Have any recorder players done exams with harpsichord to accompany early music pieces rather than pianos? I am slowly preparing diploma work and would really like to do one piece by Cima and another by Corelli, but prefer being chummed by a harpsichord. (We're lucky enough to have one, thanks to a friend having one spare in his garage, and my husband being a harpsichord technician...)Has anybody any experience of doing an exam with harpsichord? It's rather easier to give an impression of dynamics, and I've been alarmed by complaints in other threads that examiners expect the same dynamic range as for "modern" instruments.

Interesting thought but how would you manage it logistically? Unless the exam is to be held where you store your harpsichord, presumably you'd have to move it into the exam venue the day before (assuming there was space alongside the piano) and then move it out again. What about tuning it etc?

I think if you seriously consider doing this I have to think you should talk to ABRSM London about it asap and get their views.

Hope all goes well with your preparations otherwise.

I think you'll find it's allowed for, no trouble. You just have to move it in and out at convenient times so there is no disruption.

Liz

Wouldn't using a harpsichord get credit for using suitably stylistic accompaninents?

IrisH - LoonY

You don't get marked on how stylistic your accompaniment is.

Moving the harpsichord -no problem. We do that all the time, both at my husband's work and at home - they are very much lighter to cart around than pianos because of the wooden frame. Our instrument is relatively small (but perfectly formed!) and easily fits in the car. My husband is also able to organise access because he tunes a lot of harpsichords up here - and there are surprisingly many in Edinburgh. Tuning - also not a problem, as the instrument is relatively stable and the exam venues here are suitably humid and cool....and harpsichords are rather quicker to tune than pianos.
Needless to say, I'd still need to have a piano for the modern piece, if it is to be accompanied.
I'm trying to prepare for a Trinity diploma, so would need to contact them first, I think. I'm just worried about the admin - STILL no certificate after grade 8 in June. And no reply to my inquiry.

I am retaking my DipABRSM in a few weeks with harpsichord accompaniment. I got permission from the Associated Board and the examiner will come to my teacher's house for the exam.

My teacher lives not too far from the exam centre, I would say probably 15 minutes away.

I decided to use harpsichord for accompaniment because

1. I would never play Castello or Vivaldi with a piano in concert anyway -- it's just the wrong type of sound, and will drown me out;

2. After all the uninformed comments I got last time regarding dynamics, it's wiser to use a harpsichord.

My contemporary piece is unaccompanied, so I don't need the piano afterall

Hope this helps.

I know for grade exams, and probably for diplomas, the examiners will travel to the location of a harpsichord for candidates doing exams on that instrument (the same applies to organ) so I don't see a reason they would have a problem with it. The condition is that you must provide transport for the examiner to your location, at your expense, and presumably warn the board about it in advance. If you can take the harpsichord with you it certainly shouldn't be a problem so long as you can arrange for it to be set up and tuned with the person who owns the exam centre before the exams for that day start.

Thank you everybody - that is encouraging. I hope Trinity is accommodating too. Musically the harpsichord is more satisfying, though my accompanist is amazingly good at letting even my tenor, which is rather soft-sounding, sing out with a piano. Good luck with your DipABRSM, Wai Kit Leung - and have fun with Castello and Vivaldi. What are you doing for your contemporary piece?

I am doing Hans-Martin Linde's Fantasien und Scherzi as well as van Eyck's Daphne for my exam, on top of Castello's Sonata Prima and Vivaldi's Concerto in F. I should practise more though -- I am not ready yet, with only three weeks to go!

Snap for the Linde - if I can learn to count it, and persuade my whistle to do the top notes. I envy you the Castello - I learnt the sonata secunda a year or two ago, and still love it - and have looked at but not worked through the sonata prima. There's a wonderful recording of Jeremy West playing the sonata secunda on a cornett - magic...
the Vivaldi I've not seen - doubtless you'll need all the stamina from your oboe-playing to get through that. I'm learning a Corelli sonata from opus V - and there is absolutely nowhere to breathe in two of the fast movements.....they do say violinists only have to breathe to live, which might have something to do with it.

The Linde is actually not as hard as it looks -- the weird rhythms are all in the Fantasien and it's supposed to be very free (Sehr frei). The top G# comes out well on my instrument with half thumb + 0 x x | 0 x x.

There is absolutely nothing to envy me for the Castello -- I am playing it quite badly at the moment. I wish I picked an easier piece

Thanks for the tip on top G#, Wai Kit Leung- I'd thought there was a top C in there too somewhere but couldn't find one when I looked at it again today. At the moment my renditions of the Linde are so "frei" as to be positively unintelligible, so I think I'll get out the metronome so I can work out how to pull it about.
Still envy you the Castello. I think it's amazing stuff - crazy, yes, but amazing. Why had I never heard any of it before getting lessons? All the best for the exam, anyway.

The fingering I use for high C is

1/2 Thumb x 0 0 | x 0 0

I wouldn't try it in the middle of the night, but it should work if you blow hard enough.

Thanks a lot for your good wishes. I think I do need some luck to pass -- I haven't started my programme notes yet, with just two weeks to go. And I am working full-time as well

I accompanied a friend's Trinity recorder diploma years ago at the College itself (when it was still in central London), and both harpsichord and piano were available so I could divide the accompaniments between them.

I've had queries about both Trinity and Guildhall exam matters answered quickly and helpfully in the past few weeks. I think I sent both initial enquiries via their Web site. Let's hope the teething troubles of the amalgamation are over.

Thanks for that. The answer for me in Edinburgh may well be to arrange to bring our own instrument to the regular centre, then. The admin side for Trinity seems to be getting better now too.

Wai Kit Leung - you're right about not trying top C at night....hope the programme notes will not add too much to the stess of doing music exams on top of a full-time job.

I have accompanied on both organ and harpsichord... once for an exam too... i'd get in touch with the board