(Apologies if this question has been posted before, I did a search but could not find it, but suspect that it may well have been...)

Hello,

I'd just like to ask the adult learners if they bothered to "progress" through the theory exams or just went to straight Grade 5? My piano teacher has suggested that I start at grade 2, but after looking at the syllabus I feel that, for me, it would be too easy. I've had the workbook for grade 5 for some time and the little pink book theory book which I have been making my way through and I think that I should just "go for" it. But I'd just like to get the wisdom of others' experience before making the decision. Are there any benefits to doing the other grades?

Mook.

I suppose it depends on where you start from and what your confidence with the actual exam bit of it is like.

I had a 10+ year gap from music after GCSE, when I was tempted to do the OU A214 music course. I thought I'd get myself up to G5 theory in advance to help get my musical memories back functioning! I took G3 first, with the intention of doing G5 after that. However, there was a change of circumstances and I didn't do the OU course in the end.
But, a couple of years later, that's when I rediscovered my recorders. G5 theory then became something that I wanted to have again Because I'd had another gap, I took G4 just for comfort value in an A session, then G5 in the B session. I probably could have gone straight to G5, but being teacherless fancied the stepping stone and reminder of exams that G4 could provide.

If you look at the theory exam stats - the numbers of people taking each grade - you'll see plenty of people go straight for G5 and don't bother with any others!

But there are also adult learners who work through from G1 - skylark, I think did this.

Basically, do what you are comfortable with. If you are happy with the content of a G5 exam, and you are happy you can complete the exam in the time available, then you may want to go straight there!

I went through all of the workbooks but didn't take the exams.

Just did the grade 5 exam.

It's less daunting like that, you get to learn a bit more gradually.

I have started by doing Grade 1. It's a good way to get used to being in an exam environment again, and also a confidence boost.

I'm jumping to Grade 3 theory in Nov, then Grade 5 the term after, I hope! I don't want to make a huge leap as I want assurance that I fully understand everything in between by way of feedback from exam marks

If I failed G5, I wouldn't necessary understand exactly where I went wrong if I wasn't sure I was 100% on everything that came in the grades before!

I did that.
When I decided I wanted to do grade 5 theory (because I realised that I'd picked up most of what I needed to know while learning to play) my then teacher had me work through all previous grade workbooks.
I found it useful to do that as it picked up on the little things that you might otherwise miss (I'm thinking 'official' note grouping in particular).
I've had students who don't take all exams but I do go through previous grades with them.
For those who already feel that they are part way along I'd begin with a set of papers maybe around grade 3 or 4 so that I could see if there were any obvious gaps.

I started at Grade 3 and the next term took Grade 4 and then the next term took Grade 5. Originally when I had announced to my teacher that I wanted to start some theory she suggested I started at Grade 5. I suggested more like Grade 1, we compromised and as I said went for Grade 3.

ET

When I did theory I think I worked through the G4 workbook, then went straight on to G5 and only did that exam. I was fortunate in that, due to good teaching, I had a strong theory background. Horses for courses! Maybe try doing some past papers and getting them marked, that will give a fairly good idea of where your strengths and weaknesses lie and what gaps need filling in. If you keep going up a grade and still finding the past papers easy then you have your answer!

Hi JoMook,

I went straight to G5 theory but completed all the workbooks which my teacher marked. If you do enough preparation you'll be fine. My exam room was full of 5th year students (or whatever it's called!) which made me feel old (3 freshly sharpened pencils lined up on the desk!). Apart from that the exam was fairly easy.

Do the workbooks, feel confident with the various things you can memorise and just go for it. I think you can also buy past exam papers so nip into a decent music shop and read through a couple.

adam

Another variation .. I have taken all of the theory grades up to and incl G5 and have done this alongside Grades 1 - 4 piano practical.

Don't think this would suit everyone but I felt comfortable with it.

I took Grade 5 Theory when I decided I wanted to try for my Grade 6 practical (which I skipped in the end). I studied for about a year with as many theory exercise books ( for grades 3, 4 and 5) as I could lay my hands on and a book called "Take 5 and Pass First Time". By the time I did my exam I was hooked and determined to continue studying for Grade 6. Unfortunately I have found Grade 6 much harder to study alone and have ground to a halt.

I have been using the "theory in practice" books with the little pink book by Eric Taylor.

I am going straight in at G5 (hopefully xmas time). Im doing that the same time I take G4 practical.

That way if Ipass G5 I dont have to worry about taking another theory exam (as you have to pass G5 to do G6+ practical) and If I fail then I can attempt it again without stopping me progressing thru the practical grades.(unless I keep failing it)

I prob will then do G8 theory at some point though not planning to do so for at least a couple of yrs.

I found that too, so I started on A214 and now I hope to take my Grade 8 either in November or March. It all makes so much more sense now.

ET

Excellent, I have chosen the same remedy and will start next february. I was delighted to read your comments about Summer School in the Theory Forum.

Oh well done Clarimoo, you will really enjoy it. Mind you just reaching TMA 07 at the moment I am kind of asking myself why? Everything seemed clear at summer school and now I am home everything is so so vague..... doesn't help with the summer holidays and nowhere quiet to go!

You will really enjoy the summer school, best ever experience. I start the AA302 in February.

ET

Hi All,

Thanks for all the replies (errr, I didn't realize that there is a theory forum-whoops). I think that I will start with the grade 3 work book/exam papers and take it from there. I don't fear the written exams, (I'm a total nervous wreck in the practicals though), I just don't want to spend the money/time on unnecessary exams. I'm not going to do a practical this winter/next spring, so I might try and see if I can get the grade 5 theory, ahem, "mastered" by then :-)

Thanks again for all the help,

Mook.

I'm exactly like you, terrified of practicals not worried about written exams and did exactly as you propose, starting with the grade 3 work book. I found that I knew a lot of the material and what I didn't know was fairly easy to teach myself though I still did still have to work. The exception was harmonising with chords and the composition for these I did need some help. I also got my cello teacher to flick through my work books and to mark some grade 5 exam papers. It took me about six months mostly working through the workbooks when waiting for my daughter to finish her music lessons. The last two or three weeks I did some serious work on the composition getting unofficial help whilst on a cello course - this also had the advantage that I was away from home without other demands on my time. I got distinction and would really like to do more but there isn't time at the moment!

I passed grade 5 theory in 1971 and grade 6 in 1972. Then I gave up formal music education for 35 years. When I restarted and wanted to take grade 8 on the piano I had to prove I had at least grade 5. I couldn't find the old certificates (since remedied) and it was too long ago to be on the ABRSM database so the simplest solution was to retake the exam. I don't think I ever took grades 1-4 even as a child.

Throughout 61 years of piano playing, I never studied any theory. When I started learning flute two years ago my teacher assumed that I had at least Grade 5 Theory but I had nothing. Last year I passed Grade 4 flute and she suggested taking Grade 5 theory so as not to have a block on any future flute exams past Grade 5. She did not think it worth it in my case to take any theory grades lower than 5. I began in September by attempting the first question on a past paper and continued to do one question a week (in addition to my practical work). For those questions where I had no idea what to do (and there were quite a few ), she explained how to answer, and referred me to the relevant pages of the pink or blue theory books. I carried on like this until I was able to answer all the questions, whereupon she gave me another paper to do! This time I had to time myself so as to get ready for answering the whole paper within the 2 hours.

I completed something like 10 past Grade 5 papers in all, and new topics would arise for which further discussion and study was needed. The result was I got a distinction in March this year. My "prize" was that immediately afterwards, my teacher said I should skip Grade 5 flute and now go for Grade 6 .

So jumping straight in at Grade 5 theory worked for me, but the confidence came from knowing that I could answer correctly all questions in some past papers.

I am currently studying for grade 5 theory. My teacher said it there would no need to do any of the lower grades, as it would be too simple for me.

Each lesson we just work through the exercises in the blue book. To be honest grade 5 is fairly simple, the concepts only take a very short amount of time to understand.

Not everyone is as fortunate and talented as you Violin Hero; intervals, transposition and cadences took me a great deal of time and effort to understand. Looking back I can't see exactly why but I remember feeling stuck and confused for ages.

Oh Eldatom your A214 course sounds such a good one to do and i am so tempted but I really would not have the time committment at the moment and I do realize that the OU will discontinue it in Feb

Oh well will just plug on with G6

Please keep us informed with your progress, great to hear about it

Fear not altoclef3! The replacement course for A214 is due to start in 2011, i.e. the next year. Of course, there aren't any details yet of what it may or may not contain, but I for one am hoping for a nice replacement

I signed up for A214 yesterday I wanted to do it this year, but missed the deadline by 3 days, and they would not budge on accepting me (even though you could still sign up for it if you were an existing OU student). Apparently, I would not have time to "learn" how the site works etc, and it was for my "own good"

I do still forget where middle C is when it comes to working out notes names for notes not in treble clef.
I had never come across cadences before but I had it all learnt inside 15 minutes.

It looks as if he is administrating a stare of death. If even look directly into his eyes I will keel over dead.....

Its quite scary! I am not ready for a scare this late at night.

I took Grades 3 (2007), skipped Grade 4 and passed Grade 5 last year (June) and although I had a musical background, I found it very useful to work through the grades and found things to learn from even the lowest. ;y advice is that even if you don't sit the exams, the exercises for all the grades should be done for practice.
I am now working towards Grade 6 theory and that is a tall job! I'm working on Josephine Koh's book and am finding harmony hard and fascinating.

Thats what I've done, im about grade 5/6ish level and have been for a couple of years, but only last year I started taking exams, so I sat grades 1-4, and 5 will be this november. I like doing them, because it does secure a sound foundation.

Thanks, will be interested to hear about this for the future

Obviously not into Star Trek, then? The character in the picture is Lt Commander Data, an android. The implication was that perhaps you have some superhuman ability to absorb knowledge very quickly (in a tongue in cheek manner, of course).

Best of luck Jo you wont regret it.





Oh Altoclef

I didn't see this post until I answered your other post over on theory and you must be sick of me going on about A214.

Wish you lived closer and then I would be able to help you. Have you got anyone close to you that could become a theory buddy as when you work together with someone it makes all the difference.

Like I said before though, get yourself some past papers and work that way, then you can see exactly what you need to be learning.

ET

[quote name='eldatom' date='Aug 19 2009, 11:24 AM' post='865075']
[quote name='JoMook' post='864714' date='Aug 18 2009, 12:35 PM']
I signed up for A214 yesterday I wanted to do it this year, but missed the deadline by 3 days, and they would not budge on accepting me (even though you could still sign up for it if you were an existing OU student). Apparently, I would not have time to "learn" how the site works etc, and it was for my "own good"
[/quote]

Best of luck Jo you wont regret it.


[/quote]

I found that too, so I started on A214 and now I hope to take my Grade 8 either in November or March. It all makes so much more sense now.

ET
[/quote]


Oh Eldatom your A214 course sounds such a good one to do and i am so tempted but I really would not have the time committment at the moment and I do realize that the OU will discontinue it in Feb

Oh well will just plug on with G6

Please keep us informed with your progress, great to hear about it
[/quote]

Oh Altoclef

I didn't see this post until I answered your other post over on theory and you must be sick of me going on about A214.

Wish you lived closer and then I would be able to help you. Have you got anyone close to you that could become a theory buddy as when you work together with someone it makes all the difference.

Like I said before though, get yourself some past papers and work that way, then you can see exactly what you need to be learning.

ET
[/quote]


Quite the opposite eldatom, I am really interested in the A214 having looked on the web and read all the positive comments about it I may just ring them (OU) up and find out more !!

I've spent the weekend working on the grade 3 book and doing last years exams (as well as watching the x-factor;-) and I'm happy that it's all sunk in. I'm going to get the grade 4 book/exams this week and give myself a couple of weeks to complete them. At this rate, I don't see a problem with doing the grade 5 exam in november-bring it on

JoMook - That's exactly the right idea (except for the x-factor bit) !!!

I took my Grade 5 practical in May 2006 but it was only after I got my result that my guitar tutor mentioned that I had to do Grade 5 Theory before moving on to Grade 6 practical.

I went from ZERO knowledge to a good pass at grade 5 theory in about 12 weeks. I started in August and with the help from a lovely lady from one of our local schools, we worked through the lower grade books and papers and then did a few grade 5 theory tests. Then sat the real thing in November 2006 and scrapped an 86. If it worked for me I'm sure you can do well too.

My problem was that I had swotted so hard for the theory paper, that when I went to start the Grade 6 practical stuff I was really rusty, so if you can keep playing as well.

Best of luck.

Nigel

Yeah, after all the effort of practising for the G3 exam, I've lost the mojo for playing at the moment...think my piano teacher will "frown" when I turn up this week, as I've done almost nada practice in the two weeks she's been away . At least I'm doing something musical... (talks self out of practice this evening ) I'm working on Beethovens Sonatina in F and some Czerny exercises...not really feeling the love for either but I'm hoping it's a temporary blip.

Your concept of zero knowledge is strange You cannot pass grade 5 practical with zero knowledge, you just haven't studied the theory separately. I'm sure a lot of it was very familiar.

Andante,

Not trying to be smart here - but when I did my Grade 5 - I didn't have any theory knowledge. OK I knew that if flats or sharps were marked then you had to adjust the notes accordingly. But I didn't know anything about key signatures and I thought an interval was half time at a concert!! Similarly I knew that different types of notes were played for longer, but I really couldn't have told you which ones!! I used to get the phrasing by going through the pieces with my tutor.

Grade 5 was my first practical exam (although I'd been playing the guitar for a long time) and I really didn't know what to expect. I had practiced my 3 pieces and the scales - but was rubbish at the sight reading (still am) and had done very little aural stuff - mainly because I didn't know what to expect.

I must have got a reasonable ear as I could always do quite well at singing the phrase back and clapping the rhythm - but when we got on to the sight singing I had no idea that was part of the test - ignorance on my part for not having researched the syllabus properly.

Because this lack of researching the syllabus nearly caught me out, I would strongly suggest to others, especially adults, that they need to look at the syllabus properly themselves - my tutor may have thought that I had the aural part of the exams covered, we didn't really discuss it - we simply concentrated on the pieces and scales.

Going back to the Grade 5 Theory - yes it can be done in a short few weeks - but like anything else I had to really work at it, and hence my encouragement to Jo.

Again, and this was purely my own fault for not having researched the ABRSM requirements, I was under the gun for the theory as I did not know that you needed the theory paper before you could continue to Grade 6.

In my defence - and this is a really poor excuse - I think my tutor and I thought "Well what about giving these Grade Exams a go then" and tunnel vison crept in as we simply concentrated on scales and pieces - worked wonderfully until Grade 8 !!! Then the jump in the standard of the pieces from gr7 to gr8 floored me!!!

Kind Regards,

Nigel

Apologies as I haven't read through all the thread but I'm short of time but just wanted to say...I started thinking about G5 Theory after taking my G5 practicle in March.
I entered myself in June although my teacher couldn't quite hide his raised eyebrows as if to say I wouldn't be able to do it in the time, but although I did get a bit nervous on the way I ended up with a distinction after only 3 months of study - the 1st of which I didn't use.

I used the book 'Take 5 and pass 1st time' and the ABRSM pink and red books plus a few lessons from my teacher. I think that for me grades 1, 2 and 3 would have been too simple, 4 would have been OK but I only wanted the pass certificate for grade 5 so that I could continue with other practicle grades so thats what I went for.

It is different for other people so you have to make your own decision. I really needed the exam entry to make me knuckle down to study - If I had put off entry untill the following November then I don't think I would have started study until Sept/Oct anyway.

P.S. In the exam I spent the 1st 20 to 30 minutes drawing out my circle of 5th, a picture of a keyboard and working out a list of the tones/semi tones for all the major intervals. In that way most of the questions can be answered by looking at these notes and the exam becomes something of a 'maths' test as opposed to a understanding test.