I am due to take my grade 8 exam on wednesday 8th, and i am starting to panic! My problem is with a) my scales in sixths, b)my sight reading, and c) everything else!!! i have never been able to sight read well, so i'm not too fussed about that- just how hard is it? i really DO need help with my sixths- they are AWFUL!!!! i just need someone who has been in grade 8 already or is going to take it soon to help me!

Stef

I have EVERY sympathy - minors in 6ths just don't work for me.

Various suggestions have been made to me:
- practise them painfully slowly, concentrating on the quality of the sound you're making
- learn them as if they are part of one of your set pieces (imagine they are a weird bit of music!)
- try to isolate your hands. For the most part, I can rely on my right hand to get on with the job...so I ignore it, and focus my attention on my left hand. (Having said that, it always seems to work better going up than down!)

At the end of the day, if you hiccup on a scale, its best to be honest and move on! I do know of a girl who when asked to play CSharp minor turned round to the examiner and said "I don't DO Csharp minor". She got distinction overall!

ALl the best for the exam - just give it your best shot!

With any scales played at an interval apart, you have to understand that basically each hand is playing a different scale. So when we say we are playing C major scale sixth apart, you are actually playing C Major scale on the left hand and A Major scale on your right hand. If you learn the scales the rote way, i.e, by finger memory or visual, you will never be able to gain the benefits that you are supposed to get from scales, i.e. being able to feel the tonality and hand independence. A good way to practice scales are by using grand scales, which consists of a series of similar and contrary, this is of course to be attempted only when sufficient practice of separate hand scales have been obtained. You don't have to memorise scales or arpeggios, they are very easy to figure out on the spot.

QUOTE

So when we say we are playing C major scale sixth apart, you are actually playing C Major scale on the left hand and A Major scale on your right hand.

I always thought you played the C scale in the right hand and the left hand starts a sixth below on E??

Gae

QUOTE

scales in sixths

I think that this particular trick of coordination finds out if you REALLY knew your scales in the first place.
A bit tricky to start with, but such fun when you get it together

thanks everyone, that's just the help that i needed!! it doesn't seem so bad now!
i'm cool...

For sightreading - here's my advice:
Take lots of time to mull over the piece.
Get the overall impression - legato/stacatto, dynamics and tempos - imprinted in your mind - you get marks for these - and it's easy once started to forget all about them when the going gets rough.
No matter how awful the piece is, DON'T STOP once you start if at all possible.
Don't be afraid to throw in a few 'odd' notes to tide you over (in the same key) if you're overloaded and there's no time to read them! Lets face it, nothing at all is going to be wrong.
I sympathise very much with you - this was always my weak area and I used to dread it. Luckily its not worth 'that' much, so you can afford to totally mess it up and still do very well.
BEST OF LUCK! and do post us all a note on how it went!

hello! i just want to say to everyone THANKYOU so much for helping me! I think that the exam went fine, my pieces were great the examiner (Ralph Stenner) was really nice and ONLY asked my easy scales, ONE SIXTH ONLY AND NO DIMINISHED SEVENTHS!!!!!!! YAY!!!! I think that i messed the aural up a bit, but never mind, if i fail i can just retake it in march.

THANKYOU again, do well in your various exams and things like that!
Luv Stephie xxx

Well done Stephie hopefully you won't have to wait too long for the result.

Aww... I like diminished 7ths

What? Only one SIXTH? Scandalous!! I'm tempted not to get so stressed about them!

Glad it went well for you!

hello all! I got my results back today, I passed with 126, and for my aurals, I got 15, and a pass is 12, so yay!
I'm very pleased..
lol
love, me xxx

Congratulations! I hope I do that well when I take my grade 8.