Anyone else get theirs? I'm glad my date isn't too early (21 July). But I'm a bit freaked that it's not at the venue I had hoped for, but one with a less than great piano. And it's at 9.45 in the morning! Does this mean I will be the first candidate of the day?
Good luck to all with Diplomas coming up!

I have seen in one venue that the piano usually used for grade exams there (a Boston upright) was replaced by a different one (a Stienway Grand) for the diploma exams. Maybe the same will happen for you (having said that the venue in question was a shop that sells pianos, it might not be done/feasible in other locations).

In the past I've known a diploma exam at 9:45 to be the first of the day so it seems likely that yours may well be.

Good luck .

One of my exams is at 9.30 am

They expect me to be awake at that time of the morning?!

I hate playing in the morning! Good luck with your exam and I'm sure you'll tell us how you get on.

I'm not a great morning person either, but at least means I don't have to spend the whole day worrying!
Thanks everyone!

All the best! An early morning start is good - gets the exam out of the way and you probably won't be tempted to have a sneaky run through of the pieces!

Which centre are you taking the exam at? (Don't answer if you don't want to give your location away - but just in case one of us has been examined there and can give you any inside info).

Hope you've got a morning tea or lunch treat planned as a reward!

I got my date through today - 19th July - ah! At least it's at 2.15pm.

Good luck! I know you are going to do fab!

Mine's on the 19th, too.
I don't think I've been to my venue before.. hopefully I'll visit before the 19th, to have a look around.

Good luck!

Don't complain guys I have my dipABRSM on tuesday... right in the middle of my a-levels.... Got Further Pure Maths on monday, Dip on tuesday, A2 Chem on Thrusday, Maths and spanish on friday!!!

Good luck to all of you.. you'll do great I'm sure!

Woah! I wish you luck! I'm sure you'll be fine.

I have A2 chemistry on thursday, too! Is your exam "Unifying Concepts", by any chance?!

ouch.
how long ago did you do grade 8?

No... my a-level exam board is edexcel.... !

Grade 8, 2 years ago... I know its a long time on the diploma.. buT i wanted to know my pieces well...

Got mine today, 18th July, but thankfully at midday!! can get a couple of run throughs in before hand. I reckon 9:45 is ok, my grade 8 was at 10 and in a way it was nice to not have too long before to stress about it, 5pm would be much worse! Anyone else wishing they'd been doing a bit more practice a few weeks earlier now the date has come through?? Good luck to me and everyone doing exams!!

I hope it went OK!!

what programs are people playing - i'm only in the early stages of preparing mine right now. piano syllabus has a lot more choice than grade 8, so i'm trying to get a good variety of pieces. any specific recommendations?

I'm playing:
Prelude and Fugue 12 (f minor) from WTC1 - JS Bach
Sonata K570 (Bflat) - Mozart
Nocturne Op62 no2 (E) - Chopin
Preludes 3 and 11 from 24 Preludes Op34 - Shostakovich

The nocturne I love, but it's very tricky... especially the "agitato" section in the middle. The sonata, I already knew to movements (1st from Grade 8 and 3rd from Grade 6).. it's not that special, really. The preludes I learnt very quickly, and they're very fun to play (especially number 11!). The prelude and fugue.. well, it's hard... the prelude not as much.
I'd definitely recommend the preludes and the nocturne (especially if you're into Chopin)

i bought a book of his nocturnes a while ago, (as well as most of his works really, but i'm still missing the ballades, scherzos and sonatas), but i've never tried that one. i've got the mozart sonata too, it's between that or one of beethoven's. thanks for the suggestion - i'll look at the chopin now. i've never even tried shostakovich!

for anyone who has the gershwin pieces (The Man I love and I got Rythm), i was sure i had the full editions and I got rythm is certainly worthy of a diploma.. but the man i love seems really easy, and they're in the same book, so i don't see why it would be simplified. if it's so easy, why is it on the syllabus?

I just got my date! July 21st, 11.00! I am really lucky because I get to play at the Royal Academy of Music, which is really close to where I live and I'm sure I'll get a good piano this year!

I'm excited!

good luck leia hopefully they'll give you a grand (piano, that is), what program are you going to play?

Hi s8535049! This is my programme:

Bach's Prelude and Fugue No. 5 in D major
Beethoven's Sonata in C# minor 'Moonlight'
Brahms' Romance in F
Gershwin's Preludes II and III for piano

I hope I get a grand too! I have one at home and I just love playing on them!

i know the gershwin and beethoven pieces, but not the other two. have to hand it to you - i can't play the third movement of the moonlight sonata, at least not at the right speed still i haven't even entered yet so there's no pressure

Tee hee - I don't play the 3rd movement very well either! It's not up to the tempo I have heard, but my piano teacher says it is fast enough, plus it is at a comfortable tempo where I can get everything in and really do the expression well, and I think that counts more. No sense in playing crazily fast and missing half the notes, right? Which is what I would do if I attempted those speeds! LOL!

I absolutely love my pieces this year. My favorites are the Bach prelude, the first movement of the sonata, and the Brahms. I love slower, expressive pieces. I really hope I pass my exam! *fingers crossed*!

I just played it on wednesday for my exam (The 3rd prelude).... what tempos did you play it at roughly? I didn't play it too fast either (92)... also be careful not to play the 2nd prelude too slow.... It's a little contradictory that Gershwin called it the "Blue lullaby" and then put a tempo mark of 88 !, but I have read from various sources that his original performance was actually roughly at that speed and occasionally faster... personally .. I don't like it fast so I sort of agreed to a midway mark. Basically I paid attention to the andante -> moving... I played around 75 I think.. but with lots of rubato.. I love it! Have you started preogramme notes?

Rieuwa -

I have had a lot of different thoughts on the speeds for the two preludes! I don't know if he marked it at 88 or if that was an editorial suggestion (what edition do you have? I have Boosey and Hawkes). I used to play it at 68, and that was my favorite tempo, but my piano teacher said that I should probably not play it that slow because the examiners might ask me why I'm deviating so much from the marked tempo. So I am doing the same as you, in the low- to mid-seventies.

The third prelude I'm playing around the marked 116. I have a bit of trouble on the last page (it seems my hands are flying around in opposite ends of the piano and I need another set of eyes! LOL!) but I have been working on it, especially many times at a slower tempo, so it's beginning to sound pretty good at 116. I just love that ending! It's the last piece of my exam, so I like to have a fun finish!

I am sure you did really well. Tempo markings are mostly just suggestions, and as long as you got the MEANING of the music right, the examiners will realize that you understand the music in a much deeper way than just getting all the notes in at crazily fast tempos (a recording I have of the third prelude is around 125 or 130! Ouch!)

I hope you passed! Please let us know if you did!

couldn't agree more, expression is much more important than speed, so long as the tempo isn't drastically different from the editorial suggestions. actually i'll be on the new 2005 syllabus, and the preludes have been replaced by "The Man I Love" (which seems bizarrely easy) and "I Got Rythm" (exact opposite). I got rythm also has a fantastic ending, and i'm definitely playing it to finish the programme. i'm not really decided about the rest of the programme yet, but i'll probably do a beethoven sonata, because i have the book already and know most of them reasonably well

I really hope so - otherwise I'll fail my sonata! LOL!

Rieuwa - I forgot to answer your other question about programme notes. I started them in around December and am still putting fininshing touches on it. I got lots of people to read them to check if the English is okay and if it makes sense to them as a general audience, and my piano teacher is continually tweaking this and that.

my one is on 5th of August ,morning 11am to 12pm.

Good luck for everyone who want to have the exam. Mine is in august.
N dont forget to write your qs in viva n what kind of s reading do you get in your exam. Share them if you dont mind, if you dont want it's ok!. but your experience will be useful for any other people who want to take the exam too.

Once more time, GOOD LUCK EVERY ONE!!!