Just being nosey here, wondering if there are any other adults doing exams this session.

I'm doing Grade 7, guitar on 15th November. I'm most looking forward to it ending and then I can get on with learning other music.

All the best to others who have upcoming exams.

G

I'm doing grade 5 piano accompanying (TG).
I'm also looking forward to moving back to learning new things again.

Hi 'gwu', I will be doing Grade 5 Jazz on Soprano Sax (on the 9th Nov). I really want to try to enjoy this one as it's probably going to be my last exam !
Just in case you're interested, I started Sax 8 yrs ago (complete beginner, musically, at the tender age of 52). I've already done G3 & G4 (both Jazz) on Alto and done G5 (Classical) also on Alto.

Good Luck to all you other Adults doing Exams - Enjoy !!

Cheers -D-

This will be my last if I fail and if I pass, will be my last till 2010 when I have more time. Why do you think this will be your last exam?

Hi Guys -

I'm planning to do grade 6 saxophone next year, and maybe to limber up for it by doing grade 3 clarinet and - assuming I can tame the little blighter in time - grade 3 flute. Never done an ABRSM practical exam in my life (did G5 theory about 20 years ago) so it'll be ... interesting. Maybe I'm too ambitious - we'll see.

I'll repeat a question I've asked on the 'Student' forum - anyone done/doing G6 saxophone? Which are the most popular pieces? I'm planning on Vaughan Williams, Westbrook and either Bullard or Rae.


best
nick

I thought you mght ask that. Basically, I want to spend more time just 'doing my own thing' musically. I want to improve my playing of some of the 'standards' that I like and improve and develop my sound. So I'd rather focus on that using other learning scenarios rather than an 'exam' orientated one; but will, nevertheless, develop me musically. Hope that all makes sense.

Cheers -D-

I've entered for Grade 3 trombone. I'm looking forward to the day after the exam!

By the way, I see we are supposed to provide our own music stands. Does everyone do this and do you assemble them in the waiting room? Could get quite crowded with trombone + case + music + stand.

4 organ, 5 piano & 5 descant recorder

Right now, I'm most looking forward to getting the dates for them, as I can't plan November until I know when the exams are. Desperately hoping none of them end up on the date of a recital I really want to go to.

After that, I'm most looking forward to the recorder one. I get /way/ more nervous about keyboard exams than woodwind and my last piano exam was when I was 9 and was a horrible experience. Did my first organ exam last term, thought I'd made a total mess of it, but got a fairly decent mark in the end.
Never done a recorder exam before.

Least looking forward to the grade 5 aural tests and the organ sight-reading (3 staves).

T.

I've applied to do Grade 4 piano but still not sure when! How long in advance are you meant to get the dates? I haven't heard anything despite emailing the coordinator. I have some work commitments round about that time so I hope to hear soon.....

I'm looking forward to learning some new pieces - especially some Christmas ones that I'm saving until after the exam.

DipABRSM Teaching Singing

Good luck with that! I'd be keen to hear how it goes, as I wanted a pupil to do that recently. She decided not in the end, but I'd still be interested in your experiences of it. Who have you got to play with you? That was one of the reasons we didn't do it; it was finding somebody to accompany who was dependable enough and good enough, but who wouldn't cost more money!

Hillyb is my soloist. I had offers from other forum friends too but she lives not TOO far from me.
We had a rehearsal in front of my teacher this morning and she thinks the accompanied pieces will do very well.

At my last ABRSM practical exam, a rather expensive and ornate looking music stand was provided for us but the exam was at the ABRSM head office in London so maybe facilities there are more comprehensive.


I've given up on the singing sections for my aural tests which is half the aural test. I just don't have enough time to spend on it. For my last exam, I spent a huge amount of time studying sight singing and still got it wrong in the exam.

I don't mind actually singing, but I find the echo singing test tough at grade 5 - it's so long that it's hard to remember all of it at once. The grade 4 tests aren't as long, so they're OK. And I'm less worried about grade 6+ aural than grade 5, because the wretched echo singing disappears.
Sight-singing is fine. Answering questions about a piece of music is OK, as is clapping the rhythm.
The thing I'm most likely to stuff up completely is identifying the number of beats in a bar. I find it hard to tell 2 and 4 apart, and I get so stressed by that part of the tests (because I know that I mess it up), that I've been known to just say a random number. Mixing up 2 and 4 isn't too bad, but mixing up 2 and 3 is embarrassing!

On the grade 4 exam, the thing I'm least looking forward to is sight-reading, cos it's my first time sight-reading with pedals in an exam. The grade 3 sight-reading is manuals only.

Make sure you attempt all sections of the aural in the exam, even if you've given up on practicing them. You get some marks just for trying, even if you're wrong.

Same goes for sight-reading. If you play /something/, even a few notes, even if those few notes are wrong, you get some marks. Refusing to attempt the test at all gets you a zero.

T.

Hello

I'm doing Grade 1 flute and Grade 2 violin in December (still waiting for the dates). These are the first ABRSM exams I'm doing and at the moment, I'm hoping that my exams don't clash! My violin gave up the ghost last week so had to go and buy a new violin, so I'm trying to settle it in at the moment as it hasn't been played for a long time.

I'm most looking forward to the exams being over and if I do ok (I'll be more than happy with a pass) then I might continue with the gradings. Otherwise, I'm most looking forward to start learning the piano (in addition to flute and violin) once my exams are over.

Good luck and best wishes to everyone else doing exams.

I'm doing grade 2 jazz flute - which is fine except that it's in less than a fortnight, and I've not been well, so still haven't narrowed down which pieces to play or ANYTHING. Argh!

I am sure you will chill out in time... hope you feel well enough... and it will go well for you!
Good luck with it.

Thanks SF hope I'll get sorted! Haven't even really looked at the scales properly yet, think I looked at them when I first got the book... sometime in the spring... - oh my - I'm so glad it's grade 2 not something higher...

Hi

I'm doing my Grade 4 flute! I've got alot of work to do in the next 4 weeks before the exam tho! Mainly sightreading andd scales and scare me !!!

I am doing my grade 6 piano on 28th November. Still lot's to do. Not so worried about my peices, but the group scales and aural tests are freaking me out a bit. Don't know if anyone else is doing the same exam, but the Eb minor and F# minor contrary motion scales are very hit and miss. I either get right through them, or they fall apart. No particular issue, other than they're horrible.

The aural tests are much more difficult than grade 5. Must try harder I think is the key here!

Oh well, good luck everyone!

Ant

F# minor contrary motion is evil.
I'm doing it for grade 5. :-(

I've now got dates for my exams this term - recorder and piano are on the 19th, organ on the 26th (all on Monday mornings - ugh!)

Piano - nothing's going well.
Recorder - need to do a lot more work on scales and on a couple of tricky passages in one piece, rest is OK.
Organ - scales are fine, sight-reading is terrifying (3-staves), only just started learning one of the pieces and another is still a long way off the mark. Third is not quite there, but I've already played it as a voluntary and it went OK then.

I think blind panic would not be inappropriate at this point....

T.

My son's doing Grade 6 sax, but not this term. He's doing the Joseph Balough (but has also played the Vaughan Williams), the Buckland and the Bullard (Toreador Sax).

Hello, I'm new.

I've been learning the flute since Jan, and am doing my Grade 3 in 5 weeks' time.

Am very nervous indeed. Not particularly "musical", but my teacher says I'm doing OK.

Just waiting for my new flute to arrive (hubby bought my first one as a Christmas pressie, as I've always wanted to learn, and it's not the best, bless him) and hope I can get plenty of practice in before the big day!!

Sarah xx

Welcome Sarah

You'll find lots of good stuff here - loads of knowledable people contribute!
Good luck with the exam - you must be doing well to get to grade 3 standard in 12 months.


A

I did my grade three theory exam yesterday - now I have to work on having enough courage to actually sit a practice exam!So far have not done one as i have frightened by having to memorise the scales.

Hi I did my Grade 4 theory yesterday, I sat m Grade 3 in June and got a distinction with 97%, don't think I have done as well this time though with the grade 4.

I am up to around Grade 5 level on the piano and plucking up courage to try and sit a practical exam next year sometime. My problem is that I get nervous when someone is watching me. My aim is to start to play in front of people more often to get over the nerves. Even when I record myself so that I can hear how I am playing the piece for correction, I get nervous!

Tricia

I have exactly the same problem!
As soon as I hit that record button - it goes to pieces.
Even more so than when playing for teacher!


A

It's Grade 4 Clarinet for me at the end of November. Still having problems with my arpeggios. Is it an age thing?
R

Piano - still going badly and I've discovered that the exam piano is an awkward one to play and is the exact opposite to my piano at home (which has a very easy action and two volumes - quiet and quieter) - it's quite stiff to play and has a very bright tone and two volumes - loud and louder. Subtleties of dynamics aren't my strong point on piano at the best of times (in my universe you change dynamics by using the swell pedal or changing the registration - touch has nothing to do with it).

Recorder going OK, but I keep forgetting to practice my list A and C pieces on my wooden recorder, as I'm so used to using a plastic one for practice.

Organ. New piece coming along OK. Long-way-off-the-mark piece is just beginning to take shape (I actually know what's coming up at the top of the second page now instead of being completely surprised by it every single time). Third piece - eeek. I've played it in public and it unravelled spectacularly. "Crash & burn" doesn't capture the horror of it. Now lost my nerve, even though I've played it really well in practice and pretty well in a lesson.

Wibble!

T.

Thanks. As i said, I'm not "musical" and certainly not from a musical family. I am quite proud, though, that I've only had 27 lessons and I'm already thinking about exams! When my teacher suggested it to me a few weeks ago, he said they were in December. I assumed he meant December NEXT year!!!!

I'm trying to get my head round (very simple) scales and we've not even thought about aural work or soght reading yet!!

Welcome to the Forum SallyAnna

I find with my scales that they don't seem to work for what seems like ages and then they suddenly click. My fingers seem to know what to do without me telling them. It is a very satisfying feeling and worth all the effort. The thing is to keep faith and persuade yourself that they will improve with practice!

I'm working towards my grade 6 bassoon and for that I have to play three octave scales on B and B flat and two octave scales in difficult keys. I haven't gone near any arpeggios yet. I don't know when I'm likely to do the exam.

G4 Singing (Trinity)..................... this coming Friday.

I'm doing Grade 3 trombone on Saturday. My scales are truly awful and my sight reading is punctuated by mumbled apologies. Today I played my pieces to my elderly mother and in my eagerness to whizz down to C in 6th position I lost my grip on the slide which sailed off the end of the instrument and landed on her dining room table.

I shall have to make sure I stand well out of range of the examiner.

I am doing grade 5 saxophone and don't feel confident at the moment. Exam is not until 3rd December though, so I have some time to practice. I think it will be the scales that let me down. I haven't been playing two years yet though so I think it is an achievement that my teacher thinks I am good enough to take the exam.
All the best to you too.

I am now NOT doing my exams this time.

Because the pieces I have are from the new book, and I'm told these can't be used till January 08. So I will have to wait till next time.

If your teacher has already put the entry in and the exam date isn't til December you've still got time to learn pieces from the old syllabus. If your teacher hadn't put the entry in yet, you would'nt have been able to do it this term anyway.

T.

Hello I am new here.
I am doing my grade seven flute early December. I am working hard on all my scales!!!
All the best
Maggielou

Welcome maggielou!
Good luck with the exam - keep on practicing those scales!


A

Thanks Arthur
I started grade one flute about 5 years ago and worked my way up through the grades. My ambition is to get to grade eight and pass of course!!.
I do know all my scales but when asked especially melodic and harmonic minors I go blank with nerves. I am dreading that part of the exam!!!
All the best
Maggilou

Yes - I find that is often the problem at the higher grades when you need to know both harmonic and melodic.

Welcome from another Maggie !

Hi Maggie
All the best
Maggielou

Welcome to the board all you new people. I do hope it all goes well for everyone. The 'high' after the exam is almost worth playing all 3 pieces to death.

Good luck.

G

Hi, I'm doing Grade 1 Piano on 30th November. *checks calendar* Yikes, that's 2 weeks today! I'm living in a different town now, so I'm looking forward to seeing what the new exam centre is like.

I'm hoping my mind doesn't go completely blank during the exam. I'm finding 'following the notes' on the piano harder than on 'one stave' instruments.

As it's a Friday, I'm looking forward to pouring myself a glass of wine that night and feeling relieved that it's over! I'm looking forward to playing something different again too.

Hi, I've just taken my grade 4 on the clarinet on Monday 12th November. I don't think i'll have passed. Had a terrible cough/cold which didn't help and then my nerves were a real problem. My teacher said I played my pieces good. But then I don't think I did very well on all the other tests. I won't give up though I'll propably do it again. Good luck to all taking your exams

I have my Grade 2 singing exam on Monday 4th December at 9.00am! Early, but at least it's over with. I'm looking forward to it though!!

.

Good luck to all adults brave enough to take exams! Its hard enough as a child, but as an adult its even more courageous. May you all get good marks.

Just found out that I am taking Grade 4 piano on 28th November! I am at a conference for work all day Tuesday and Wednesday so won't have even touched a piano for two days Had a lesson this morning and couldn't play anything without horrendous mistakes Help!

Do the examiners take colds and coughs into account?



My gut reaction to your post is that they've notified you a bit late with just 12 days notice. I've only entered myself for 2 AB practical exams and for both I've had more notice. Can you contact the board and change the date?

To be fair, I knew the week of the exam ages ago but I have only just been given the exact day. I also chose the day because I am going to be in the city where the exam is being held anyway for the conference so work will pay for my travel expenses - which otherwise would be pretty expensive as I live 3 hours away. It's just that now I'm panicking a bit......

Just took G4 Singing (Trinity) today (I was last in the day) and I waited at the end for the results - got 68/100 - (Pass mark is 60).

I much prefer Trinity for the speed of the results.