# Advice for a beginner



## HarryJames

Hello, I'm new on this forum so I hope no one minds me just coming in asking for advice without posting anything before, but hopefully that won't be the case for much longer.

Anyway, I'm 17 and have only recently discovered my love for music. When I discovered it I wasted no time in getting on the first course I could and doing anything I could to improve. So far I've been doing a BTEC Level 2 Diploma in Music and have been recieving top grades for every assignment so far regardless of whether it's practical, theoretical or written and have been predicted by my lecturers to recieve a Distinction overall for the year and as a result guarentee a place in the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Music which would essentially be a gateway into University. Now here's where the problem comes in. I've never been formally graded on any instrument (be it popular or classical) but I believe myself to be about a grade 4 on the Bass guitar, This course is the only musical experience I've ever had (I was actually quite shocked at how well I've done despite the lack of experience however), I've discovered that I actually prefer to play the keys a lot more, and the final problem is that the course is primarily a popular music course but I want to develop and train as a classical musician.

I'm not entirely sure what to do about this at this stage, I've been in optional education (College) for almost 2 years now, have very little experience in the piano and I'm getting very worried that I'll end up a Bass guitarist in a popular music ensemble reading from chord charts for the rest of my life simply because of this point in my life.

I've considered the options I have and here they are:

1: Continue onto the Level 3 course, playing the Bass guitar primarily and learning as much as possible on the piano in time for university. Which let's face it, with coursework and being forced to maintain regular practice over the Bass isn't very likely to happen.

2: Continue onto the Level 3 course learning the Bass primarily with the keys on the side and take some kind of popular music course at University. Which I'll add is not what I want to do at all.

3: Take a gap year, get a part-time job, practice my piano as much as possible and get formally graded on it, possibly get some experience in a classical ensemble and then either take the course next year so I have a gateway into a Classical music Uni course or find another course at the same level which would suit this (which isn't entirely common from my research).

I plan to set up a meeting with one of my lecturers and discuss this with him personally but I'd like to hear some other opinions as well as get any information such as whether or not popular music courses at A level standard are just a gateway into University or if there are actually some courses which suit classical music at this stage or even just some of your experience with a similar matter.

Hope I communicated that well enough, it was a lot of information to put into words and I hope you guys can give me something a bit more well informed than my simple google searches which just lead me to dead ends


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## Taneyev

And what about your band? And your trumpet? Don't tell me that you gave up your trumpet!!


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## Moira

If you can afford a gap year, you should spend that year doing your keyboard thing. With five lessons a week and ten hours a day to practice you could easily get grade 8 practical. Assuming 2 hours for the lessons including travelling time, that's a twelve hour day five days a week. With another ten hours (five each over weekends) you can make grade 8 theory easily. 

This is an incredibly self sacrificing programme, but if you are disciplined enough you can add two extra hours to practice your other instrument. It does mean that for one year you will have no social life, no television and very little chill time.


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## Jaws

You don't say which country you are in. In the UK grades such as grade 8 are not needed to get into university to study music, on any instrument. Universities offer auditions to their potential music students. Having any grade exam or diploma will not guarantee anyone a place at a popular university. I would suggest forget grades, and just try to increase the standard of your playing. Preparing for grade exams takes time, this time could be better used to increase your standard and to give you more time to expand your repertoire.


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## kv466

Honestly, I play both and if I were in your position I would concentrate heavily on the piano for now but there's no reason why you shouldn't develop your bass skills at the same time. Find a couple of guys that can play and build your chops like that; playing alone is only fun when it's the piano. For me, at least. Even playing songs on an acoustic while singing gets to be boring after only a few songs. There's just something about creating music with other minds that is precious to me and to my playing music. 

Oh,...and if you find you like another instrument later on,...learn it too.


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