What Are You Practising / Composing Now?

[cloughie]

Couple of movements from the Gordon Jacobs Suite for Treble Recorder or Flute which I play over a (not terribly good but useful) recording of the same. The sheet music turned up in a local Oxfam shop. That was a good day

Also, gone back to doing some Theory of Music exercises. Gives me something to do when I finish the crossword in the evening. Passed ABRSM Grade 5 a couple of years ago having struggled to find a local teacher prepared to admit to teaching it. In the end I got some help from a local 6th former who’d just done A level Music and Grade 8 flute. She was really excellent and would have made a fantastic music teacher, but somehow didn't believe it. The next I heard of her she’d married a soldier and the first child on the way. So sad

Did you go straight to grade 5 or build up via other grades first? - I am thinking of doing some theory and the discipline of working to an exam would be good.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Did you go straight to grade 5 or build up via other grades first? - I am thinking of doing some theory and the discipline of working to an exam would be good.

I would suggest that you save money and only "sit" the Grade V and Grade VIII Exams if you want the "qualification", cloughie. Go through the earlier Grades at your own pace, but those are the only levels that have any "clout". (Many instrumental teachers have said the same thing to me about instrumental Grade Exams, too - they put kids in for the others because the parents want to have the certificates; moe often than not, it just encourages learners to pick up "Exam passing techniques" rather than improving their performing skills - and leads to players who can perform a Grade V exam piece quite well, but can't sight read a Grade III piece.)

[BBMmk2]

I think you should have a go at arranging ‘The Rising’ - it would sound good in a wind arrangement.

That is a good song! Yes, I might just!

[EnemyoftheStoat]

Back to long low notes after a while after playing Shosta 7 on fourth horn yesterday - sadly appropriate to play the ‘Leningrad’ on what turns out to be the day we lost Mariss Jansons.

[teamsaint]

Not really sure what the issue is with marrying soldiers or having children.

Her skills and talents will come out in other ways., in any case.

[cloughie]

Not really sure what the issue is with marrying soldiers or having children.

Her skills and talents will come out in other ways., in any case.

..?

[greenilex]

I think probably once a music teacher, always a music teacher...

[BBMmk2]

I have now completed my last project, Berlioz’s Marche Les Troyens for brass band. I am now involved with talking to the Royal Marines Band Service, especially their school of music.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I think probably once a music teacher, always a music teacher...

I think Music Teachers are born, not made ...


Poor sods.

[teamsaint]

..?

See post #344

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I have now completed my last project, Berlioz’s Marche Les Troyens for brass band. I am now involved with talking to the Royal Marines Band Service, especially their school of music.

Bravo, Maestro! Best Wishes selling it to the Marines!

[Dave2002]

Couple of movements from the Gordon Jacobs Suite for Treble Recorder or Flute which I play over a (not terribly good but useful) recording of the same. The sheet music turned up in a local Oxfam shop. That was a good day

There are several YouTube videos of the Gordon Jacobs suite. I wonder if this is a set of pieces which are rather more fun to play than to listen to. A couple in the set do sound and seem to be quite challenging - therefore interesting - but some of the others seem dull to me.

[cloughie]

See post #344

Thanks!

From the same post Constantbee, did you do Grade 5 from scratch or do other grades building up to it?

[Joseph K]

This past week or so, I've had something of a break-through in my technique, my right-hand plectrum technique. The main movement of this is now definitely coming from the wrist, which is how it should be. So I can more easily play higher tempi than I could do before. Not only that, but my control of accents and phrasing is better. I'm still practising the Bach presto from the first violin sonata quite a lot, perhaps more than I'd like, but I have found that say, switching between playing the piece at 140 bpm with two notes per click and then playing the piece at 95 bpm with three notes per click is really good at learning to control accents and phrasing.

[BBMmk2]

Bravo, Maestro! Best Wishes selling it to the Marines!

Thanks! Oh it’s always the Royal Marines, Lol!