OH MY DAYS. just had my clarinet grade 4 exam yesterday... and it went something like this:
warm-up: clari was flat and couldn't tune it properly because it was so cold!
A piece: Evening - Went smoothly, good control, apparently flat because of the STUPID heating conditions. ARGH!
B piece: Song of the night sky - Made a few late entrys -.-
C piece: Study in C the turn - One of 'the turns' didn't come out. Very nice. My little fingers were freezing itself off by this point so it wasn't a surprise!
Scales: A major - Good on way up, on way down added Bb TT.TT B minor messed up the A# on way down
D major couldn't get the high D out because instrument was NOT warmed up even though I had been try to warm it up for half an hour. Chromatic went smoothly but had to repeat it. arpeggio on f major? pfft pressed D instead of C on the way coming down in the chamaleau register (spelling?)
Others were okay...
Sight reading went well
Aural test: A - forgot the notes half way because I was so FREAKED OUT by my RUBBISH performance.
B - That was good, at least! C - describing went okay, rhythm... FAIL!

Overall I'd only expect a scraped pass!
Its the nerves.
Can anyone tell me whether they think I'll pass? If I had to describe myself, I'd be in the minor key
I feel like this exam is a failure!
And would the examiner mark me down if the instrument (Buffet B12) is flat? Also, I was really nervous and my fingers were so numb that it got stuck when I was crossing the break in the chromatic scale! Do you think the examiner will understand this?

- A very agitated - VQ

If the conditions were that bad the examiner must have been frozen too and I'd get an email off to the board straight away about the poor conditions.

The examiner can only mark what he heard and may or may not be aware of possible tuning problems due to the excessive cold. At least he must have noticed how long it took trying to tune before you began your accompanied pieces

I wouldn't panic or stress about it now and it probably wasn't as bad as you think - you have done the exam, got through it and you did the best you could in the conditions and coping with being nervous. It's always easy to remember the things you know went wrong or didn't go as well as you would have liked. I'm sure there will have been positive things the examiner can give you marks for even if you can't think of them right now. If the exam room and venue overall was that cold, the examiner must have been aware of it too - he/she may also have been freezing! It may be worth telling the AB about it or the local rep so that they are aware for future sessions but presumably the steward was aware too.

It that was me, and if I did fail in what I truly believed were seriously adverse conditions, I'd write of G4 as a bad day, and move on to G5 study.

Grades can be skipped, right?

Yes.

VQ, hope you've done OK, there's certainly plenty of good in your report. If, when you get the mark sheet back, there is insinuation of general flatness, it may be worth putting a complaint in about the conditions in the exam.

I'd put in complaints about conditions immediately.

You can complain until you're red in the face but the Board will not alter the examiner's marks. In exceptional circumstances they might allow you another go free of charge, but I happen to think - from your detailed comments - that you have passed!

Do let is know.

No, it won't change marks but it might prevent it happening to others in future.

We tried to tune for ages in the exam room (5 minutes is long as the exam is only 20 minutes long!) Then he decided he couldn't be bothered anymore so he said: 'Right, its not tuning, so why don't you tell me what pieces you are playing?'



Yes, that made me feel so much better I skipped Grade 3 though...


Thanks, I'm just hoping for a good mark on my first piece to lift my mark to at least a good pass!



I hope I have passed!

Thank you everyone - ABRSM forum members always make people feel better!
Thank Goodness I've got Christmas Shopping to look forward to! - That means new Clari mouthpiece... new reeds, and books of repetoire (And Theory books )

Just on a second thought, when do you normally get the results e.g two weeks, two month?

Usually around two weeks but could be more or less.

Aha. 115 Pass Better than I'd expected

Well done! How's it going with the brace?

Excellent! Many congratulations, VCQ!

Braces are fine - to my surprise, I can play clarinet perfectly well after only a week of getting them!

So glad to hear that

well done VCQ

Well done you.... that's great!

Well done ViolinClarinetQueen