Hi people

For my DipABRSM (piano), I need to give copies of the music I'm playing to my examiners, and as I'm not playing by memory, I cannot give them my copies.
Does anyone know whether it's fine to just photocopy the music, on the assumption the photocopies will be destroyed straight after the exam?

Many thanks.

As far as I am aware, you are allowed to copy the music for the examiners' purpose, but you MUST have permission. I have e-mail permission for 2 of my 3 pieces and have printed those out just incase, and am borrowing a copy of my other piece from someone.

Who knows if the examiners check or not, but it costs a fair bit of money for me so I wouldn't take a chance!

No I'm afraid it isn't 'OK' to give the examiners photocopies.

They are getting very hot on this now.

You must either use only originals - and that includes having one original for you and one for the examiner if you aren't playing from memory

or

have written documentation that you have permission to use a photocopy from the publisher.

No ifs, no buts - the regulation is in the syllabus and you run the risk of not being allowed to play / take the exam if you don't have the originals.

Try your local library - I got my additional copies from ours, or you may have a friend you can borrow from if it's something common like Bach's Preludes and Fugues. The only book I had to duplicate and purchase twice was Prokofiev's Vision Fugatives and luckily it was a nice thin one!!

It is the same in competitions and auditions here in NZ - quite strictly 'policed' - I think it's a secret plot to force everyone who is a poor memoriser (waves hand in air) to improve!

Good luck

And what is the situation where the composer has been dead for centuries so the copyright has expired, and I have taken the trouble to key the composition into some music-editing software and make a nice print-out of it? Is that acceptable? Whose copyright could I possibly be infringing?

I'm not sure MadTom , to be honest.

Probably in 'odd' situations it would be best to clarify the situation with the exam board beforehand via email than risk anything.

I did play a 'traditional' piece in the World Piano Accordion champs and we couldn't locate an original published copy (just a tatty old p'copy, origin unknown) and I put in a covering note and that was accepted.

I guess if it is a recognised published work the rule applies - wouldn't that cover most pieces on the diploma list?

I mean I know that Bach doesn't actually hold the copywrite but then if you correlate to shows and theatre the rights for example for 'Peter Pan' were given to Gt Ormond St by Barrie , Cats to Hal Leonard (not Andrew L-W) ... goes off to study law books

Copyright is a mare's nest, Mad Tom! I'd see if you can pick up some secondhand editions the same as those you're using over the next few months to be on the safe side if I were you. We have borrowed copies of son's clarinet music from his teacher and a friend so that the examiner's have nothing to complain about!

It was a hypothetical question - for the benefit of others. It can work out very expensive for someone that plays from the score - and I'll bet most of the examiners have copies of the pieces on their shelves at home, or know them so well that they don't actually need a score to refer to anyway.

I don't personally have a problem - I aim to play everything from memory - at least for solo performances.

And even if I didn't I seem to have somehow acquired three copies of Bach's WTC and the Beethoven Sonatas, and two copies of some Chopin, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, and Debussy!!

I always find it so impressive when people play from memory, as I find it very difficult myself. I know pianists are supposed to, but it's an amazing skill.

"Students always think there is some secret formula that the masters use to learn a work. If there is I never found it. I simply play a piece over and over until I know it by heart. ...

... For me memorization is out and out hard work"

John Browning - in an interview for Great Contemporary Pianists Speak for Themselves by Elyse Mach (Dodd, Mead & Co. New York 1980 - reprinted by Dover)

When my teacher did her LRSM, one of her pieces was out of print and couldn't be sourced from anywhere, so she was allowed to "officially" photocopy it. Other than those special cases, I think you need an original copy for the examiners.

It the piece is not in copyright (because the composer is long dead) then of course you can make your own edition in your favourite music-editing software and play from that, giving the examiners a copy. You would of course be open to the lovely viva question Why have you made your own edition? and any related questions viz What methodology did you employ when editing this piece for performance?

If the piece is in copyright then making your own edition is illegal.

Note that the composer being long dead is actually not enough, you need to check out (if a singer) that the lyrics of any song are still not in copyright and for all performers, if your piece is arranged/transcribed that the arranger/transcriber is long dead. Finally, the edition itself can be copyright for a period of time after it is published. All things contribute to a complicated landscape.

In short, the best thing to do is either borrow an additional copy of each work (in the same edition) for the examiners, or get your permissions in order long before the exam itself. By and large, publishers are happy to do this sort of thing.

It is interesting to note for other boards (Trinity etc.) that permissions are not explicitly required. They subscribe to a 'fair use' code which allows copies to be made as long as they are destroyed after the exam. I wonder why the ABRSM do not follow this route? A question for the Chief Examiner, perhaps?

This thread is giving me some food for thought.

I am planning to sing Barber's Crucifixion and although I bought the low voice copy of the Barber anthology, my teacher and I decided I would be more comfortable singing it lower. I have transposed the music and my accompanist will have to use that copy. Do you think I will need to get permission for her to use this copy? My teacher has the high voice copy and I thought that if I needed two copies of the music I could use that one.

What about downloaded music? I have yet to find an acceptable copy of Purcell's Sweeter than Roses as I don't want to use the Tippett or the Britten realisation, so I got a copy from Schubertline.

This may turn into a nightmare as I have 11 songs in my programme! Arrrgggh I really must start gettting my programme notes into some semblance of order (but that's another thread!)

Val

Definitely a question for the Chief Examiner - are you going to post or shall I?

Uh oh...I've photocopied two of my pieces, and I do have written permission? Will I get penalised?

I contacted the ABRSM about this. They said that examiners don't actually have to see the written permission, as long as you have it, however, they advised me to bring letters/emails saying that it's ok just in case someone may ask.

I contacted the publishers because the libraries up here are useless and I don't know anyone who plays the material I'm using in my programme. The publishers were really kind actually, and said it was fine as long as I destroy the copies afterwards.

I hope this helps shed some light.

This whole situation is very silly and the publishers must find it irksome (and a drain on resources) to be frequently sending out specific approvals for candidates in music exams to make copies - because which of them is ever is going to say No - and create a grudge in someone that might otherwise spend a fortune with them on musical scores in the rest of their life?


In a sensible world copyright law would specifically allow copies to be made in this kind of situation, with the proviso that they be destroyed after the exam.

It is possible that the law already does allow copies for this purpose. UK Copyright Law has the concept of "fair dealing" (fair use is USA copyright law). The relevant section of the act states:

Fair dealing ... for a non-commercial purpose does not infringe any copyright in the work provided it is accompanied by a sufficient acknowledgement


A practical music exam is not commercial in the sense intended by the law, so whether or not you are allowed to make a copy seems to turn on the definition of "fair dealing"

The Society of Authors has the best definition, which is:

one article from any one issue of a journal (even if that one article is the whole issue)
one chapter or up to 5% (whichever is greater) of a book or similar publication
up to 10% of a short book of up to 200 pages (Library Association guidelines)
one poem or short story of up to 10 pages from an anthology, or
the report of one case in law reports

By analogy it would seem that copying one piece from say a collection of Sonatas, or the whole piece in the case of a separately published item constitutes fair dealing

But what individual is going to risk being the test case for this interpratation. Just lobby your MP to get the fair-dealing clause updated, the next time the Copyright, Designs and Patents act is reviewed to cope with advancing technology.

One of my publishers did! Told me I couldn't photocopy it, so I said "so you expect me to buy another copy for aronud £12 just for 2 minutes worth of exam music?" They replied with a "yes". I wasn't happy.

Then tell us all who it was so we can all stop buying stuff from them, and with luck they'll go out of business - as they deserve to do!

They have to be prepared to be contacted, though, because people like me aren't going to risk getting penalized for making illegal copies, so it's something that exam boards need to resolve with the publishers who find it annoying when some poor candidate bombards them.

One publisher actually thanked me for asking for permission because many candidates will go and photocopy music illegally. I can guarantee you, Scaramouche, that someone will make an illegal copy of the piece your playing without having contacted the publishers...It's just not fair is it

As the publishers must make lots of extra sales merely through having their editions listed by the Exam Boards you'd expect them to be charitable about this.

Perhaps the right approach is "I am thinking of buying this copy of your music at (say) £12 to play in an AB exam. Will I be allowed to make a copy of it for the examiners? Then if the say no they lose the original sale, and you pick something published by someone more sensible.

Alphonse Leduc!

Ah, the French. They only ever co-operate`or collaborate when they are invaded. Strange nation.

At least you received a reply!

When I asked for a permission to photocopy last year--well in advance, they didn't even respond. Needless to say, I was so disappointed.

I was fortunate to be able to get second copies for most of my songs by raiding my teacher's extensive collection. At 10 songs for a singing Dip it could have been pretty pricey otherwise.

I had to get one piece from Schubertline (wanted it a semitone down from the published version). To be on the safe side I bought 2 copies (at around a quid a throw it's a drop in the ocean compared with the rest of the expenses of taking a Dip), then printed off and attached the 2 differently numbered email receipts. The examiners did look at these though they didn't say anything. Actually, how I could have proved that the receipts were genuine and not mock-ups using a WP package I don't know.

I really can't see why they don't do what our local music festival does: there has to be an original of each piece of music in the room but a second version may be a photocopy. Copies are not allowed to leave the room and are destroyed by the organisers. Seems a reasonable and practical compromise to me.

Haha!! Nice - I like that approach!

They did not reply to my 3 e-mails, al marked urgent!!! I was panicking so, I rang them around 6 times. On the 6th time I was actually not hung up on or told to e-mail, but put through to an English speaker, to whom I gave a piece of my mind!

Probably why they said non ?

I don't suppose it'd be of much help to you now, but if you needed me to, I could translate an email into French.

The rules do indeed say that if you copy, you need to have permission to do so: I'm very thankful that Trinity, with whom I did my diploma, do not require this - instead the examiner will arrange to have the copies destroyed as also happens in music festivals. Just out of curiosity, I did in fact ask for permission to copy - the two German firms gave prompt permission and wished me luck in my exam, but also asked that I ensure that the copies be destroyed afterwards, the Dutch firm sent me round in circles through their sales department without ever answering the question, and the English firm sent me some spam six months later but also didn't answer the question...

One more thought - if, like me, you like to mark your music with little reminders here and there, you'll also need to decide if you want the examiner to see your deliberations or not. I decided not, so had to make sure I knew which ones I was going to have to put back in after making my copies .

Something slightly off topic, but related:

I got the two pieces I need out of the library for the examiners. However, because they are library books and have obviously been used, they have lots of pencil markings on them that aren't mine. Should I rub these out? They are clearly library books...

As the examiner gets the copy I learned from it comes complete with detailed fingerings, alterations to phrasing, additional dynamic markings, notes about pedalling, and rude comments about idiotic suggested fingerings, editorial subversion of the composers intention etc.

I am going to be working from that score for years to come. The examiner has it for a couple of minutes, and probably hardly looks at it. No way am I erasing my work!

My son's borrowed his teacher's music for the examiners, and I wouldn't dare rub out her markings!

I just copied the piano part for them - more photocopying but has both parts on it and does not have markings on it. Although they will REALLY know if I'm not in time with the piano...perhaps I've just shot myself in the foot?!