :P) was conducted in a room that is usually used for [mock] exam practice use. Very large room... Six times larger than the room we usually use. There were two upright pianos. Miss C chose the one that sounded like harpsichord.. I said it sounded that way because when I play my first song, it sounded just like the original harpsichord version I found on Youtube. I like the sound actually.. but I didn't play very well that day. Lack of sleep (had only 1-2 hours of sleep) made me so out of focus all day...

ARGGRGHH. I was also so irritated that I couldn't control the dynamics of the piece... was it because it's a piano I don't usually use? .. lack of focus..? URGH. 

Actually my weekend wasn't really great.. super annoyed with everything.. can't describe what kind of feelings I had...

Piano Class [28-Jan-2012]

It felt great to attend class when you had had practice the week before... :D

I still played like a mess though... dunno why it always have to happen when Miss C is there :P

Miss C started on scales after the first piece was played. Panicked. I totally panicked hearing unfamiliar major scales... lol. When I actually tried all of them (only the major ones for now), I realised... "HEY. I kind of know this...," I felt like a fool! I've played pieces/songs with these key signatures before! Playing those songs - even though not perfect - REALLY HELPED A LOT! Though it was just recently (few months ago I think) that I could accept songs with 4-6 flats (Arashi's "Monster" is one of them & I LOVE this song)... I'm quite surprised how easy I get comfortable with those scary scales. XD

Now I'm back to worrying about my pieces. My problem is still the dynamics ... my second piece looks easy but is quite difficult on the expressing part (had to work more on the controlling the pedal - too noisy for now)... I've tried playing my third piece already, a jazz piece.. chosen through elimination method :P ....C1 was lengthy, need to play fast & need to change pages (yeah I think of petty things like this lol).. C3 was lengthy too & I'm not really in the mood to play marches :P.

My chosen pieces are A1, B1 & C2.

I've found someone who had played them on youtube so you can listen to how they sound like...

A1

B1

C2

It's decided. I'm taking Grade 5's piano exam (ABRSM) this year.

I shouldn't have been surprised... actually. 

I want this to happen.

I have wanted this to happen.

Since I skipped taking exams last year, I was like floating between grade 3 and 4. The time gap was big. It gave me enough time to study G3...& then G4's pieces. Which was what I was supposed to be taking this year. BUT. One day, I forgot to bring my G4 book to class. So my teacher lent me G5 book from the school shop (lol)... & I fell in love with the first song (A1). I got bored with the G4 pieces I had chosen to play. It was so apparent that I didn't feel like improving my playing anymore XD... When my piano teacher asked me to pick between these two numbers last Saturday, I was thinking that I'm not up to G5 level yet... but then another thought came.. I rather die than play the G4 pieces for exam. Okay, I'm exaggerating... but this made me agree to go along with my teacher's suggestion. 

So, I need to be serious this year. There are a lot to catch up... such as scales. I must know all my scales. 12 major scales and 12 minor scales. *cringes* ... I haven't even pick my B and C pieces yet...

The exam is at least six months away....

Honestly, I'm feeling a bit optimistic about this. If I fail, at least I will have the experience of taking a G5 practical exam... & the next attempt should be easier (& more relaxing).

2012

My first post in 2012! XD

My parents bought a new sofa set few weeks ago, so the piano was re-located... well not far from it's original place... but lol.. I just want to say it sounds really pretty now when I play it! I haven't check it online, but I think it has some effects to the acoustic of the room (or sth) when you put the piano too closely to the wall... Before, the sound was echo-ish and not as pleasant as now.. I don't know... psychological, maybe... lol

Anyway.. starting this year -following a somewhat big change in my father's church situation...- my piano classes will be on Saturdays..

I believe 2012 will be a great year.