Huntingdonshire Music School Association

The following article is from the ABRSM news feed:

In July we will be publishing a revised guitar syllabus featuring new set pieces and revised scale and sight-reading requirements. Here Nigel Scaife, Syllabus Director, reports on the significant changes and provides a preview of some of the exciting support materials being published.

• Read Nigel Scaife’s supporting preview of the 2009 piano syllabus>>

Revising any syllabus requires much consultation with teachers and very careful deliberation. In the case of guitar, this process will have taken us about three years, from the first working party meeting to the publication of the syllabus and support materials later this year. During this time we have been in touch with guitar teachers via a major pilot study and the detailed feedback generated by this project has been invaluable – many thanks to all those who took the time to share their views with us.

Repertoire

We have refreshed the repertoire lists, reflecting the diverse range of good-quality publications that have come into existence in recent years. We have included some excellent core pieces that have not been on the syllabus before, many suggested by teachers. For continuity, about 10% of the repertoire from the current syllabus is being kept. Also, in the lower grades we are retaining a selection of accompanied pieces using a single-line approach for the candidate.

Overall, in choosing the pieces we have worked to achieve a clear sense of the technical progression through the grades and to ensure that there is parity with the demands of other instruments. The wealth of new and exciting repertoire should entice and challenge pupils at all levels and make for really enjoyable music making.

New resources

To complement the new repertoire lists we will be publishing a range of resources for teachers and pupils. ABRSM Publishing is extending its popular Time Pieces series to embrace guitar. The two volumes of Time Pieces for Guitar will include items from each list at Grades 1 and 2 in the first volume and Grades 3 to 5 in the second. There are over 30 pieces in each, covering the whole gamut of styles and periods from Sumer is icumen in of 1250 to newly commissioned pieces by Colin Tommis, Andy Crowdy, Colin Downs and Stephen Goss. These volumes will provide a helpful selection of potential exam pieces and a rich source of repertoire for developing guitarists.

We are also publishing new editions of music by Weiss and Scarlatti, bringing together syllabus pieces selected for use at Grades 6, 7 and 8 in single volumes, and producing a set of CDs containing recordings of the guitar syllabus pieces at all eight grades.

Sight-reading

With the new sight-reading tests we are trying to encourage and enable a more musical approach to sight-reading. The new tests have been written in attractive styles and will not present greater technical challenges than the current materials. At the lower grades they are shorter than the current ones, allowing greater focus on musical detail, and from Grade 6 all tests have titles so that they appear as real pieces, helping candidates to get a feel for the musical mood and style.

Scales

In putting together the new requirements we considered many issues such as the unnecessary duplication of scales using identical left-hand fingerings, the role of the thumb, the progression of scales in intervals, and the use of rhythm patterns.

Some of the main changes are outlined here.

• Right-hand finger scales are now complemented by lower-octave scales played by the thumb alone at Grades 1 and 2, and by those in which the thumb plays the lower octave and the fingers the upper at Grades 3 to 5. These patterns promote independence of thumb movement and a stable right-hand position when changing between thumb and fingers.
• From Grade 3 we have introduced scales in intervals which relate directly to patterns found so frequently in guitar music.
• We now make a distinction between over-ringing broken chords and non-over-ringing arpeggios. We hope that this new feature will help students to understand the function of different musical elements – whether an arpeggiated passage is part of a melodic line or the accompanying harmonic texture.
• Candidates will no longer have to play scales with specified right-hand fingerings. However, we will be providing some guideline fingering in the scale books.

The new requirements represent a more logical progression up the grades, with tasks more closely interrelated for easier absorption. Candidates will have covered all keys by the time they reach Grade 8, and even with the additions outlined above, there is a considerable reduction in the number of items required at each grade.

The new guitar syllabus, valid from January 2009, will be published in July together with the scale and sight-reading books. Time Pieces for Guitar, the CDs of Guitar Exam Pieces and the Weiss and Scarlatti books will be available later in the year.

Nigel Scaife
Syllabus Director

The following article appeared on the ABRSM feed:

More than one million musicians worldwide have used this series to learn about music theory. Now fully revised and with attractive new covers, these workbooks remain the best way to prepare for the AB’s theory exams. Grade 1 is now available, with Grades 2-5 to follow in April and May. Grades 6-8 will have new covers, but the text will remain the same. clear explanation of music notation straightforward language throughout many examples and exercises definitions of important words and concepts helpful tips for students Music Theory in Practice is available from all good music stores or buy yours here.

Has anyone bought this? Is it any good?

External Link

Article on ABRSM Publishing Site

Taken from http://www.mit.edu/~jcb/jokes/viola.html. And, yes, you can substitute pretty much any instrument and it works. Not sure why there is a history of attacking poor old viola players. No doubt someone out there knows. As someone who plays the tuba I have an inkling what it’s like !

Viola Jokes

Part 1

These jokes have enjoyed wide publicity. They have been mentioned in such places as Alex Beam’s Boston Globe column on Wednesday, November 30, 1994 (p. 65), John Hayward-Warburton’s article in BBC Music, and Dave Barry’s book Dave Barry in Cyberspace (pp. 153-4).

Acknowledgement

These jokes are a continually-growing collection, and unfortunately, I can no longer remember which jokes I heard from whom. If you have ever told, emailed, or otherwise communicated to me a music joke, thank you.

I also collect Jokes about other instruments.

How is lightning like a violist’s fingers?
Neither one strikes in the same place twice.

How do you keep your violin from getting stolen?
Put it in a viola case.

What’s the difference between a violin and a viola?

• The viola burns longer.
• The viola holds more beer.
• You can tune the violin.

We all know that a viola is better than a violin because it burns longer. But why does it burn longer?
It’s usually still in the case.

How do you get a viola section to play spiccato?
Write a whole note with “solo” above it.

How do you get a violist to play a passage pianissimo tremolando?
Mark it “solo.”

What’s the difference between a viola and a coffin?
The coffin has the dead person on the inside.

What do you do with a dead violist?
Move him back a desk.

What’s the difference between a viola and a trampoline?
You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline.

What’s the difference between a viola and an onion?
No one cries when you cut up a viola.

What’s the definition of a minor second?
Two violists playing in unison.

What’s the definiton of “perfect pitch?”
Throwing a viola into a dumpster without hitting the rim.

Why do violists stand for long periods outside people’s houses?
They can’t find the key and they don’t know when to come in.

What’s the difference between a seamstress and a violist?
The seamstress tucks up the frills.

What’s the difference between a washing machine and a violist?
Vibrato.

Why do so many people take an instant dislike to the viola?
It saves time.

How can you tell when a violist is playing out of tune?
The bow is moving.

How was the canon invented?
Two violists were trying to play the same passage together.

Why is playing the viola like peeing in your pants?
They both give you a nice warm feeling without making any sound.

Why is a viola solo like a bomb?
By the time you hear it, it’s too late to do anything about it.

Why is a viola solo like premature ejaculation?
Because even when you know it’s coming, there’s nothing you can do about it.

Why do violists leave their instrument cases on the dashboards of their cars?

• So they can park in “handicapped” parking places.
• If someone mistakes them for mafia, they might get some respect.

Why don’t violists play hide and seek?
Because no one will look for them.

Why do violists smile when they play?
Because ignorance is bliss and what they don’t know can’t hurt them.

Why shouldn’t violists take up mountaineering?
Because if they get lost, it takes ages before anyone notices that they’re missing.

What’s the difference between a dead skunk in the road and a crushed viola in the road?
Skid marks before the skunk.

How do you get a violin to sound like a viola?

• Sit in the back and don’t play.
• Play in the low register with a lot of wrong notes.

If you throw a violist and a soprano off a cliff, which one would hit the ground first? (two answers)

• The violist. The soprano would have to stop halfway down to ask directions.
• Who cares?

A conductor and a violist are standing in the middle of the road. which one do you run over first, and why?
The conductor. Business before pleasure.

What’s the most popular recording of the William Walton viola concerto?
Music Minus One

What do a viola and a lawsuit have in common?
Everyone is happy when the case is closed.

What is the range of a Viola?
As far as you can kick it.

What do a SCUD missile and a viola player have in common?
They’re both offensive and inaccurate.

Why are violas so large?
It’s an optical illusion. It’s not that the violas are large; just that the viola players’ heads are so small.

What’s the difference between a chain saw and a viola?
If you absolutely had to, you could use a chain saw in a string quartet.

What is the definition of a cluster chord?
A viola section playing on the C string.

Why do violists get antsy when they see the Kama Sutra?
All those positions!

If you’re lost in the desert, what do you aim for? A good viola player, a bad viola player or an oasis?
The bad viola player. The other two are only figments of your imagination.

Why shouldn’t you drive off a cliff in a mini with three violas in it?
You could fit in at least one more.

How many violists does it take to screw in a light bulb?
None. They’re not small enough to fit.

Why do people tremble with fear when someone comes into a bank carrying a violin case?
They think he’s carrying a machine gun and might be about to use it.

Why do people tremble with fear when someone comes into a bank carrying a viola case?
They think he’s carrying a viola and might be about to use it.

What’s the difference between the first and last desk of a viola section?

• half a measure
• a semi-tone

Why can’t you hear a viola on a digital recording?
Recording technology has reached such an advanced level of development that all extraneous noise is eliminated.

Did you hear about the violist who bragged that he could play 32nd notes?
The rest of the orchestra didn’t believe him, so he proved it by playing one.

Why is viola called “bratsche” in Germany?
Because that’s the sound it makes when you sit down on it.

Why can’t a violist play with a knife in his back?
Because he can’t lean back in his chair.

What instrument do violists envy most?
The harp. You only ever have to play pizzicato on open strings.

What’s another name for viola auditions?
Scratch lottery.

What is the difference between a violist and a prostitute?

• A prostitute knows more than two positions.
• Prostitutes have a better sense of rhythm.

What is the similarity between a violist and a prostitute?
Both are paid to fake climaxes.

How do you get a dozen violists to play in tune?

• Shoot 11 of them.
• Shoot all of them.
• Who the hell wants a dozen violists?

What’s the latest crime wave in New York City?
Drive-by viola recitals.

How does a violist’s brain cell die?
Alone.

How do you call a violist with two brain cells?
Pregnant.

Why do violists have pea-sized brains?
Because alcohol has swelled them.

How many violists does it take to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies?
Ten. One to stir the batter and nine to peel the M & M’s.

What’s the similarity between the Beatles and the viola section of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra?
Neither has played together since 1970.

What is the longest viola joke?
Harold in Italy

What do you call a bunch of violists in a hot tub?
Vegetable soup.

Did you hear about the violist who played in tune?
Neither did I.

What is the main requirement at the “International Viola Competition?”
Hold the viola from memory.

Why did the violist marry the accordion player?
Upward mobility.

How do you transcribe a violin piece for viola?
Divide the metronome marking by 2.

Why do you always bury a viola player three feet under?
Because deep down they are all very nice people.

How do you keep a violist from drowning?
Take your foot off his head.

Note: the following joke is very funny in German, but doesn’t translate well into English.
Was sind die drei Lagen auf der Bratsche?
Erste Lage, Notlage, und Niederlage.

(What are the three positions of the viola?
First position, emergency, and defeat.)