Ensuring a High Mark at Grade 8, AKA - My Grade 8 Piano Journey ... Options

[Pixie*Porsche]

As from when the pieces come out ... (get on with it ABRSM) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif) I will be preparing for my Grade 8 piano. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Does anyone have any tips to ensure the absolute best mark possible for the grade? I don't want to enter until I *know* I am capable of getting a distinction but baring in mind I am not good at Aural tests so fully expect to fail that section.

My sight reading is already way beyond the requirements for Grade 8, scales need quite a lot of further improvement but I presume they want the same ones as what is on the list now?

Importantly, I do want to move on after Grade 8 to either a DipABRSM or an ATCL in piano performance and also piano teaching.

Is it worth buying the book with the CD or not? And if so why?

[Impressionist]

In my opinion (and past experience) the supporting tests are very important for gaining a distinction. In all the exams I've sat, on a variety of instruments, if the supporting tests weren't up to scratch then I didn't get a distinction.

Having just sat grade 8 piano (yesterday!) with TG I know I have no chance of a distinction as I really fluffed my aural. I threw away 10% of the points available which really should have been rather easily obtained. My advice is work on your aural skills!

[Seer_Green]

In my experience, there are two things which stand out in distinction candidates (I'm sure it's not the same for everyone, but in my experience...): one is that they have sound and secure supporting tests to back up the marks for the pieces; secondly, they appear confident with their pieces, so they play them with a certain degree of authority. They have usually played and performed them to others and are used to playing them under a certain amount of pressure. This doesn't mean everything in the exam has to be mistake-free to get a distinction, but how you deal with these is important.

My feeling is that it's usually clear to examiners which the distinction candidates are from the outset; I don't suppose they could put their finger on what it is, but there's that certain 'something'. I'm sure that a lot of that has to do with how confident they appear when they walk into the room and sit at the piano (or pick up their instrument etc.).

With the best will in the world, I think that if you're after a distinction at Grade 8, it's not enough to just say you expect to fail the aural section. Whilst it's only 18 marks, that could be your difference between a merit and a distinction. It's perfectly possible, with the right guidance, to learn how to do the aural and to get a good mark at it. How annoyed would you be if you came out with 128 because you only got 10 for aural?! Even if you got full marks on sight-reading, it might not be enough to make up those lost marks on the aural.

Book and CD - to be honest, you can listen to most of the pieces of YouTube, and even failing that you could simply download the ones you're doing if you want to hear them.

[flobiano]

..Book and CD - to be honest, you can listen to most of the pieces of YouTube, and even failing that you could simply download the ones you're doing if you want to hear them.

I got the CD with the book because my local music shop didn't sell the book on its own and it was a bit of an impulse buy. I don't think the CD has been overly useful in terms of preparation but it did result in me buying the music for one of the pieces that isn't in the book because I thought it sounded fun to play! I don't think that I would have done that without having the CD. I'm still playing pieces from the book in the exam though, the other piece is lined up for me to learn afterwards. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Seer_Green]

I don't think the CD has been overly useful in terms of preparation but it did result in me buying the music for one of the pieces that isn't in the book because I thought it sounded fun to play! I don't think that I would have done that without having the CD. I'm still playing pieces from the book in the exam though, the other piece is lined up for me to learn afterwards. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Yes, that's a good point. I also bought a delightly jazzy one that wasn't in the book.

[Pixie*Porsche]

Thank you all so far (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I suppose the next question is -how can I improve my aural skills? Any books to recommend?

The other question is I've seen a different scale book (Koh) - is this any good? Or any better than the usual ABRSM one? I will be taking my time to prepare for this exam - so it's not going to be something that is ready in three months as I want to obtain the absolute best mark possible.

I am hoping to play my pieces in front of others before my exam and am used to the piano at the exam centre (I accompany there regularly - which I can only imagine is a good thing?)

[Alicia Ocean]

I had aural lessons for three months before grade 8. I was pretty useless at aural until this. I went to a singing teacher for it and we worked through grades 6 and 7 stuff first. I didn't think I could learn aural but it must have worked - I got 9/10 for it.

[Seer_Green]

Obviously, the best thing is getting some lessons - I provide aural lessons, but I know that's a rarity! I'm just going out now, but I've got some stuff and book recommendations I can send you.

[Pixie*Porsche]

Seer Green - that would be great (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[flobiano]

I had aural lessons for three months before grade 8. I was pretty useless at aural until this. I went to a singing teacher for it and we worked through grades 6 and 7 stuff first. I didn't think I could learn aural but it must have worked - I got 9/10 for it.

I taught myself aural, though I already understood both the theory and principles, I did a mixture of
1. sitting at the piano listening to cadences, modulations, singing intervals (my sight singing wasn't too bad though).
2. Improve your aural by Paul Harris - I started back at Grade 5 to build up the skills more gradually.
3. Hofnote which I used primarily for practice on modulations and cadences
4. Listening to lots of music and practising describing it, the pupils book for Aural time has some good guidance on test 4.

Coming closer to the exam I also made an assessment of the best use of time and split the tests into:
Things I can do - sight singing, talking about music, recognising candences
Things I will probably be able to do with practice - modulations, some chord recognition
Things that would take more time to fix than they are worth - singing back lower part.

I focussed my efforts on the modulations and chords and had a damage limitation strategy for the bit I couldn't do (make something up confidently that is in the right key and approximate rhythm!).

I got 15/18 for aural in the end. I think I'll do less well this time as I haven't done as much practice, but then again I am not so bothered about getting a distinction this time so it doesn't matter so much. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I think it is possible to get distinction with one supporting test being a little bit ropey. But not with two. So if you are worried about aural then it is worth making sure your scales are absolutely secure!

[agricola]

I know from personal experience that you can get better at aural, but it takes a lot of time and patience so I would get all the practice CDs you can, and when practising, listen to each track repeatedly until you can really hear it correctly.

To get a Distinction you must be distinctive, ie, stand out from the crowd, so try to choose pieces which will show off your strengths. Some of my pupils have had good results by choosing the less popular pieces from the syllabus. In one case the examiner had to study the score first because it was the first time he'd heard it played!

Most importantly -- you will only do anything really well if you do it for it's own sake and not for marks, applause etc although hopefully these will automatically follow.

[viola-mad]

Waiting for the new syllabus gives you a great opportunity to do some focussed work on scales and aural, which are not likely to change much - if at all.

With aural, I found that little and often was the best way. I used Aural Time book & CD, and I recommend it. Also a friend also lent me an old cassette tape with lots of practice tests on it. I can't remember what it was called, it might have been an Associated Board one, but it had a picture of an owl on it. The more you can practise, the better. And analyse any mistakes so you can do better next time.

Another thing I can recommend is to find out where the easy marks are to be had. Read the syllabus, examine sample test answers. For example, in the sight-singing you might find judging intervals difficult and get notes wrong, but the rhythm is straightforward compared with Grade 8 sight-reading for your instrument, so you can easily nail that. And in the test where you have to describe a piece of music played by the examiner, even the simplest observations (this piece was lively/slow/had a variety of dynamics/was in a minor key) will all score you marks.

[Seer_Green]

Seer Green - that would be great (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I've sent you a message on FB (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Juan Carlos]

I sat Grade 7 about 2 weeks ago (passed with merit, only 4 points short of Distinction) and got high marks in the pieces (27 - 26 and 25), a (surprisingly) good mark in the sight reading section and in the scales.
I've always been very good at Aural tests but I did some focused practice in the month preceding the test and I found out - and the teacher said - I was ready for it. On the occasion of the exam, though, I was so tired after the 20 minutes or so playing and trying to concentrate hard that when the aural test came, I sang the upper line (there was no way I could single out the lower line, though the examiner played it back noticing I was confused), did my singing very well and also recognized the cadence very promptly (even identified a V with a 7th immediately), but when the moment came to speak about the period of the piece the examiner played I said it was baroque (which was correect) but was at a complete loss to qualify my statement. In addition, not having paid enough attention when he played the piece, I got the time wrong, which is a mistake I make very rarely. I advise practising aural skills (recognizing lots of cadences from the Aural tests ABRSM book, practising the singing the lower line, etc.) and also trying to focus when the aural test comes as one is usually rather tired at the end.

[Pixie*Porsche]

Thank you all so far (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Sorry for the delay in posting - I have been busy with other stuff this past week or so. Therefore, piano has been on a little bit of a back burner! I'll be purchasing some aural books when I do my big music shop on the 24th.

Also found out that Mozart K485 and K533 are in the Grade 8 syllabus for 2013 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) I presume the 533 will be the first movement but unsure until tomorrow (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Excited now - will most definitely learn one of the Mozart's as I get on well with his music and really enjoy it.