Earlier today, I had my very first practical exam (grade 1 piano) and I was wondering what it was like for you all?

In my case, I walked to the exam centre not quite knowing where the it was exactly. In other words, I walked by it not realising that it was it, then had to revert, etc. Oh well, I had planned enough time, so it was OK.

The stewart was there and, as soon as I entered the exam centre, mentioned my name and asked me to confirm that it was mine. I found it surprising that I wasn't asked any kind of proof of identity. In the end, I get the feeling that I could have asked a friend to sit the exam for me and it wouldn't have mattered. Strange.

I was told that I had some time to practice before the exam, so I did just that. However, the practice piano was really not of a good quality. I didn't like the sound or touch of it at all. I even have doubts as whether it was properly tuned!

The exam room was nice and I found the examiner to be very professional. In other words, I couldn't tell what he was thinking about my performance, something that I don't like!

The exam piano was very nice. Very nice sound and touch (for me at least!), which was in complete contrast to the practice piano. Better that way though! One downside, though, was that the stool wasn't stable. It's like one of the legs was shorter than the others. That was a bit distracting.

The examiner started by saying I had a few seconds to get accustomed to the piano. This is silly really, because I knew there was a good chance of being offered to try the piano for a few seconds, yet I couldn't think of what to do with the piano to get accustomed to it. Doh!

He asked me whether I wanted to start with scales or my pieces. I asked for the scales, which I believe I did without any problem. Then came my pieces and my nerves started to kick in (probably because of the pieces being worth so many points). In other words, I stumbled at some point in my first piece. Nothing major, but frustrating nonetheless. I believe my second piece was fine, though my memory of playing it is now very vague. As for my third piece, I stumbled towards the end, which I was rather annoyed about. I actually mentioned to the examiner that I wasn't pleased with my performance, but in true professional fashion he just said something along the lines of "that's fine". God, I really hate it when I can't read people's mind!

Then came the sightreading part. I playd the piece straightaway (as a practice round) and was therefore ready to play it straight after that, but the examiner told me I still had time and therefore 'asked me' to wait. Then, when I actually started playing the piece, I stumbled straightaway! I started over again, and I believe I was 'OK'. I am still annoyed about it though. I wish he had let me play straightaway.

For the aural part, my nerves had come back down and I was feeling really relaxed, even though I don't particularly enjoy parts of the aural exam. Still, I think I was able to clap the time signature fine. The 'singing' was also OK, I think (if anything, this is my 'strength' when it comes to the aural exam), and I believe I was able to describe the difference in spot the difference. Finally, I think I answered his questions about dynamics fine.

So, overall, I feel like my exam went fine. I certainly enjoyed most of it and, in some way, that's what matters (or should matter?!). Now, I am eagerly waiting for the results. God, I really want a distinction, so I really hope I have done enough to get one!

Now, I am going to work through the grade 2 syllabus, but I have no intention of sitting the exam. I think my next exam will be grade 3 in a year's time, assuming everything goes according to plan. I would also like to sit grade 5 theory in March next year. I believe these to be reasonable goals for me, though only time will, no doubt!

I wrote the following post-mortem a couple of hours after my Grade 8 exam last year - First practical exam? Well, essentially, since the only other one was Grade 2, forty years ago.

You are thus at liberty to compare my 'immediate' thoughts with the opinion of the examiner:

Scales:

B major (root position) - easy,
G# melodic minor (root position) - not bad at all,
F minor melodic (third apart, staccato) – I think I came a cropper on part of it,
Eb harmonic (6th apart) - again nerves got the better of me,
Bb in thirds LH - manageable,
Whole-tone scale starting on E both hands - easy,
chromatic scale third apart starting on C & Eb, staccato - nailed it!

Arpeggios:

Ab? root position
Eb 1st inversion
B minor 1st inversion
F# minor 2nd inversion
Dominant of Eb
Diminished starting on Eb

(Scales & Arpeggios awarded 15/21)

Writing this now makes me feel much happier, for the arpeggios went better than I had feared and falling apart somewhat with a couple of the scales (I started one three times and gave up on the other!) had unduly left me feeling a little dejected/exasperated with myself.

Bach: Sinfonia from Partita No.2 in C minor

A few little minor blips but started well/finished well, content with in between.

(Awarded 26/30)


Beethoven: 1st movewment of Sonata in E, Op.14

Tempo fine. ‘Twiddly’ bits (bars 5/6) a bit fluffed first time round but much better in recapitulation. Forgot dynamic contrast bars 17-19, but noted for later! Remembered sharpened note in turn! Just a couple of trifling blips in development section. LH scales in recapitulation sufficiently fluent. (I’m actually feeling happier about this, as I write!). An A# crept into one of the sf thirds on the last page and the ending was certainly acceptable.

(Awarded 25/30)


Rachmaninov: Moments Musicaux in B minor

Contrast between mf and f could have been more marked perhaps, other dynamic contrast not too bad. Error with C# minor chord, pp just before the ‘a tempo’ on second page. It didn’t run away from me though; I felt I had it in hand.

(Awarded 26/30)


Sight-reading:

A Polka. I think I went at this a touch too fast perhaps. Not my best attempt actually – a bit disappointing compared with my usual standard; I was probably a touch complacent. But there were probably more correct notes than the average candidate manages. I definitely felt a sense of relief (and a sense of having redeemed myself following my performance of the scales) when my pieces were over and I think I dropped my guard inbetween tasks.

(Awarded 16/21)


Aural Tests:

Bass line sung pretty much perfectly!
Cadence recognised (interrupted) and fairly good stab at chords.
Certainly one of the two modulations spotted correctly.
Sight-singing 80%+ correct (just the pitch of the last two notes not quite there).

He led me with questions following the piece played, rather than just letting me ramble; probably a good thing actually. When he asked for a possible composer, I suggested Gershwin – knowing full well that it was because I recognised the piece!

(Awarded 13/18 - "Slips in Tests A(iii), B & D - prompting required.")


So, that's how I managed 121/150 and my Merit!

40 years between your grade 2 and grade 8 exams?! That's quite impressive! Well done indeed!

Thanks DocOx. I couldn't reliably fit in another four-decade gap, so the 1-year gap is almost up - just a fortnight to go!

All the very best then!

This made me laugh It's so French.
(I'm the opposite of you an English person working in France and I always think the French go into overkill on making sure they've got the "right" person).

Apologies for going off topic and I hope you get the result you were aiming for

Umm, my first practical exam was about 20 years ago so can't say I remember anything!

Good luck with your result!

I shall certainly take that as a compliment then.


As you have probably noticed by now, French people are not as honest as British people, so I guess it stems from there...? For the baccalauréat for example (since this is very much topical these days in France), there have been numerous cases of people sitting for someone else, so...


Thanks, I guess that if you guys don't hear from me by the end of the month, then it will be because I didn't get the result I was after.


That's too bad and too bad in general that not more people are willing/able to describe the first practical exam.

Otherwise, on 'hindsight', I think I found the exam to be extremely short. In some way, it was even frustrating. It was like it was finished before it even started. Then again, maybe it's a good sign and/or understandable considering that I was 'only' sitting for grade 1...?


Thanks!

Sounds like it went well. Not being able to remember how you played a piece is normally a good sign that it went well. I'm sure you'll get the result you want

Grade 3 clarinet, July 1985. Scored 130. I've still got the mark sheet somewhere, but I distinctly remember playing my sight reading in C major. Which was a shame, really, as it was written in G major.

This did make me laugh, Barry! I was very young (6?) when I took my grade 1 piano, and I remember playing the sightreading and totally ignoring the note values - all I did was the pitch! It wasn't until I'd finished the piece that I realised that I should have paid some attention to the rhythm.

This has dredged from my memory that when I sat Grade 2 as a nipper, (my only exam before last year) I played my broken chords, the examiner thanked me and so I got up from my seat to go! The examiner exclaimed, " But you haven't played your pieces yet!"

Grade 3 flute, taken at school, circa 1979. Not a particularly enjoyable experience - dark cold exam room and grim examiner, not to mention a candidate who'd done almost no practice and scraped through with a pretty dreadful mark.

Followed a year later by grade 4 flute. Much the same pattern except the mark got worse.....and I picked up a comment on my sight-reading on the lines of "If you had paid any attention to the key signature, time signature or rhythm you might have done better" . Almost certainly didn't help my cause when I was tuning the flute to start with and the examiner said "that's a bit sharp" and I snapped "I know, I'm trying to fix it...."

I didn't do another exam after that for nearly a quarter of a century.

Oh lord I feel so old... I took my LAST practical exam 30 1/2 years ago!
I know I failed my sightreading, which I have to keep telling my son to cheer him up as the one thing everyone can always rely on me to do is sightread and sightsing accurately "in real life". And no, it's not something that I've got phenomenally better at in the last 30 years - I was asked to play in orchestras at short notice even back then! So obviously I can only sightread REAL music
Oh I do have a memory of my G6 as well (32 years back) - the examiner started flapping his hand halfway through the Mozart quintet as he'd heard enough (so he missed the really fabulous musicality that my accompanist and I had put into the final half-page) and was out of the centre before I was, rushing off to lunch. Grrr is that why I didn't get the distinction I'd hoped for? (or was it the sightreading again )

It sounds like the examiners have come a long way to being much more approachable and friendly. I have only sat one exam and the examiner was very nice.

Some of your experiences made me giggle but also feel a lot of sympathy! Katyjay, sounds like you had a battleaxe for an examiner!

I took my first practical exam nearly 30 years ago and had only just turned 8. The only things I remember about the whole experience are:
1. going round to my next door neighbours a few days before because their daughter, my friend, was a bit older and a grade or 2 ahead. She did a "mock exam" type thing with me so i'd know what to expect. I seem to remember us being very giggly and not doing very much useful at all.
2.going to the centre and I can picture the piano which was an old upright, I remember nothing about the exam itself.
3. I got 130, my one and only piano distinction, and I remember my mum getting the results over the phone and being a bit annoyed with my piano teacher. I got the impression my teacher was a bit put out by me doing well as she'd expected me to fail.

Thanks. I can't remember the number of times I have checked for the result in the past 48 hours. This is rather ridiculous, since I know perfectly well (from reading this forum) that it apparently takes about 2 weeks to get one's result. Argh!


Brilliant! In some way, it was the opposite for me. I wanted to stay and keep playing, but the examiner made it clear to me that the exam was over and that I had to go.


Interesting, I didn't know that a flute could (and had to) be tuned!


Wow, so much for your teacher for being supportive! Whatever the case, congratulations on your grade 1 piano distinction!

I found my mark form from 25 years ago - it says, and I quote, 'key not entirely safe'. In actual fact what should have been written was 'key not even slightly absorbed by the candidate, it was a complete waste of ink printing that sharp next to the treble clef'.

I almost fainted in my first piano exam (Grade 1) - hot flushes, what felt like palpitations, heart in my throat etc etc... I can honestly say that Skydiving was a pedestrian experience in comparison. The only thing I've ever done that was more stressful than Piano Grade 1 was my driving test.

If it wasn't for the fact that the examiner was such a calm, nice and reassuring lady, I think I'd have had to walk out.

Somehow I managed 143 in spite of it - I think that I just "zoned out".

Grade 3 was a bit less strenuous; again, thanks to another great examiner. I'm sure that they must be aware that this kind of thing is probably more difficult for adults and do try to put your mind at rest.

I took my first grade exam last November, Grade 4 Cello. I too wasn’t really sure what to expect from the exam centre, and had found it a bit odd to be sitting in the examiners kitchen with a couple of 8/9 year olds who were taking piano grades.

There was no practice room, so couldn’t have any kind of warm up. When I was called in by the examiner, and asked to sit down and get ready to play, I had to point out that the chair the lady had provided was a little on the ‘Junior’ side, and I had to leave the room and fetch a chair from her kitchen – my Tutor/accompanist was a little bemused to see me wandering out after only 30 seconds

I did my scales first, can’t remember off hand exactly which ones I was asked to do, 2 octave A major, B flat major and G major were certainly in there, and I think C minor too. I’m pretty sure that I played the wrong dominant seventh (having misheard her), but it wasn’t mentioned on the mark sheet when I received it!

I was a lot more nervous than I thought I would be, had a bit of an adrenalin rush to start off with, and my bowing was a little shaky at first. This calmed down with my pieces at least. The other glitch I had with my exam was that the accompanying piano was a grand piano, with the top open… Bit loud for a living room with odd acoustics, probably should have asked for it to be closed, but was too busy playing at the time.

Sight reading and aural went fine, although was a little perturbed when my tutor mentioned that there were a lot of B flats in the sight reading test – which there weren’t. Oops. I actually didn’t score too badly for that section. Interestingly, I’m rubbish at sight reading (that’s not the interesting bit) – which actually had the effect of relaxing me quite a bit and not doing too badly in the end. I think it helped that I had had no expectations for it, being fully prepared to be awful and just make up marks with everything else in the exam.

Naturally, at the time I assumed that I’d failed miserably, which wasn’t the case. Was quite amazed at just how many mistakes you can make and still get a good score. I too think however, that the examiner was quite understanding of my predicament, and gave me some slack to play with.

The main difference I notice between my first few exams - in the early '70s - and recent ones is the lack of nerves. I don't think I was worried about the exams or the outcomes; I just assumed it would be ok. The examiners were pretty remote and not particularly 'child-friendly' but that just seemed normal for the situation.

Now however I can't think of anything more likely to turn me into a nervous wreck with all the classic symptoms of extreme anxiety (possibly root canal work would be worse?), and I hope the next one will be my last! The sense of achievement is lovely, but the awful anticipation, like the feeling of being on a speeding train to disaster...

The examiners seem a lot friendlier and pleased to see me these days, but that may of course be coincidence. I liked it when the last one said that he enjoyed my playing, it was a kind touch after a very wobbly exam.

N

My first one was yesterday at age thirty something. It wasn't too bad an experience, the steward and examiner were both really nice but nerves got the better of me in the scales and aurals. I don't think I'll be in a hurry to do any more.

That's always good to know (makes one feel better about one's own performance ).


If anything, it's better that way than if nerves had got the better of you in the pieces, so I wouldn't worry.

It's obvious from the dates that you are now an adult so is there any good reason why you shouldn't simply decide for yourself that the next one (assuming you are already commited to take it) will be your last. If you aren't already committed, hooray, you can decide that the last one really was your last!

My first piano practical exam was in the Spring term after more than 20 years (grade 6) - although I had done a performance assessment and grade 4 and 5 singing fairly recently. The experience was much better than when I did grade 7 which I think I managed to scrape a pass.

I really enjoyed the experience. I was fortunate enough to have had access to the exam venue and played the piano about five times before the exam date. The examiner was delightful and did his best to put me at ease. (I had taken a beta blocker so actually felt reasonably relaxed). I did my pieces first. Two were fine 18/22 and 19/22. I had a slip in the middle of my Mozart 17/22.


The scales and arpeggios were good apart from the last arpeggio which went horribly wrong. I was really pleased with my exercises and got 13/14 for that section.

The sight reading went reasonably well 8/10 and I fell down on the aural tests - I can never figure out the time signature and got the cadence wrong 7/10. That all amounted to 82% which I was very pleased with.

The examiner asked me about why I was doing the exam and seemed genuinely interested in my musical journey. As I left he said 'please don't give up this time!'. I thought that was really nice of him and I thought then that I had passed!

That clearly was a nice thing for him to say. If I recall correctly, my examiner just wished me good luck...

I had my first saxophone exam today, g7. It was ok. Maybe Pieces were mostly fine, a few glitches but no disasters, maybe some rhythm issues but I was overall quite happy. Scales were a bit messy, but mostly alright (though one was terrible on reflection) and sight reading wasn't brilliant. Aural I don't think went as well as it could have, but you never know. I just hope I passed....!

Mine met me a few days later when he was on his way home, having completed his stint for that session. Crossing my path as he was walking back to his car, he made a point of stopping to chat to me, encouraging me to progress with a Diploma.

First practical exam was Grade 1 piano in 2004. All I know is that I played 'Creepy Crawly' and can still play it from memory - that and the Jazz Exercise from Grade 6 are the only past exam pieces that I can play by heart! In hindsight I'm sure the examiner must have been sick of hearing it, as everyone in my school doing Grade 1 at the time chose it! Other than that, I can't remember anything, but I managed to pass with 126.

my first practical exam went went well, passed with merit.

*Re-booting old thread*

My first practical exam was Summer 1996 when I was 9, doing Grade 1 clarinet. I remember I got 130, and was my only clarinet distinction. I vividly remember that the examiner was a lady (don't know why I remember that - I think the rest have all been men haha). In my sight reading, I remember playing it through and then asking if I could play it again (big mistake I've heard!) because I realised that the key signature was in F Major and at first only thought the key signature affected the B on the middle line, and not the ones below the stave (clarinets often play this range of notes! ) and for some reason the sight reading seemed like it was a mile long piece... I can't remember any other aspect of the exam, although I remember playing a really jolly List A piece and a minor piece for my List B (think it was called Hativah!)

The only other clarinet exam that springs to mind is my Grade 5 I think; I just seem to recall being asked for C Minor, or C# minor, attempting it and giving up! Ohhh, how my attitude to playing has improved

Although my two flute exams were this year, they're still a bit of a blur