ABRSM
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ABRSM
For the requirements for the ABRSM tests they ask for arpeggios to be able to play the "common chords". I asked my teacher about this but she just kinda shrugged it off and said it was just the chords 1, 3, 5; but, I'm wondering if that's right. Anyone know what they mean by "common chords"?
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- Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2003 5:30 am
Thanks! I knew I'd seen that Fox character somewhere! Now I can sleep in peacenumptie - first I'll answer the most important part of your post ... the cartoon is Disney's Robin Hood.

I'm not sure I ever want to play professional. I just like playing. Also prefer solo flute - no other instruments in the way.
Are the ABRSM quals worth going for? Their course books aren't cheap

That's pretty cool. It makes more sense than doing what I'm doing i.e. picking up any music scores that look interesting and seeing how I'm getting on.
I picked up the Brandenburg Concerto recently. It is a nightmare for a new player like me to get past the first line of music with most the notes in the third octave!
It's strange though - I can pick up a piece, like Handel's Sonata No.2 and play the adagio with no problems. That's rated a grade 5 piece. Then I try Mozart's Minuets from Sonata No.1 and I can barely get a single note or tempo right. That's grade 1 I think
I picked up the Brandenburg Concerto recently. It is a nightmare for a new player like me to get past the first line of music with most the notes in the third octave!

It's strange though - I can pick up a piece, like Handel's Sonata No.2 and play the adagio with no problems. That's rated a grade 5 piece. Then I try Mozart's Minuets from Sonata No.1 and I can barely get a single note or tempo right. That's grade 1 I think

I was actually starting to consider picking up some music I find interesting. I feel I'm being too rigid in following the grade requirements and losing out in enjoying playing something I like.numptie wrote:That's pretty cool. It makes more sense than doing what I'm doing i.e. picking up any music scores that look interesting and seeing how I'm getting on.
I picked up the Brandenburg Concerto recently. It is a nightmare for a new player like me to get past the first line of music with most the notes in the third octave!![]()
It's strange though - I can pick up a piece, like Handel's Sonata No.2 and play the adagio with no problems. That's rated a grade 5 piece. Then I try Mozart's Minuets from Sonata No.1 and I can barely get a single note or tempo right. That's grade 1 I think
You are probably more advanced than me going by your post count.Fox wrote: I was actually starting to consider picking up some music I find interesting. I feel I'm being too rigid in following the grade requirements and losing out in enjoying playing something I like.
If you haven't already got it - I'd recommend the Ricordi Publication Compendium 1 for flute solo. It is a most enjoyable book to work through with a strong German bias - Schneider, Telemann as well as others like Stamitz, Boismortier.
If you're wanting a challenge, the Boosey & Hawkes Flute Anthology of 24 pieces by 16 composers is quite electrifying! I just love reading the music scores of these - yet to play them.
I have a few other books, including the Trevor Wye Flute books; Faure for Flute, Baroque Flute music, Graded pieces for Flute (very good too) and modern repertoire stuff too. I like the 4 page pieces, rather than the 1 page pieces. I still haven't mastered sight-reading several bars before the end of the page, so I'm fumbling to turn the page and making a horlicks of it still.
The problem about no graded guide is that I can pick a few pieces to play and beat myself up silly about it because I make little progress other than playing one piece and struggling to get the 3rd octave E or F notes.
That's pretty cool.Fox wrote:I wouldn't say I'm more advanced. I had studied on my own for a long time, and now that I have a really good teacher I'm unlearning all my bad habits so I got thrown back to square one again.
I'll take a look at those books you mentioned - thanks.
Lessons here are expensive. If I was to have weekly lessons, i would be paying more than I would to study for a proper music degree!

I'm studying on my own now - with the help of Trevor Wye's Omnibus series (Tone, Technique, Intonation etc). Do you know this series? It's worth getting for daily practice. In a way, it is my substitute for a teacher. I would have really liked a teacher, but at around £150/month for weekly lessons, I figure I would rather save up and learn to discipilne myself in self-study and buy a proper alto flute with the money I save from not having lessons! I'm really enamoured by its big beautiful sound of the alto flute

Yes, lessons can be quite expensive, but I only take a lesson a month. I'm also going through the omnibus edition. Plus, I'm using his "Beginner's book for the flute".
I did think in the beginning that you can learn to play on your own. You can, but there are many little mistakes that you can make and now that I'm going to a teacher I've fixed most of them.
Mostly the lessons are for the teacher to make corrections to my playing.
I did think in the beginning that you can learn to play on your own. You can, but there are many little mistakes that you can make and now that I'm going to a teacher I've fixed most of them.
Mostly the lessons are for the teacher to make corrections to my playing.
I didn't get the Trevor Wye first beginner book - I have the second.
Have you also got this one:

I'm wondering if it's worth getting too. I feel like I have spent too much on books recently and I should just keep with practicing.
The single lesson I had was not very good. The teacher didn't do corrections - just gave pat answers to keep on practicing. Which is of course - good advice. So I'm practicing without him as a teacher
Anyway! I bought a new penny flute for flute off-days
Have you also got this one:

I'm wondering if it's worth getting too. I feel like I have spent too much on books recently and I should just keep with practicing.
The single lesson I had was not very good. The teacher didn't do corrections - just gave pat answers to keep on practicing. Which is of course - good advice. So I'm practicing without him as a teacher

Anyway! I bought a new penny flute for flute off-days

No, I don't have proper flute playing. Doesn't seem like a worthwhile book to get. I got enough to work with from the beginners books and the omnibus.
You know, the first teacher I went to wasn't very good either. She is an elementary school teacher and she did the same thing. She gave me all this praise and such. I had to ask her to see if I needed to change anything. The whole time she had this "holier than thou" attitude. Yet, what really got me is when she mentioned "Next lesson I'll go over how to properly clean your flute." I told her that I use cigarette paper and she responded with "Those are ok, but better than that is using a dollar bill"
That was it - never went back. Keep looking. The teacher I got now is a grad student and he's really good has made tons of corrections and given tons of advice. Totally worth it.
You know, the first teacher I went to wasn't very good either. She is an elementary school teacher and she did the same thing. She gave me all this praise and such. I had to ask her to see if I needed to change anything. The whole time she had this "holier than thou" attitude. Yet, what really got me is when she mentioned "Next lesson I'll go over how to properly clean your flute." I told her that I use cigarette paper and she responded with "Those are ok, but better than that is using a dollar bill"
That was it - never went back. Keep looking. The teacher I got now is a grad student and he's really good has made tons of corrections and given tons of advice. Totally worth it.
there must be more than just the two of us learning basic flute playing lol.
The Trevor Wye 'proper flute playing' is supposed to be the companion text book to the Omnibus series, no? I haven't got my way through the omnibus so I guess I'll leave it too.
That's incredible what your first flute teacher said. How is a dirty $ bill supposed to clean a flute?
The thought that your teacher was going to get you excited enough to come back to learn how to clean a flute really boggles.
I don't know how to smoke and play the flute (at the same time lol) so I only ever wipe mine down with a microfibre optical cloth. I hear you can use denatured alcohol but at my age I'm more likely to drink it neat lol.
I'd be happy with a grad student to teach me. The problem is I live in a remote place and there is no university here for over 100 miles. There is an academy for under 18s, but I no longer qualify.
The Trevor Wye 'proper flute playing' is supposed to be the companion text book to the Omnibus series, no? I haven't got my way through the omnibus so I guess I'll leave it too.
That's incredible what your first flute teacher said. How is a dirty $ bill supposed to clean a flute?

The thought that your teacher was going to get you excited enough to come back to learn how to clean a flute really boggles.
I don't know how to smoke and play the flute (at the same time lol) so I only ever wipe mine down with a microfibre optical cloth. I hear you can use denatured alcohol but at my age I'm more likely to drink it neat lol.
I'd be happy with a grad student to teach me. The problem is I live in a remote place and there is no university here for over 100 miles. There is an academy for under 18s, but I no longer qualify.