My Music Exam.... Grade 6 Tenor Horn

Tekno Venus

Tekno Venus

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Hey guys,

Took my Grade 6 Music exam earlier today. :grin1: I play the Tenor Horn. Not sure how it went, should know in a few hours! Fingers crossed. :)

Stephen
 
Thanks!

That's a shame. :( I really enjoy playing, luckily I can practice at home with no issue. Those WhisperRooms look impressive though, bet they cost a fortune!
 
For the benefit of someone "across the pond", what is the Grade 6 Music exam? I didn't find search results helpful.

Here in the U.S., the 6th Grade is the seventh year of school (if Kindergarten is counted) and is comprised of ~11 year olds. Obviously, this is not the same as "Grade 6".
 
The other thing is I live in an area, only for another year hopefully, that I don't want to advertise that I instruments.

Tenor sax makes too much noise, so does the Alto, even with the Sax mute from Best Brass (http://www.morizono.co.jp/BEST BRASS e-Sax.htm). Uncomfortable, hot and the pickup mic is crap.
I have even tried Saxmute (http://www.saxmute.com/saxmute_reduce_noise_saxophone_clarinet.html) for my saxophones and clarinet.
Basically the mutes are BS.

The flute is kind of ok (there is no mute for that anyway) but getting some of the high notes requires a bit more air and I don't have the control yet.

The whisper room is about $5K, but at least I will be able to practise in peace and not upset anyone.

Have you done your theory exams?
 
Sorry Corrine!

OK, for musical instruments (pretty much any sort) it is possible to take examinations to work out what level you are playing at and to give you something to aim for. There are 8 grades possible - Grade 1-8. These exams consist of different things depending on the instrument but for a brass insturment, like I play, grades normally consist of the following, obviously getting harder as they go on:

  • 2 accompanied pieces of music (by a piano)
  • 1 unaccompanied piece
  • Sight reading (get given a piece of music you've never seen, 30 seconds to look at it and then you have to play it!
  • Aural tests, examiner plays a piece and asks questions on it (harder than it sounds!) or for earlier grades (1-5)
  • Musical knowledge
  • Scales and scale exercises
Exams are normally done by one of the two main examining boards, Trinity Guildhall (I had mine with them) or ABRSM (the exam board of the Royal Schools of Music). ABRSM and Trinity


Make sense? :)

Stephen
 
Shintaro said:
The other thing is I live in an area, only for another year hopefully, that I don't want to advertise that I instruments.

Tenor sax makes too much noise, so does the Alto, even with the Sax mute from Best Brass (http://www.morizono.co.jp/BEST BRASS e-Sax.htm). Uncomfortable, hot and the pickup mic is crap.
I have even tried Saxmute (http://www.saxmute.com/saxmute_reduce_noise_saxophone_clarinet.html) for my saxophones and clarinet.
Basically the mutes are BS.

The flute is kind of ok (there is no mute for that anyway) but getting some of the high notes requires a bit more air and I don't have the control yet.

The whisper room is about $5K, but at least I will be able to practise in peace and not upset anyone.

Have you done your theory exams?
Click to expand...
That's a shame, the sax is such a lovely instrument. Hopefully you'll be able to practice again at some time in the future.

Theory exams, no I haven't done any. I have done all my exams with Trinity Guildhall - see above post! :)
 
Just got the phone call now, drum roll please.................



MERIT!! YAY, I'm very happy with that! :dance::dance::dance::dance::dance::dance::dance:
 
I wish I had time for 1-2 hrs a day! Homework takes up most of my time! Normally, I try to do about half an hour a day with a lesson on Monday and a 2 hr long band rehersal every Saturday

Yes, on to Grade 7 and beyond! :)
 
Sorry mate, I didn't realise how young you were.

Grade 6 at 14 years old is fantastic. I was far too lazy when I was in high school to do exams. My music teacher was always trying to push me.
Hell I was even too lazy to learn solos for the school jazz band. I just used to wing it. (And some times it really showed.)
Now I regret it !!
 
Just trying to find what I played....

This is the unaccompanied piece, obviously that's not me in the video! :lol:


This is one of my accompanied pieces, again not by me or anyone I know!


Can't find the third piece anywhere! I've managed to find a short section of the score though:
ahorntingHnEb.jpg
 
Shintaro said:
Sorry mate, I didn't realise how young you were.

Grade 6 at 14 years old is fantastic. I was far too lazy when I was in high school to do exams. My music teacher was always trying to push me.
Hell I was even too lazy to learn solos for the school jazz band. I just used to wing it. (And some times it really showed.)
Now I regret it !!
Click to expand...

Hey, no prob!

Thanks! Been playing brass since.....hmm..... about the age of 7. Started off on the Cornet then in Feb this year changed to the Tenor Horn, which I played form my exam
 
Sounds like the guy in the first video had just started to work on the piece.
That's the thing about music exams, every cresendo and decresendo, forte and piano need to be spot on or you lose points.

Cornet? Why would you change? Is there any difference between the valve positions on a cornet and a Tenor horn?

I also played trombone for a short time. The accuracy required for the slide positions nearly did my head in.
 
Congratulations, Stephen! Fantastic job, especially since you haven't been using that particular instrument all that long!!! :dance:

Thanks for the explanation, Stephen. I had seen the link to Trinity in the search results but didn't realize that was what I looking for.

I wish my son had continued playing after high school. He started with the saxophone but didn't have the lip so switched to baritone horn. He was in concert band, jazz band and the school marching band. He also performed for a while with the Empire Statesmen Drum Corp but it was too much with his other activities.
 
Thanks for the congrats everyone. :-)

Shintaro - I changed from Cornet to the Tenor horn because I struggled with the higher register and the horn has a slightly larger bore mouthpiece so I can get the high notes much easier.

I couldn't play the Trombone, the accuracy required for the slide positions is just too great. The cornet and tenor horn, whilst different keys (Bb for cornet, Eb for the horn), the valve fingerings and layout is the same.

Corrine - Thanks! The Baritone is very similar to the Tenor horn actually, just slightly larger.


I found an image of my horn on the internet, see below:
eb48064b-9df8-4648-94d2-9d4b01063a2c_504x800.jpg
 
Very nice work Stephen! Started at age 7!?!

Maybe there is truth to all the suspicions that music increases genius. Would certainly explain your aptitude for technology. ;-}
 

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