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Recommended Reading
Sight reading often fazes pupils in the run up to an instrumental exam. Here are a few suggestions for helping things go smoothly in your exam!
What do I have to do?
In your exam the examiner will give you a short piece of music. You will have about 30 seconds to look at the music before you have to play it for the examiner. During this practise time examiners love to hear you trying out the following things.
The beginning, middle and end of the piece and any parts that look tricky in between!!
Checklist:
- Which scale is the piece based on? - clues are starting notes and ending notes.
- Time signature (how many beats are there in a bar)
- See if you can spot any repeated patterns or parts of scales
- Check the tempo marking at the top of the music - don't try to play it too fast
- You MUST keep steady beat whilst playing the sight-reading
- Look for any tricky rhythms
- Count rests correctly
- Are there any high or low notes - for grade 3+ will you need to change to 3rd posit etc....
- Play the dynamics - examiners love dynamics!
- Bowings - play the bowings written
- Look for any differences in articulation - are there any staccato notes?
