"Preparatory Level" - Great Idea!

As someone who did grade 1 many years ago and now playing at quite an advanced level, i am quite surprised that you need to know 3/8 at this level. Its quite an uncommon time signature that i rarely needed to deal with even at much higher grades as most composers simply use 6/8. Surely the examiners don't expect grade 1 students to know the subtle differences between 3/8 vs 6/8.

I just passed the RCM 1 exam. Was surprised I got as good a score as I did since my mind decided to forget how to do things it never had a problem with during practice... ooh well. But they didn't ding me to hard on the misses. Thanks for all the videos. On to Level 2!

Thanks for this, I've been learning for less than a year and although I can do a lot of what you've listed there are gaps where I can't, so you've given me some goals. Ty!

I watched this video when I was like in my fourth month of playing, then again some time later and now, after 14 months of playing. I do have now of almost all concepts a basic understanding what it means what I hadn't back then!

Alyssa-love your series. I took up piano in my early 40’s while oldest daughter was beginning piano lessons at age 6. I benefited from playing a number of other instruments (accordion beginning when I was 5, clarinet and tenor saxophone in middle school, tuba in marching band, oboe in junior symphony and organ at age 16. Played organ and saxophone professionally in college and after (trios, quartets). Genres were primarily pop, country & jazz. When I started piano I tried to incorporate how I learned other instruments but I was frustrated early on just playing easy Clementi, Scarlatti, Mozart. Light went on when I tried to incorporate both block and layered learning - and instead of mastering one piece at a time I would have 3 or 4 I would work on at the same time. I also decided to work out jazz improvisation on standards as well as the classical pieces I was trying to master in classical style. Somehow, it all worked. By the middle of my 2nd year I could play easy and intermediate Chopin, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Debussy and Rachmaninov (my job had me traveling 150-200 days a year so I always tried to stay in hotels that had a piano I could practice on for an hour or two in the morning every day on the road. Now, in my late 60’s I try to find challenging pieces to “master” in both classical and jazz genres and the block/layered approach to each new challenge still seems to work.

Alicia, I started my piano journey in earnest through your channel and I just played through J.S. Bach's Fuga I in C Major smoothly for the first time. It feels so good to be making progress and I want to say thank you for the motivation and education.

Can you make videos like this for the other grades?

Excellent video. I go through the same requirements with my beginner level students, and I make sure that they thoroughly understand what the requirements are before recommending that they pursue the Level 1 exam.

Thanks for the information, I am looking for this kind of info, to prepare myself for level entry exams, but all of this in preparatory level. I don't know much, but it looks like a semiprofesional level to know all of this.... Thanks anyway

Thx for the interesting contribution back. I currently practice the piano for about 11 months now, this total with self-study. I started directly with the grade 1 and thus skipped prep A and prep B. I have to say that I had some notion of music in the past, some 20 years ago I played the guitar. but it was again a moment of reflection on the notes, accents and so on. and the Fa key I did not know I did not need on the guitar. yet I have succeeded well I think in making progress. A pitfall is always that, as adults, you want to go too fast and are too inclined to go one step higher. So I have resolved to keep up grade 1 for a year anyway before I will move on to grade 2. This is to get as much basis of grade 1 as possible. so in January I will start to learn grade 2 (RCM) and alternate still with some music pieces of grade 1. this will benefit the music reading I think . Now I have also started playing the guitar again so I try to learn 1 hour of piano every then and 1 hour of guitar. there I also started back at grade 1. because the basics are too important. but the temptation is always there to reach for something more difficult. i have to keep a close eye on myself and always repeat my goal in my head. as adults, we have so little patience. and the older we get, the less patience we have. i started at the age of 50. we'll see how far we get. If I can get a degree higher every year I will already be satisfied. thanks again for your videos, they teach us something every time Mvg Rinaldo

I am a piano teacher in Chian ，nice to meet you.

I enjoy your tutorials very much. Thanks for your effort.

I am content to be prep for a good while yet although my new teacher classifies me as a 2B. Lots of practice is the key and I am enjoying it. Probably half way there to level 1, maybe.

Thanks so much for this. Keep up the good work!!! Very useful, Internet needs more of this king of help. I find it encouraging to be able to see what I know and what I could use some work on. Pleasant surprise to see how much I have covered already in 6 months at the keys, thanks to you and other helpful sources. Couldn't have done this before Internet and electronic keyboards. As an older adult I find my hand/finger/brain connection is the bottleneck, whereas the theory parts and reading sink in right away. Anyway my wife ("sight reads Chopin" and played since 5) says I am steadily improving and I think she means it :-). My musician neighbors remind me that the point is to have fun with it when I suggest any frustration at not picking stuff up fast enough.

You are the best!

I'm grade 0 piano 😬😂 incapable of getting to 1, but I'm trying.

I just wanted to thank you for the recommendation of “Legends and Lore.” I’ve been learning piano this past year. And went ahead and ordered the book or actually a book that contained it since I couldn’t find a stand alone copy (too lazy to look further, lol). The other books that come with it “jumping in the mud” “comic and card tricks” are welcome tho. Can’t wait to get my copy. And I don’t remember if it was you or not that recommended this but I ordered “Jazz, Rag and Blues book 1” by Martha Mier too.

I love your red hair it looks great!

Hi Allysia, could you do a video about all the hype regarding "the instantaneous pianist that can play everything in 5min" chords approach. For some reason, I feel dirty after watching just the adds. Play guitar if chords is your thing. I feel the piano has much more to offer than just chords... It's like fast food or comfort food. If that's all you eat, you're in bad shape... I want to be comforted, that I'm not an idiot because I practice my scale and sometime use a torture device called metronome...

Thanks!

very useful😁

Could you make a video about learning the piano as the secondary instrument? I'm a college student and a complete beginner at piano. I tried Clementi's Aria, and I could sight-read it pretty well. I think I need few days to perfect it though. My primary instrument is violin and reached grade 8 when I was 15, after which I have been studying with a college professor. My first piano lesson will be this week, I'll discuss it with my teacher what I can skip. Could you make a video for young students who reached quite a high proficiency at another instrument and picking up piano? There are quite a lot of us who study the piano as their secondary instrument I think :)

Alyssia, are you really talking about RCM Level 1 or your Level 1 course? I frankly do not see where in RCM Level 1 requirements there is syncopation, swing rhythm, 12 bar blues and so many different keys and scales. There are not even required on Level 2 exam. Which are the classical music pieces in RCM Level 1 or 2 that require syncopation or swing? Please respond

12:49 "Other theory" learning the concepts of a binary form, Canons, Invention, 12-bar blues most students just learn them as theory. Going up 1 level we'd be composing and playing our own music in a binary form, the form of a Canon or 12-bar blues which beginners wouldn't do. Advanced students with years of experience would know the theory behind Canons like the Pachelbel Canon in D or Bach Inventions but most wouldn't be writing their own Canon or Invention. Many piano students learn to regurgitate pieces written by others and don't create original ones. The RCM / ABRSM syllabus don't include composing music.

I love yo

Miss your videos! When do you think you’ll be back?

Maybe this question is not exactly on topic: If anyone were interested in formally learning to play piano (piano lessons), but could not decide if for Classical, or Jazz, or Popular, or whatever category; could an average piano teacher teach this student at and through the Preparatory Level while the student makes up his mind? Is there some default way to teach or learn music and the piano?

This is great! I can't find the Arietta Music PDF though.

Hey Allysia!

When are you opening Grade 1 level online classes? I'm very interested.

Hello! How can we mesure our own competency when learning a piece without a teacher? My guess would be being able to play it multiple times consecutively without mistakes. But, even then I wouldn't know what would represent 80% competency.

👏👏🙌🙌

Wait? Am I rushing playing the 2 Petzold minuets as an only 3 months beginner?

I would like to book in for a singing lesson if that's OK?

My english is poor，I am so sad can not undershant what you said。

Oops. Found it!😂

Just an honest question about your RED HAIR: am I supposed to read between the lines. P.s. No Offence Intended of a really LIBERAL MINDED BRO!

OK...Hair? Hardly noticed!

how's the bucket list....Rh. in Blue and HungRhaps2? I m trying Spanish Rhapsody, its not as tough as it looks. R Blue only has the tough coda.