I'm doing my grade 6 this session and I'm playing Albeniz's Tango from the pieces book. There's a page turn just after the first una corda section ends which I find really difficult - it's in the middle of a phrase and the bit over the page needs both hands on the beat. Am I allowed a page turner? - or will the examiner penalise me for hesitating here? I did buy an edition with it all on one page, but I think it's too late to try and familiarise myself with that one. Can anyone help? Please?

Cat

Catrin
is there a possibility of photocopying the following section of music and sticking it alongside the first so you don't need to turn at that percise moment?
This breaks copyright rules, but given the circumstances you may be ok if (1) you explain to the examiner why you've done so, (2) you destroy the extra piece of paper after you play it - in front of the examiner.
I think if you wrote to the publishers explaining this problem, they'd give you permission, and if they gave you permission in writing, it would look even more impressive on the exam day - how about contacting the publishers as a first step?

However understanding they may be, examiners will listen to the entire piece as a performance at this level in my view, and if it stops at a crucial moment for a page turn, it will upset the performance as a whole.

Furthermore, it's VERY easy to lose track if you stop at the wrong moment, fiddle, then continue. I've been in this situation performing live, and what happened once - the page turn didn't go well, and I was left fumbling with the book in my left hand while playing 'solo' on the right, for a couple of bars! Very embarassing and very obvious to the listeners! I then thought I'd get my 5yr old to help the next time, and she was so keen to do her only page turn, she dropped the entire book off the piano, leaving me with no music at all

The section about page turning from the AB's regulations.

QUOTE

Candidates will normally be required to make their own page-turns of the music. Examiners cannot undertake to do this. However, candidates taking a Grade 7, 8 or Diploma examination, primarily those taking subjects such as guitar, harp, double bass and percussion (organ candidates are referred to the introductory notes to the organ syllabus), may be allowed to bring a page-turner where this would be absolutely essential and other means of coping with difficult page-turns are not possible. In such instances permission should be obtained in writing from the Board at the time of entry, giving details of the pieces containing the difficult page-turns and the edition which would be used.

Probably the easiest thing to do would be to memorise just that phrase until a point that you can turn over or just to contact them and ask permission to photocopy the page that's causing the problem (technically they've signed up to a copyright 'fair use' clause that allows you to do this but it's always best to ask and get official permission: you don't want to be arguing with the examiner in the exam!). I think you'd find it hard to justify needing a page turner for this piece because other people have played it without one and it's in their book...

In 'These Music Exams' it says that pauses or difficulties wtih page turning will not affect the marks and that examiners will be understanding.

Hi there,

I've always sellataped a photo copy of the offending page to all my pupils' exam music for AB exams and festivals with no complaints from examiners. It is quite reasonable where it is a difficult turnover, and I have been doing it for years.

Hope this helps.

QUOTE (sbhoa @ Oct 25 2004, 06:56 PM)

In 'These Music Exams' it says that pauses or difficulties wtih page turning will not affect the marks and that examiners will be understanding.

I actually don't agree with this (ignoring pauses for page turning not the fact that it says this in the book!). You can't go to a recital and have a pause for turning the page so why should it be allowed in exams? There are ways around it so they should be used, the page turn could be used to cover up an inability to play a certain part without pausing. If one can't play the piece without pausing, whether it be due to the piece being too technically difficult or because the page needs to be turned (since you could just memorise a small section) then you should loose marks for your playing of that piece, surely.

When I took my grade 7 piano I had two photocopied pages (from different pieces) to help with page turns and it was fine.

QUOTE (AnotherPianist @ Oct 26 2004, 11:54 AM)

You can't go to a recital and have a pause for turning the page so why should it be allowed in exams?

But wouldn't you be allowed a page turner in a recital? I don't mean to be argumentative - I'm just worried about this

Yes but if it's really a problem you can have one in an exam too: this would be preferable to stopping. Most (professional) piano recitals are done entirely from memory thus eliminating the problem. Seriously though for your exam as I said before just photocopy the offending page or memorise a small section there won't then be a pause and hence the page turn will not cause a fault in your playing. My point was that surely if there is a fault then one should loose marks.

QUOTE (AnotherPianist @ Oct 26 2004, 03:20 PM)

Yes but if it's really a problem you can have one in an exam too.

I don't know if this has changed, but I thought you were only allowed a page turner in an exam if you were taking grade 7 or 8 and had requested permission at the time of entry?

QUOTE (cecilia @ Oct 26 2004, 02:36 PM)

I don't know if this has changed, but I thought you were only allowed a page turner in an exam if you were taking grade 7 or 8 and had requested permission at the time of entry?

Oh yes, so it is. I posted the latest regulations but didn't read them carefully . Memorising a small amount and photocopying are still two viable options. What's wrong with photocopying it?

Then it gets tricky with some of the 5 page grade 8 pieces......

I knew someone who took in 2 books to get over the page turn, get over having to memorise the passage, and to get over having to photocopy...LOL

what about the page turn in Allegro(A3) for grade 6. i have a rest to turn and its not a way out of playing something, so i should be ok shouldnt i?!

All three of my pieces have page turns - but the other two (Mozart's Allegro Amoroso and Columbine Dances by Martinu) have page turns in sensible places, like at the end of a phrase or in a rest :.) - you should be ok clarinetlover!

QUOTE (Catrin @ Oct 27 2004, 01:36 PM)

All three of my pieces have page turns - but the other two (Mozart's Allegro Amoroso and Columbine Dances by Martinu) have page turns in sensible places, like at the end of a phrase or in a rest :.)

Just out of interest how long is the phrase you would have to memorise to turn at the end of it?

Natalie you'll be fine if you're turning in the rest since you're allowed to stop playing then!

QUOTE (AnotherPianist @ Oct 27 2004, 02:50 PM)

Natalie you'll be fine if you're turning in the rest since you're allowed to stop playing then!

good good!

but what if it takes longer than a rest to turn the page?!

QUOTE (clarinetlover @ Oct 27 2004, 02:57 PM)

but what if it takes longer than a rest to turn the page?!

You'll just have to try to do it as quickly as possible: don't do it too quickly though or your music might fall down on top of you and create quite an worse situation!

QUOTE (AnotherPianist @ Oct 27 2004, 02:50 PM)

Just out of interest how long is the phrase you would have to memorise to turn at the end of it?

I don't have even a demisemiquaver rest in either hand for the next seventeen bars! I have been memorising one chord and artificially pausing on that to turn the page but it spoils the flow of the piece and sounds out of place - it sounds like I'm pausing to turn the page. Which in fact I am!

Im playing the Allergo and the Columbine dances, and my teacher has told me to photocopy the first page of them both, because she said you are allowed to do so in the exams.

If I were U, I would memorise the pages I cant turn

1) Pausing is perfectly OK IN EXAMS NOT IN OTHER PERFORMANCES: but you might want to ask your examiner first if it would affect your mark! I think it would be quite unfair if you wasn't allowed to.

2) Memorising the next few bars until there's a fairly long rest which you can quickly turn the page but not too quickly otherwise the music may fall off the piano! LOL I did this 4 my grade 7 piano A2 piece (luckily the music didn't fall off!)

3) Photocopying is OK for exam page-turning and that is an exception to the copyright law. I did this 4 my B1 piece.

4) If your music has 5 pages or more and page-turning is really hard, placing 2 pages plus 3 pages of photocopied pages will not be possible most of the time. A page-turner may be neccessary, although they charge you for using one! You also need permission to do this.