Music Practicals

MadSambuka

Does anyone know if its true that you have to give the examiner sheet music of the music that your going to play? I've heard from a few people that you have to but nowhere says it for definate!!

Marshy

Yeah its certainly recommended that you do.

Steve01

Lol, if thats true I'll have to give my examiner 6 drum tabs. Somehow I doubt she'll be able to make sense of them :rolleyes:

bluto63

Would that be only if you're playing on your own though? Like, you'd hardly be expected to give 5 different sheet music for each person playing in a band.

ethernet

I think they did away with that. You don't have to give them the music any more. Why bother unless they ask? Don't give them the chance to dock you a mark for being a quarter of a tone flat on one note.

I think it's more important that your instruments are in tune and that the piece isn't too long.

PS: what day's your exam?

MadSambuka

confusing! I dont have music for my pieces cause its all trad and the like! should i bother looking for them or just take the chance!? Monday morning first thing! the joys!

Marshy

MadSambuka wrote:

confusing! I dont have music for my pieces cause its all trad and the like! should i bother looking for them or just take the chance!? Monday morning first thing! the joys!

You should ask your teacher. I'd like to think they'd know.

Oh yeah, monday morning, stung!

ZorbaTehZ

MadSambuka wrote:

confusing! I dont have music for my pieces cause its all trad and the like! should i bother looking for them or just take the chance!? Monday morning first thing! the joys!

Im not doing music, but I would think that that's asking a bit much to supply sheet music if your doing traditional pieces.

BoozyBabe

Granted it's 10 years since I sat the leaving, but at that time, you most definitely didn't have to give sheet music.

JC 2K3

Sure you can just go in and do improv can't you?

Steve01

JC 2K3 wrote:

Sure you can just go in and do improv can't you?

Probably, it works for a lot of people. Easiest 100% I'll ever get anyway... provided my arms doesn't fall off in the next two weeks.

Murns

I sure hope we dont have to give music sheets up because i dont have any! I play by ear!

Mine are next Thursday, I'm screwed:(

Steve01

Murns wrote:

I play by ear!

Mine are next Thursday, I'm screwed:(

Don't worry, most people play by ear (myself included). Its the best way to do it imo. Sheet music? Pfft.

JC 2K3

With sheet music you can play accurately something you've never heard.

Steve01

JC 2K3 wrote:

With sheet music you can play accurately something you've never heard.

And the point of the practical is that you're playing something you have heard, presumably.
If sheet music works for some people, fair enough. With playing by ear, your developing the sheet music within!

PurpleFistMixer

Sheet music is way easier. : ) I mean, what's easier: reading an extract from a page or reciting it from memory?
That said, it can impair musicality as you get stuck into reading the sheet, even if you don't need to.

Steve01

PurpleFistMixer wrote:

Sheet music is way easier. : ) I mean, what's easier: reading an extract from a page or reciting it from memory?

Personally speaking, memory. No question about it. Though I'm not sure is memory the right word for it. In any event if I have to play a song and I know it well, the sheet music is absolutely useless to me.

JC 2K3

Sheet music and recorded music are simply aids to memory.

With sheet music you have the advantage of being able to play a piece perfectly without knowing it off by heart and you don't need to know scales etc., you can just play it as it's written.

However, it's easy to remember a melody you like that you hear and if you know your scales very well you may be able to play it very quickly and easily by listening to it.

It all depends on the way you learn an instrument what method you prefer. For example, I play recorder and did grade 8 last year. I can play stuff off sheet music to a high standard, however, without the sheet music I'd have a hard time figuring out what to play by listening.

However, I've been playing guitar for 5 years, and knowing my scales quite well I can figure almost anything out by listening to it(excluding Buckethead-esque shredding), however, I have the disadvantage of not being able to play music simply by reading it.


Sigh, that post makes me wish I'd picked music over history....

ZorbaTehZ

PurpleFistMixer wrote:

Sheet music is way easier. : ) I mean, what's easier: reading an extract from a page or reciting it from memory?
That said, it can impair musicality as you get stuck into reading the sheet, even if you don't need to.

Well if someones playing trad. then they've (probably) spent the last whatever amount of years playing and learning everything without any paper and in most cases don't even know how to read music.

ethernet

I think it's good to learn from a sheet. The sooner you can associate a note with a certain pitch, the better -- allowing you to site read more accurately. Additionally, you're more likely [hopefully] to heed timing and dynamics if learning from a score as opposed to picking up a tune aurally.

Maxwell House

Out of interest Steve01 what pieces did you play on the drums cos I've no idea what the standard was meant to be

Steve01

The pieces I'll be playing are:
Here comes your man by Pixies
Crazy little thing called love by Queen
Under the bridge by Red hot chilli peppers
Light my fire by The Doors
Money by Pink Floyd
Walking on the moon by The Police

My brother is accompanying me on bass too. Basically all they want to see is that you can keep timing, have good rhythm, you can play in a variety of styles (rock, swing etc.) and use dynamics (loud, soft etc.), Don't get too caught up with being technically amazing - so long as you've covered the basics you'll do fine. If your playing with someone else then harmony is hugely integral. Make sure volume levels are balanced and make eye-contact with the accompanist if possible.