As we head towards the theory date for this term, I think good luck wishes are in order.

Good luck everyone doing exams tomorrow!

I'm one of them... thanks!

Best of luck Sol!! I'm sure you'll do well!!!!

What I've seen of your theory knowledge suggests to me you'll be fine. Best of luck Sol

Best wishes to everyone.

I had a strange dream last night actually that I'd missed my exam by being late, and that they only had Grade 8 theory papers left, so I had to wait until everyone had finished and do that one instead on my own in the hall....

Actually that's more a nightmare than a dream.

Good luck

Thinking of you all tomorrow doing your theory exam. I always feel a little sad when it comes to the theory exam time that I am not going to be sitting one. but not quite ready yet for Grade 8.

Sol you will be fine!

ET

Good luck everyone! One last tip - check your timings. I have done quite a few past papers and always managed them with time to spare. Last week I did my exam - and suddenly realised I only had 5 mins to check everything through! I think in the exam I was writing everything a lot neater than I usually do and pondering a lot so don't get caught out!

good luck solari

Good luck Solari and everybody else

I'm just doing having a break from last minute revision....I'm hoping nothing "falls out" of my brain overnight

Good luck Jo, sure you'll be fine

put cotton wool in your ears just in case

good luck

Good Luck Jo, I am sure that you will be fine.

Good luck with Grade 5!

Thanks BC and all, grade 5 for me tomorrow!

Goodluck Stetenorve

Yes, best of luck everyone.

Ha ha. Yes, I already sleep with ear-plugs in...Maybe I'll gaffer (sp!?) tape 'em tonight just to be safe ;-)




Ta, good luck with 3

I'm sure you'll be fine : best of luck for tomorrow JoMook, and stetenorve with your grade 5

good luck all!

Good luck everyone! Grade 6 tomorrow for me

Good luck everyone!

Car Expert

Good luck, everyone

Good luck everyone, hope it goes well

Good Luck to all sitting an exam today, hope nobody feels as nervous as I do!!

Yes very VERY good luck to you all

Ok, minor panic time...for those who did grade 5 today...what was the minor scale we had to do that melodic descending?

It was E flat minor - same key sig as G flat major.

The question I had issues with was the Ic - V chord progression. Took me ages to spot where it was!

E flat minor...excellent...thought for some reason I'd done something stooopid.

Yes, it took me eons to get the Ic - V chord progression too...there were G's everywhere, too many to see the G's from the trees.

It also, took me a while to count all those "mashed-up" quavers to get the time signature in Q1...

Some people left after 40 mins(!?!?!?!). I used the FULL two hours, answered and checked all questions, (except the composition) in 1 hr 30 which gave me 30 mins for the cuckoo masterpiece

Just wondering if anyone thought that the question about an instrument that could play the right hand piano part at pitch could be a bit misleading ... the ony one which physically could was a transposing instrument ... so, though it could play at pitch, it would have to transpose. I thought that was a bit of a naughty question ...

Ah yes, that one....I fear I may have gotten that wrong... What was the answer? I was slightly confused by it.

Clarinet was the only viable option, but I don't think that they should have used a transposing instrument to choose, as it might cause confusion ...

Brian is quite right that the question may be a little misleading, but I take the view that I was looking for an instrument which could play the part at the same octave as written, so I immediately discounted the bassoon and tuba (and of course the timpani) so was left with clarinet as only option. May be worth a comment to the examiners to tidy up the wording?

Yes, I think a comment to the AB is in order, as they did exactly the same thing a year or two ago. Had I been taking the exam I think I'd have inserted a comment noting that the clarinet would have to transpose the part to play it at pitch - that it's a transposing instrument was reinforced by the use of the clarinet in Bb for the transposing question! But I don't think that the AB should be using potentially confusing questions - there's enough to befuddle already for stressed candidates.

post deleted: wrong thread

Yeah, I got this wrong....I was um-ing and ah-ing between the clarinet and timpani....I went for timpani (without knowing exactly what they are, now I do) as I remember reading somewhere they could produce notes to exact pitch, but I had no idea about the range....and the clarinet would have to transpose....

Anyone know if I would get half marks for saying timpani are in percussion? Or did I have to get the clarinet part correct and therefore the second part HAS to be woodwind?

This seems to get people confused doesn't it.
I can't say I've ever seen any problem with it.
The fact that the notes might need rewriting is something I see as irrelevant as the question is about whether the instrument can play those sounding notes. Also as the transposing interval is only a tone it's hardly an issue at all and the tessitura is always (that I've seen) in the middle range.
If they don't say 'at pitch' then almost any melody instrument could play the notes.

I *think* the question was which instrument could play it at pitch. But I could be remembering wrong.