Hi there and HELP please.
Can I do a poll asking which scales/arpeggios and timings/pulse (aural) you were asked for in your Grade 3 violin exam. Can anyone remember?

I know for sure they will ask you D major and D minor because they involve shifting - a new skill introduced at Grade 3 in the scales and arpeggios. E major and minor usually crop up too - because they are also introduced at Grade 3.

In all honesty, the examiner could ask for anything out of the scales section, so it's imperative to have them all well prepared and ready to play.

Good luck!

that is SO SO brilliant! That you have replied I mean! I mean it seriously!. I had my suspicians that they MIGHT ask these two D bits but I han'd thought of the E bits!. But you are right. Anyone else there have a view or did ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE DO THE GRADE 3 VIOLIN EXAM IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS AND HAVE A VIEW!!! tHANKS SO MUCH IN ADVANCE, londON GIRL!!

you should check out the syllibus at the front page of your exam pieces or the abrsm main website. I don't play the violin but I play the piano. The examiner usually asks about 2 scales or appeggios for each section, sometimes only 1. Honestly it could be anything, absolutely random, but the examiner is more prone to ask for something that was just introduced into Grade 3

I believe they've taken B flat minor out of the syllabus now, haven't they?

Yes, Bb minor is no longer required for grade 3 violin.

You know the answer.......

the ones you are most likely to be asked for are the ones you don't know!

Or the ones that you know but are dreading!

It's worthwhile putting all your scales etc on bits of paper and pulling half a dozen at random to play each day and get them right first time. How you do with them under pressure will give you a very good idea of which ones still need polishing up!

I did that for my grade 5 viola and it really helped me to learn all my scales!

Just make sure you know them all well.
I bet a few people each session are caught out by being asked to play an 'easy' scale which they neglected to practice because they thought it was easy.

I got caught out by being given an easy scale first to warm up on - and played it too fast - it was staccato, which was somehow an added problem - this meant that the rest of the scales thereafter fell to bits because I'd set a tempo for them which was quicker than I could manage.