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In the wake of unfitgeezr's thread about singing and dancing, who out there has formal music training? On what instruments and to what level?
Me:
Grade 5 Theory
Grade 6 Piano Accordion
Grade 8 Flute
Also:
Played baritone saxophone in a jazz stage band for 3 years and alto for 3 years before that
and
Sang in choirs (tenor)
Finally, had a year of lessons on guitar
Did a year of classical guitar, went for a few exams when I was about 15 or so, got grade 4 then, being young and stupid, chucked it.
Just self taught ever since, but it gave me a decent grounding.
Didn't study music at school or learn to play anything. Once an adult took (old style GCE) music at night school and dabbled with various things over the next few years.
Viola
Singing (choral)
Classical Guitar.
Eventually plucked up courage to seriously learn to play oboe (which is what I really wanted to do all along but dismissed as too hard, too expensive).
Reached Grade 8 last year.
Grade 5 Piano. Couldn't be bothered with theory so it ended there. Now helping daughter study for Grade 5 Theory so the bastards got me in the end.
Also grade 2 Cello, but we'll gloss over that.
Reached Grade 8 last year.
That is genuinely very cool. Well done!
Well I eventually realised you just have to keep putting the hours in!!
Grade 3 electric guitar
completely superfluous for what I do but the theory really helps nailing songs in 15 minutes rather than a year.
Music Degree from Leeds College of Music
Grade 5 theory
Grade 8 alto saxophone
Grade 8 Tenor Horn
Grade 6 Piano
Grade I think 5 Violin
Sang in the school choir every year through to sixth form including the Vienna Cathedral. Cheshire county brass band for a few years plus every brass band and swing group going in the Cheshire area at the time.
Grade 5 in Bb Cornet plus Grade 5 Theory.
Played cornet for many years in a few bands round Sheffield, notably winning the Brass Band National Championships 2nd section in 1994 with Chapeltown Silver Prize Band. Think Brassed Off! but not at the Albert Hall.
Since then, moved to Scotland and now play Euphonium in a local brass band.
Also can pick a tune out on guitar, but that's by ear only - can't read music for guitar.
I used to play loads of stuff when I was young but unfortunately gave up when I discovered booze and drugs (way too young). My only formal training was theory grade 6, piano grade 5(gran was a teacher) and cello which I scored 139 at grade 6 when I was 9 years old. I won a scholarship to got to Wells Cathedral School where my brother went but I didn't want to go. Now I just make weird electronica on the computer.
Well I had lessons but never took any exams, didn't see the point at the time. Drums, natch
SaxonRider - the West Midlands unfortunately, feel free to drop me an email though if its something I can help with via that!
Grade 11 in rock and roll.
Grade 8 Euphonium and made the televised stage of Young Musician sometime in the 80's. Not played for 15 years or more though and don't really miss it...
A Level then Degree in Music from Salford, major electives were performance and Jazz arranging and composing
didn't do grades though, at the time they were really dull and for a sax player you just played technical studies that were as boring as hell and the pieces were clarinet and flute etudes that were butchered for alto - much better nowadays.
couldn't sustain enough work to make a living out of it but still do gigs