I just felt the need to post how my grade 2 exam went yesterday:

Being my first exam, I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I turned up about an hour early (it would have been a bit later but it was snowing and hailing and there were rather strong winds that threatened to blow me over, so I thought it best to scuttle indoors rather than hang about in the town as was originally planned). My hands were absolutely freezing, so I sat for about fifteen minutes with them on the radiator to try and warm them up. I was the last candidate before lunch so I got to watch and listen to everyone else warming up (you can hear through the wall) so I felt a bit more prepared. After warming up, I had a little chat with the steward about not rushing the pieces, and went into the exam room. The examiner was quite brusque; she didn’t smile, but was perfectly polite.

As for the actual exam, the scales and pieces went perfectly. I played them all exactly how I had planned to play them with no slips. The only problem was that the piano was a lot lighter than the ones I’m used to, and it sounded as if the sustaining pedal was on! They can’t mark you down for that, can they? I did try and play a bit lighter but obviously the pieces were so short that by the time I had adjusted, they were over.

Sight reading. ARGH! I completely messed this one up. She gave me the piece, and then told me to start and it threw me off because I wasn’t quite ready- but I thought I would start anyway, but it all went wrong. I didn’t stop and carried on going, but by about halfway through I was completely improvising the notes (in the right key, if that counts??) and I wasn’t really in time either, although it still sounded like a piece.

Aural was a lot easier than I had expected; test A was 3 time, test B I sang what I heard in time but not sure if that was right, test C was rhythmic difference (I went to answer more but she carried on to the next test so I shut up!) and test D was piano to forte, and the piece was legato.

Anyway, so I’ll just have to wait for my results now. Even if I fail sight-reading, I still think I’ll have passed because the rest of it was quite good. It’s just annoying because I spent so much time practising sight-reading!

hi sounds as if you did very well for your first exam i havent taken any yet i cant make scales stay in my head

please let all know when you get the results

well done from monkey flute

Congrats, you must be very relieved it's over! Sounds like it went well too. It's frustrating re the sightreading isn't it - at least you kept going to the end.

Well done!

Brilliant!


You'll have got credit (even if not great marks) for keeping going and being in the right key, I should think!!

Thanks guys. I am not sure what I'll get for sight-reading; I looked at the mark scheme and I don't think I can get above 13, and it will probably be more like 7 or 8. Oh well!

I was thinking about the aural: do you think I should have said more than just 'rhythmic difference'? I was about to say something else but I think I took too long saying it and she moved on. Is it enough just to say that?

Sounds as though it went really well ! believe me, you always agonize afterwards over what you'd like to have done. Key recognition counts for quite a bit I think in sight reading.

I wouldn't worry. Just hope results aren't too long in coming.

Well done... I'm sure you did better than you think. Let us know when the results are out. I will be going to the same place you did next week with three of my students (all Gde 1). Thanks for the comment about the examiner..I can give them a bit of a warning now not to expect too much in the way of a response from her!

Hi appleblossom,

Thanks for your help before the exam!! Yes, the examiner wasn’t too responsive; all I got was a ‘good, bye’ from her after the exam had finished, but I wasn’t sure if that was normal or not. Anyway, the stewards were really helpful and friendly- are they always the same?

Thanks to the rest; I’ll let you know how I got on when I get my results.

My grade 2 piano is on Saturday-I'll let you know how I get on.

Oh good luck!!

Well done!



Best of luck!

No problem!! The stewards are lovely! Was it the older man or lady? When I went for my Gde 5 piano the lady looked after my car keys for me...then insisted I hadn't left them with her. An hour later we find them in her handbag!!!

Good luck to Ianporsche and any others sitting in the next week or so!

I've just sat my grade 2 piano as well. The last time I sat a practical music exam was in 1988, so that's quite a gap.

The warm up piano was a baby grand in a large dining-room, but the room was quite dark.

The piano for the exam was an upright, and so shiny that I hardly dared to touch it in case of leaving fingerprints. The examiner was very business-like, just saying what was needed to give the instructions.

I did my scales first, and got my fingers muddled up on the first one, after that they were OK. I had to start my first piece again after making a complete mess on the third bar. Otherwise, I thought that the exam went reasonably OK. The examiner seemed to spend a long time writing between each piece. I wonder if the comments she has written match the comments I would have made myself.

Well done! It sounds as if you did well. Let us know how you got on when you get the results back...

Thank you. Yes I'll let you know. I did feel I could have played my pieces better and in clapping the beats in the aural test, I didn't join in soon enough. I like to be absolutely sure before joining in.

well done all

Hi well I had my grade 2 on Saturday.
Nerves overtook me a bit much (I had run out of bananas)

I started with scales.
A major hands together- fluffed it a little bit but managed to keep going
E major hands together- fine
B minor hands together-fine
A major arpeggio- made a complete mess of it, but was allowed a second attempt
E major arpeggio-fine
B minor arpeggio-fine
Pentatonic Left hand
(I can't help wondering why I was asked all the most difficult scales!)

Musette- Ok I think
The moth- matbe rushed it a little here and there
The cat- one or two slips but I managed to keep going

Sight reading- I think I did OK- or at least as well as I always do

Aural- Relatively painless.

Now for the 2 week wait to see If I have passed or not.

Littlelady87 - Sounds like you did really well, all the best for results.

Good luck for everyone else awaiitng results.

I didn't even know there were pentatonic scales on grade 2!

no - I'm puzzled by this too. Ian - I' m sure you didn't mean pentatonic ?? did you ??


ooh, they certainly didn't pull any punches with the scales did they ? if that was the order they were asked in you weren't given chance to warm up on a easier one !

Sorry I meant chromatic not pentatonic.


I thought that starting on the A major was quite difficult for the first one- thats why I made a mess of it- she didn't let me try the piano first either !

I can’t remember what scales I had. I think it was D major, E major, F major and B and D minor, and E contrary motion. Then I had chromatic right hand and then left hand and I can’t remember the arpeggios… I was on automatic by that stage! I just remember thinking that the examiner asked for quite a lot!

Well done ianporsche- sounds like you did great. How did you find the sight reading? If I fail that, I am going to blame it on the examiner telling me to start when I wasn't ready (although no excuse really!)

Sonds like my grade 2 exam. I still passed though so you probablyt woll
Ade

silly me I should have worked out you meant chromatic !

You can ask to try the piano you know - they don't always offer if you don't ask, although I think some will suggest it. (not much help for this time, but store it up for next).

A major is not the most difficult one, but it's a long way from being the easiest too - I think it's a bit rough to start with that. If I were giving a test-run for that grade I'd tend to start with G or D.

B minor is without doubt the nastiest - I believe it's being done-away-with at this grade in the next syllabus. (09).

My teacher says that all of her grade 2s have been asked for B minor.
She has a theory that it's because it will be coming off the syllabus.

I'm doing grade 5 in the summer and I still can't play B minor

Try the melodic, it lies much more easily under the fingers and you can mix and match harmonic and melodic minor scales in the exam if you want.

Ww! I didn't know that before sbhoa! What an useful little piece of information!

Well, I got my result today. 9 days- a lot quicker than I expected!

I got 124 Merit.

List: B03—26/30
List: A01—23/30
List: C03—25/30
Scales⁄Trad Song—20/21
Sight Reading⁄Quick Study—15/21
Aural Tests—15/18

Total Marks—124/150

I don't know HOW I managed 15 for the sight-reading; I KNOW I did it all wrong- the notes bore no resemblance to what was on the page, the timing was out and I didn't even end on the right note or rhythm. I guess I just gave the impression that I knew what I was doing: either that or you get 15 marks for playing in the right key

The only thing I am slightly disappointed in is the 23/30 for piece A1; I thought I had played that better than that, but if I get 15/21 for sight-reading and 15/18 for aural, which are my weakest areas, then hey I'm happy

I'm SO glad I passed. It's made my day!

Hurray! Well done. You've done a sight better than just passed - a Merit's a great result.

Now go and celebrate.

I emailed for an official answer to that question when I had a grade 2 student who wanted to mix and match.
The reply was that it's fine and they don't have to say which they are playing/have played.

Excellent result!

I've got mine on Saturday and I'm hoping for a merit too.

I hope you're out celebrating this weekend!

Congratulations!

The result has come very quickly, I might not have too long to wait now.

Hooray and well done!!! I don't think I've known such quick results. My three students took their Grade 1 there this morning!!! All three came out smiling, so fingers crossed!

Really well done! I only got 114 for mine (about 9 years ago... )

Really?? Gosh that's useful to know. I was always under the impression that it was one or the other.


Well done!!!!

Well done
Still waiting for mine

Got my result for Grade 2.......120 Merit

A1 (Mussette) 25
B2 (The Moth) 19 (Boo fail!)
C6 (The Cat) 25
Scales 18
Sight reading 16
Aural 17

It's the scales that suprise me- I completely messed up A major.

Well done, Ian. A merit's a good solid result.

Well done, ianporsche.

A merit is a good result. I just hope I've got one too!

Well done ianporsche!

Well done.

I got same mark on my scales as you in my latest grade and I knew I messed a few up. I played a diminished 7th instead of the dominant seventh etc. Couldn't remember the diminished one so thought it would be better than nothing to just play the dominant one.

It seems with scales, if you get a couple wrong, the examiner asks you more until you get them right.

Well done Ian ! good for you.

Thanks everyone- I was just a little annoyed that I failed on one of the pieces- I haven't got the Mark sheet back to find out why yet though.

Well done Ian - did you think your failed piece had gone badly? A merit is fantastic though

(OOOOOOOOOOOOH *notices we have a whole new range of smilies* - how did that happen?)

(Or are these smilies new... ?)

Not sure really- I did think I'd rushed it a bit though.

Noticed the new smilies too

I've just found more...like ! Is this CE's doing?

Sorry,

Quite evidently the best.

My results were posted online today

List: A02 26
List: B05 27
List: C05 28
Scales 18
Sight Reading 18
Aural Tests 18
Total Marks 135

I'm very pleased with these marks and absolutely staggered by getting full marks in the aural test.