What I Learned From Failing My Piano Exam

[@Juscz]

Very inspiring accomplishment. Thanks for sharing your success with everyone!

[@LightSpeed64YT]

I'm always distinction

[@2logj]

Thanks for being honest. That was amazing. We learn from failures and success much more from failures than success.

[@PianoSightReading]

Thanks for watching! Yes, that's right.

[@colinblakely3628]

Congratulations- What an inspiration! ❤️

[@PianoSightReading]

Thank you!

[@robb6406]

I love the advice of not being attached to the outcomes. Doing so keeps you in the present moment and then you do better.

[@PianoSightReading]

Yes, I think that was an important shift I made. It took the pressure off and it helped me really enjoy the process, and stay in the present on the day of the exam like you said.

[@CarlosPanganiban]

Happy to see your content on my feed! Thanks for the great content as always, Manu!

[@PianoSightReading]

My pleasure!

[@profsjp]

Congratulations! And thank you for sharing such insightful reflections and learning.

[@PianoSightReading]

Thank you!

[@matthewdevenish1106]

Great story and really encouraging. Of course now you have to do a deep dive video and expand on mental rehearsal methods. That's worth a coffee or two!

[@PianoSightReading]

Yes, I should do that, shouldn't I? Thanks again for the coffees :)

[@NimeuMusic]

Very inspiring story! Consistent practice and hard work pays off in the end. Pretty sure players like Lisitsa or Kissin could write down the scores of their repertoire too.

[@PianoSightReading]

Yep, it sure does! A lot of concert pianists must have an incredible memory. I always wondered how they can remember a whole concert program or a whole concerto. Now, I think I kind of know!

[@blakecarterpiano]

Josh Wright's videos helped me become a better pianist as well! His offset dotted rhythm exercises helped a lot when I first started learning technically demanding pieces. I had an important moment when I was around 13. The hardest piece I had learned at this point was Maple Leaf Rag. I had no concept of music theory, didn't know the basic major and minor scales, and I would struggle to be able to name the notes in basic triads. I decided to learn the first 8 or so bars of the third movement of Moonlight Sonata. I surprised myself by how well I did. It was by no means clean, but I was shocked that I could make it recognizable. This piece that seemed practically impossible as an outsider was somewhere within reach. The main takeaway I had from that was that I was unaware of my own potential. Hope this helps anybody that feels burned out or demotivated.

[@PianoSightReading]

That's a great story. It's so true. We don't really know what we're capable of until we try it!

[@seansmart2756]

A video on this Russian approach you mention would be so helpful. Thank you for sharing.

[@PianoSightReading]

That's a good idea, although I don't know how accurate it will be. I guess I could share the things I applied (I didn't apply everything) and found most useful.

[@MrAbyneal]

Excellent!

[@patatje1434]

i love your determenation. i'm not sure if i have the motivation to through all that. for instance i don't see myself running up and down the stairs before i play the piano 😄. maybe they could make it a sportsdisipline 5th-floor-pianoplaying 🤔

[@PianoSightReading]

Haha, yes, the running up and down the stairs was a bit extreme but it does get your heart pumping which is a similar feeling to the feeling you get before a performance! Yeah, like a type of marathon, run and play music. Nice one!

[@jackbussy3133]

So the proverb is right : It is the journey that matters not the destination !!!

[@PianoSightReading]

Exactly!

[@man0sticks]

An encouraging story Manu. I am curious to know whether you had previously studied any of the four pieces, and approximately how much time per day you devoted to studying them- both at the piano and away from it-during the year leading up to the exam?

[@PianoSightReading]

Out of the 4 pieces I prepared, I had only ever looked at one of them, which was a Chopin Etude. I could play the notes slowly although it still took me a whole year to get it up to speed and the way I wanted it to sound. The other 3 were all new pieces. I practised every day, sometimes giving myself a day off here and there, for about 2 hours at the piano. It's hard to stay how much time I spent away from the piano because I was constantly listening to recordings, practising mentally, learning about piano technique online.

[@patatje1434]

you like to share what those pieces were?🙂

[@PianoSightReading]

Sure! I played Bach's Prelude and Fugue in D minor BWV 875, Chopin Etude Op. 25 No. 1, Schubert Sonata No. 13 in A D.664 and John Carmichael's Postcards III: A Courtly Dance.

[@Bbehemothh]

You learned all your notes?

[@PianoSightReading]

You mean the music notes or the handwritten notes? I learned every single music note of my pieces, as for the handwritten notes, I applied a lot of the things I wrote down. Things like certain practice techniques and certain methods to prepare performing.

[@baoyiyang864]

Just did my Amusa exam for piano couple of days ago, and I just have recieved my grades to be having no award. To be honest, I feel terrible because this is the first time I fail an Ameb exam (i always got A's back then). Because I was so nervous, and because it was my first time using a Steinway concert grand (the pedals were so shallow), my slip ups for the first two pieces out of the five was really bad. I think the final blow was the general knowledge, because the questions asked were never the ones I have prepared, they don't seem to care about theory, but rather the broad range of music history about composers that don't necessarily directly relate to the pieced I played. I am 17, turning 18 this year, and I have to admit, because of vce I didn't take enough time to practice, and the guilt of letting me and my family down after their financial support they provided has almost gotten me breaking down. I hope the reattempt next year can get me somewhere.🥲

[@PianoSightReading]

I'm sorry to hear this. The Amus exam is very difficult to pass unlike the other grades so don’t be harsh on yourself. Very few pass it on the first try. At least, now that you've gone through it and you know what didn't go so well, you can learn from it and prepare better next time. It sounds like you need to practise performing in front of others like I did. I think that would help you to get used to playing with nerves. I also recommend you practise on the actual piano you will be using once you find out which room your exam will be in. I’m not sure where you are in the world but in Sydney, Australia, I was able to book the exam room to practise. See if you can do that. This is what I did in the weeks prior to the exam and it really helped. Yes, for general knowledge, be prepared to know about the composers’ life and works and the context in which the pieces were composed. I wish you all the best. If you can, try to enjoy the process. Do it for the love of the music. :)

[@jackbussy3133]

It reminds me of the story of this lady who meets Horowitz and tells him : « Oh Maestro, I would give my life to play like you !! ». And Horowitz just answered : « Oh dear Madam, that’s exactly thé time it took me !! ».

[@PianoSightReading]

Haha, nice one!