I've noticed that. In gr 6 you have to play the scales in ALL keys, but no ones in 3rds, I guess. In gr 7 you play similar motion and 3rds, but in only have of the number of keys you played in gr 6. In gr 8 suddenly you have to be able to play them in 6ths. And you have to be able to play all chromatic scales in 3rds. The stuff from the earlier grades aren't in. I think the AB should make an improvement. Gr 8 students should be able to play scales in all keys. I don't want to disappoint you all, but it's odd if you don't have to play in all keys because you did play them in gr 6, regardless of you didn't do 6ths, 3rds, etc. And other examination systems usually make people doing the last grade play scales in all keys and ways.

The 6ths and 3rds. should be introduced in an earlier grade. But maybe not in all keys at once. Just a few keys. That way, I won't feel studying 6ths in gr 8 extremely difficult, because I never tried. Maybe the AB wanted it to be convenient, so you don't have to have a specific group of keys for a type of scale?

In some ways it depends on how you usually approach scale practice.
If you only do scales because of exam preparation then it seems a lot of extra to learn.
If you take scales as part of the normal routine you are more likely to have it pretty well covered well before exams are due.

Look at the staccato requirements that come in in grade 7! I've only ever played scales legato, and only ever played them an octave apart - so staccato in thirds was a huge jump for me.

QUOTE (Catrin @ Feb 23 2005, 08:52 PM)

Look at the staccato requirements that come in in grade 7! I've only ever played scales legato, and only ever played them an octave apart - so staccato in thirds was a huge jump for me.

That's another thing I wanted to say. You suddenly have to be able to do staccato and legato in a completely new kind of scale.

The point I was intending to make (which I didn't get across!) is that there are big jumps in the scale requirements for grade 6 and 7 as well as grade 8, which if they're to include all the types of scales that are useful isn't really avoidable.
Cat

I've been looking at this post and being confused for a while, you seem to be saying that there's too big a gap in scales between grades 7 & 8 but that the AB should put more scales on and make it harder. Am I misunderstanding something ?

QUOTE (DGA @ Feb 23 2005, 11:10 AM)

I think the AB should make an improvement. Gr 8 students should be able to play scales in all keys. I don't want to disappoint you all, but it's odd if you don't have to play in all keys because you did play them in gr 6, regardless of you didn't do 6ths, 3rds, etc. And other examination systems usually make people doing the last grade play scales in all keys and ways.

The idea is that at grade 8 you should have done all of the other grades, if not taken the exams (as this is not required) you should have covered the scales in all keys and everything else earlier on when you were roughly grade 5 standard in playing generally; regardless of whether the exam has been taken. I suspect not requiring all keys for examination is a concession to make your life a little easier in the exam: if you could learn them in one key then it's highly probable you could have done it in another key: it just saves the amount of work you need to do and have polished all at once for the exam. They probably expect that throughout your piano playing life you will learn the other scales anyway, not just for the exam.

QUOTE

They probably expect that throughout your piano playing life you will learn the other scales anyway, not just for the exam.

I would agree that my the time people are at these grades this should be the case... if it is not haven't people been missing out some of the building blocks?

But from reading a lot of the posts on here that seems to be frequently a case of 'in your dreams!'.