I finally got the mark breakdown for my piano exam:
A - Bach p&f - 27
B - Mozart allegro - 24
C - Grieg Nocturne - 29
Scales - 16
SR - 16
Aural - 15
total - 127.

Now, I'm absolutely over the moon about the result, I've never done so well in a piano exam, though I'm a lil disappointed with the scales/sr. Scales I got the comments 'cautious' and 'didn't sparkle' but i got for sight reading was 'cautious but musical.' I honestly don't see how i lost 5 marks for it being cautious, especially as it was marked lento.

Anyway... What to do now? I don't particularly want to do a diploma, would prefer to expand my repertoire but have no idea where to start. i'm learning some chopin, and am looking for something different. What did you all do after Grade 8? Learn a concerto (thats waht I did on violin). Decisions decisions....
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Congratulations!!

After grade 8, I learned (and am still learning) the first Beethoven piano sonata - i couldn't choose one, so just picked the first in the book Learning the whole of a sonata is nice because of all the different contrasting bits, which present all kinds of different challenges.

Personally, I wouldn't dream of learning a concerto yet. My knowledge of concertos is limited, but all the ones I know about are WAAAY above grade 8, and anyway, what would be the fun of learning it without the opportunity to play it with an orchestra?

Basically just play what you want Maybe have a look through the diploma sylabus for ideas.

Congratulations! Thats a fantastic result! I played the Grieg in a concert the other month, it's fantastic, isnt it!

I would look at the period of music you like best to pick a piece or 2 to start off with. You mention you've been working on Chopin, and that you did the Grieg, so why not try looking at some more of the Romantic period composers, such as Liszt, Brahms, Schumann, and Debussy? I'd recommend Schumann's "Fantasiestucke", which i love, or maybe Debussy's "Suite Bergamasque", which includes "Claire de lune" (the Prelude is also great, which is why im learning it at the moment!).

If you're up for a Challenge, i think learning a Piano Concerto would be great. I believe there is a thread on concertos somewhere by mad tom which may come in useful, and give you an idea of standard and length.

Perhaps look at some of the repetoire on the Diploma list to give you an idea of other composers or pieces to look at, and maybe try some of the pieces on the list.

Good luck with choosing music to play, and well done on your grade 8!:)

Jacob.

After grade 8, i'd go back to basics and make sure you have'nt missed anything in your technique and approach. Explore and develop your repertoire, join a band or learn a close related instrument.

Congrats for your results!

What would you suggest as a closely related instrument?

Congratulations: I'm impressed with (and for just a moment there slightly jealous of) the mark.

I asked the same question when I finished grade 8. In terms of recommending what to do next all I can do is to tell you what I've done. After grade 8 in July (I got 118 - just missed a merit) I started learning a few things off the Dip list during the summer: Scarlatti sonatas in G, Szymanowski Etude in Bb and most recently Liszt Petrarch Sonnet 123 (I also went to Chethams Summer School, where I had my first ever lessons on improvisation). At my first regular lesson after the summer break, last Friday, my teacher said to carry on with those pieces but also to start addressing my most obvious technical problems, principally speed. With this in mind she has started me on Czerny's School of Velocity. We've also talked about Haydn Sonatas, Beethoven Sonatas (starting at the beginning with no.1) and had a good look at the rest of the Diploma Syllabus. We have also agreed that for the next year at least we will be concentrating on repertoire and technical development and only next September will we talk again about the possibility of actually taking a Diploma exam - for the moment I'm simply not good enough. In the meantime, Grade 5 flute beckons in December, then grade 6 or 7 next summer, then Chethams Piano again next summer. If I add the things I am already learning to the things I want to learn over the next year or so and to the things my teachers will want me to learn, I've got at least 2 years hard work already laid out ahead on each instrument! That doesn't even include my guitar, learning & playing jazz, or even the other things I do with my life.

The only important thing is that you enjoy it, whatever it is you choose to do next with music! Good luck

I would try to find some singers, instrumentalists or another pianist to play with. There is a whole wealth of piano accompaniments to play if you have a partner. Schubert songs are wonderful for example.

I'm starting the clarinet next week (yay!). I odn't know if that counts as a closely related instrument but I want a different challenge.
Will avhe a look at some of those sonatas, thatnks for the suggestions.
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Duplicate post deleted

Congratulations.

So who is your favourite composer fo piano. When you listen to piano music, whose compositions do you most like to listen to? (I hope you enjoy listening to piano music - if not - then why are you playing piano?)

So who do you adore? Bach, Scarlatti, Haydn, Mozart, Cimarosa, Clementi, Beethoven, Schumann, Schubert, Brahms, Chopi, LIszt, Mendelsohn, Chabrier, Grieg, Sibelius, Albeniz, Granados, Scriabin, Cui, Borodin, Balakirev, Glinka, Franck, Faure, Debussy, Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Ginastera, or any of a hundred more great writers for the piano ... there must be one that turns you on

Decide that, then just pick a piece by them that you really like, that is just a little bit tougher than anything you've tried before.


Or you can take the practical approach, and learn a mix of pieces for optimal improvement:

Something technical: (An etude by: Czerny, Cramer-Bulow, Chopin)
Something contrapuntal: (A Bach Prelude and Fugue from the Well tempered clavier
A classical sonata: (Haydn. Mozart, Clementi, Beethoven)
A Romantic piece: (Schumann, Liszt, ...)
A 20th Century piece: (Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, ...)