.jpg)
Recommended Reading
When preparing for an exam it is important to be as thorough as possible. The better prepared you are, the less nervous you will be; it will be a more positive experience all around, and you will get a better mark.
The first thing to take care of is learning the notes and rhythms of your assigned pieces. It is especially important to keep a steady tempo, so practise with a metronome- and make sure you’re really with it. If there are any tricky parts, isolate them and play them slowly, again and again, until they are comfortable. Gradually increase the speed until you can comfortably play them at tempo.
Once you have the basics of a piece learned, it is just as important to rehearse the expression marks. Dynamics, articulation (tonguing) and phrasing are all very important, and will count for marks on your exam. It’s important to exaggerate expression, especially dynamics, because the panel needs to hear you doing it clearly.
It’s a really good idea to record yourself playing your exam pieces and listen back to it. You’ll be amazed how much more you can hear! And how much less you can hear of expression. Often players feel they are making big dynamic contrasts, but we only hear small differences on the recording. Always do more than you think you need to!
A tape can also help with tone and intonation (tuning). You may hear some notes are unstable; usually this means you need stronger air support. You may also hear some tuning issues, especially if you are playing with a pianist or CD. Have a look at my article on tuning, and/or ask your teacher for help with this.
You will also need to play scales from memory- each grade has different scale requirements, so check them out well in advance. Scales should be practised both slurred and tongued. In both cases, keep the fingers even and fluid. For the tongued scales, keep the tongue light. Practise scales with a metronome at least some of the time, and work to gradually increase speed. When crossing the break, keep the airstream constant and focused; aim to keep your tone constant throughout all ranges of the instrument.
It’s also a good idea to practise sight-reading. Choose a piece from the book you are currently working on (a piece you have not learned). Take a few seconds to look at the key signature, time signature, expression and tempo marks, etc. Think of a tempo by singing a few bars of the piece to yourself in your head (if there is a hard looking part, pick those, so the tempo is one you can comfortably play everything in the piece at). Start the piece in the tempo you’ve set yourself, and keep it steady, even if you play a wrong note.
In preparing for a test, it’s a great idea to mix up your practise routine. Try writing the names of all your pieces, each of your scales and a few that say ‘sightreading’ onto little pieces of paper. Mix them up and pick out papers at random, playing whatever the paper says. This will help you prepare for any situation, so you’ll be ready for anything when you go in to your test.
Good luck!
