Hello everyone
I have my Piano Grade 7 exam in just over two weeks and my teachers says my scales are fluent and at a suitable speed. However, when I get home and practise them, certain members of my family say that they don't seem to sound fast enough. I don't have a scales book, and can find no information on the internet. Does anyone have a tempo marking for the scales?
Thank you!

Taken from the publication "These Music Exams" available from the download centre (see bottom of page!)
I believe scales are played as quavers...


Recommended minimum speeds for
scales and arpeggios
Please refer to the scale books published by ABRSM for further
information.

Piano

Grade 7 Scales are minim = 80 bpm Arpeggios are minim = 56 bpm

http://www.abrsm.org/resources/theseMusicExams0607.pdf - page 31 is where i got the info!

Even bearing the recommended tempo list in mind I'd go for fluent and even first.

Thank you so much!

I agree with Sbhoa.
I've recently acted as an interpreter in several exam, among which there were 2 Grade 7 ones. The tempo the students played at was not quite the minimum speed recommended (crotchet = 80, playing in quavers) but nothing was said about this. What they really do pay attention to is the prompt response and the accuracy while playing them. The examiner was quite strict about accuracy and minor blemishes or slips were penalised at this grade. I'd much rather aim at accuracy + fluency and play in the region of the speed required but don't worry too much if you're a little below that.

Unless you are part of a family of ABRSM examiners I'd trust your teacher on this.

That would be one dysfunctional family!

As others have said, go with what your teacher says! The marked speed is 80 minims per minute, with four quavers per minim.

It's not actually all that fast! I can play most of my scales faster than that speed (for grade 7) however, I am sensible enough to know that I should play ALL of my scales at the manageable speed of my worst scale (I figure it will make me look like a bit of a muppet if I can whip off an A major at 90-100 minims per minute but then have 'slow' down to only 80 for the Eb minor )

As for family members' comments? Hmm, I guess they are imagining that at the giddy heights of grade 7 you'll be zipping up and down the keyboard like a ninja!

I once heard someone say that their piano teacher had said scales should be like a string of pearls. It has stuck with me and I remember it when trying to get a very even playing style without any of the notes really sticking out (too loud, too fast, too slow etc).

Good luck with the exam (I don't need to sweat over my grade 7 until later this year )

N

I just took my grade 7 today and I found that maybe my scales were a little slower than I expected.

sbhao and Juan Carlos, I very much agree with. Whilst pratising them, long before I took the exam, I would play them fairly fast, even my teacher told me I was playing them at a grade 8 speed.
So, if you play them too fast your likely to slip and fall over yourself.


Remember, you still have another grade left, where you might need to go that bit faster still.

Hope this helped.