How many scales in an ABRSM exam?

This post is basically in answer to a question I received on one of my videos on my YouTube channel.

In answer to this, I would say that the absolute minimum would be one of each type of scale, and this number increases with the higher grades. It seems from experience that there is usually an easy one at the beginning to settle the candidate down, followed by more difficult ones. If you make a complete mess of one, the examiner may give you a second chance by asking another similar one. The mark for the scales is based on an overall impression, not only of how well the candidate knows the various keys, but also fluency, evenness, how promptly the candidate responds and that the speed matches the grade. So the odd mistake or one disastrous scale won't necessarily lose that many marks.

It is believed, that examiners are supposed to work their way through all the scales and arpeggios required for the grade over the course of various candidates - otherwise, it would quickly become known that a certain examiner  always asks for Bb minor etc. Experience suggest also, that they aim to ask a mix of easy and difficult scales for each person, so you would be pretty unlucky to get all the worst scales for a grade, but you are bound to get some of them.

Examiners are aware that nerves play a role in exams and may well give the candidate a second chance to repeat a scale. A  struggling candidate is usually given several chances to redeem themselves, but someone who is clearly floundering on every scale won't be asked every single one. There just isn't time, and the examiner will have made up their mind on the mark fairly early on in the process.

For more help about How to Pass an ABRSM Exam check out the playlist below.

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Is ABRSM listening?

Today's post is a follow up on a recent post related to the changes to ABRSM Theory from next year, which I reported on in an earlier post. It seems they are aware of some concerns of many and have issued a reply. I am interested whether you think their response is adequate - really listening to teachers, so please leave a comment below. It goes as follows:

A healthy debate

News of the updated exam papers has led to some debate. We know from research and recent feedback that many people welcome these changes. We also know that some teachers have concerns and I’m going to write about some of these here.

The value of theory

Learning about music theory and the way music works is such an important part of any music education. It gives students the tools they need to get the most from their musical activities, whatever they might be. Because of the value we place on music theory, we’ve recently spent time reviewing the exams. We want to ensure that they assess the right things in the right way, are encouraging and supportive, and give candidates the best opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding.

Responsibility, consultation and research

Each year thousands of candidates all over the world take ABRSM exams. As an awarding organisation monitored by official regulatory authorities, we take our responsibilities very seriously. This involves reviewing and refreshing all our assessments on a regular basis, a process which is always founded on consultation and research. We talk to experts. We listen to teachers and students. And we take into account best practice in assessment and question design – not just in the world of music but more widely as well.
In reviewing our Music Theory exams at Grades 1 to 5 we followed all these steps. The result? We’re making a number of small changes. We’re modernizing the exam papers and focusing more clearly on the building blocks of music theory – the essential tools that give students access to future musical progress and opportunities. And while there’s a small change in the skills needed in certain parts of the exam papers, the underlying knowledge students need to cover and the standard of the exams is staying the same.

What about creativity?

As part of this process we’re removing rhythm-writing, melody-writing and word-setting questions at Grades 1 to 5. Some teachers are concerned that this might reduce opportunities for students to be creative. However, while we would always encourage creativity in learning, research tells us that these questions are often answered in a way which suggests a formulaic or even ‘space-filling’ approach. So following consultation we decided to replace these questions. This has allowed us to focus more on the ‘nuts and bolts’ of music theory, give candidates extra opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge in this area, and increase objectivity and consistency in the exam marking. 

I’d also like to reassure everyone that we are not replacing these questions to make the exams easier. In particular, at Grade 5 we are continuing to ask candidates to apply their knowledge in a wider context when they answer questions on musical extracts. This is something which requires a similar approach to the melody-writing question and calls on similar higher-level thinking. So, importantly, the knowledge and understanding candidates need is not changing.

Moving up to Grade 6

There is also a concern that without melody-writing at Grade 5, candidates who want to carry on to Grade 6 Music Theory, with its requirement to write original music, might not be adequately prepared.
It might help here to explore the difference between Grades 1 to 5 and 6 to 8. In many ways, these two sets of grades have different roles to play. At 1 to 5, the focus is on developing a good grasp of the basic principles of music theory. The revised papers now reflect this more clearly. Grades 6 to 8 then give opportunities to demonstrate this knowledge in an applied and more creative way.
When making the changes at Grades 1 to 5, we’ve been careful to ensure that despite the slight shift in focus at Grades 1 to 5, the step-up from 5 to 6 won’t change. Once students have passed Grade 5 they should have the tools they need to start tackling the different requirements of the higher grades.


Why multiple choice?

One result of our research into question design is the introduction of multiple choice questions for musical terms and signs. Multiple choice questions are widely accepted as an effective assessment method and they will be familiar to the majority of candidates from their experience of taking other tests and exams. But does this mean we’re ‘dumbing down’? Absolutely not. When multiple-choice questions are well-designed, the likelihood of being able to give correct answers through guess-work is very small. We are continuing to assess a full range of terms and signs, and candidates still need to learn these thoroughly to do well in this section of the exam.

So what do you think? Does this response answer any concerns you may have had about the changes. Please do leave a comment below and let's have  as ABRSM calls it, some "Healthy debate" .

The importance of Music Theory

Many musicians play by ear and they play very well, but they can't read a note. So, "why do I need theory?" Music theory is the study of how musical ideas are communicated to each other. Put more simply, it is how we read and write music. Even the musician described above, who can't read and write music, uses music theory in terms of knowing, for example, which chords to use on his guitar. 

Without an understanding of how music is written and read, students can only learn music by ear and memorization. This often requires listening to a piece of music multiple times until they can play it by themselves. Although this is a valuable skill, how would they learn a piece if it had never been recorded before, or there was no-one to demonstrate it to them. Learning just by memorization, creates barriers in learning new music. If you can read music, you can learn it much more quickly by yourself and without the need to listen to someone else's performance on a CD, itunes or YouTube.

Further, if you have a musical idea, you can communicate this idea much more easily and with many more people if you can notate your ideas.

Imagine you couldn't read or write English, you could only speak it. For a start you wouldn't be reading this blog, but seriously, think what limitations that puts on you. You could never find out information for yourself, but would always have to rely on someone else to tell you verbally. Also, you could only communicate verbally thus greatly limiting the audience of people you can share your thoughts with.

It is well known that in order to take a higher grade (6 or above) practical exam with ABRSM, you first need  to take their grade 5 theory exam. This is not the case with Trinity College London exams, but you may not be aware that in Trinity exams, theory knowledge is required in the practical exam, as part of the supporting tests, where you need to answer theory type questions about the specific pieces you are playing. For example, in a Grade 4 Trinity Practical exam, you may be asked about modulations to closely related keys, about tonic and dominant triads, or about intervals.

The ABRSM way of doing things is completely different, separating theory from practical into a written exam, which doesn't relate to the pieces you are playing. One disadvantage to this is that many students don't even think about doing any theory until they get to grade 5 practical and then they panic. If you are an ABRSM student or teacher, it would be a good idea to always do theory alongside your practical work and relate it specifically to the music you are playing. This would do much to dispel the reputation that theory is dull and boring book work.


Beside simply being able to read music, learning theory will give you a keen sense of musical awareness and enhance your creativity. It also will help your aural skills. For example, recognizing a modulation or a cadence  is a lot easier if you understand what a modulation or a cadence is.

Some might argue that theory makes music too analytical. Music is all about expressing emotions. However, I will finish with this thought. Think about some of the great masterpieces of music that you have heard, that have really moved you emotionally. Don't you think that the composers of such masterpieces, were masters of music theory.

If you are interested in improving your music theory, try my complete video course from grades 1-5 or if you just want to test how much you already know try one of our Android Apps.

How to pass an ABRSM exam - Scales

Many students find learning scales rather tedious and as such may neglect preparing them well for an ABRSM exam. However, they are possibly one of the easiest parts of the exam to get full marks in. In fact it was the ONLY in the scales section of the exam that I always got full marks, many years ago as a teenager. 

I would recommend starting your practice with scales, it not only gets them out of the way if they are not your favourite thing to practise, (a bit like eating your least favourite vegetable first on your dinner plate) but also it acts as a good warm-up for your pieces.

Added to this I would recommend that you take time to learn your fingerings accurately. In order to play scales securely you need to develop muscle memory, so that your fingers “automatically know where they are going”. Muscle memory is only developed by repeating the same action over and over again, and this in turn can only be achieved if you use the same finger pattern every time. By the time you get to the higher grades, the scales will be going so fast you need to be on autopilot, you won’t have time to think!! Check out this video  for the different speeds of scales at various speeds.



Next I would recommend that you think of the scales in groups of 4. This is how they are written out in the ABRSM scale books, and by doing so it will help you develop an even tone. By playing them in groups of four you will naturally stress a different note in each octave and so they will sound more even. On the other hand, many students with will play with "bumpy thumbs". Take for example the scale of B major. In this particular scale the thumbs in both hands are on the same note and also on the only white notes in the piece. If you try to play it now, without thinking of groups of four you may well notice a "bump" on every thumb note. Now try  it again, thinking in groups of four and you will be naturally stressing a different note in each octave, B, E, A#, D#, G#, C#, F# and then back to B.

Finally, mix up the order you play your scales. If you always play them in the same order, when the examiner asks you for a random scale on the day this might put you off. With this in mind I often suggest to my students, to make scale cards, that is, little pieces of card with the names of each of the required scales written on them. Then you place all these cards in a pot and pick one at random. If you play it well you can place it in a different pile of “correct” scales. If you play it wrong, don’t play it again now, put it back in the pot and try a different scale. It will come up again later and you want to practise getting it right first time, not 2nd 3rd or 4th time in the exam. This will also ensure, that the scales you have the most difficulty with, will get the most practice. Continue like this until the entire pot, has been transferred to the “correct” scales pile. And then the next day start again.

Also don’t forget to practice them hands separately, even if you are on a higher grade. You may be surprised to know, how many of my students can play very well a scale hands together, but if I ask them to do a single hand, it completely confuses them. Be prepared for this in the exam.

I hope you found this post useful and if so please share. By putting into practice the suggestions I have made, you too can get full marks in the scales section of an ABRSM exam.

How to pass an ABRSM exam - Sight reading

Along with Aural - Sight reading is one of the most dreaded parts of an ABRSM exam. In my experience, it seems that this section of the exam is not prepared as much as, for example the pieces and scales. Added to this, you have probably been playing the same three pieces over and over again for the last few months and have virtually memorised them, and in so doing you are not really “reading music”every day. To get better at sight reading you need to incorporate some music you have never seen before into your practice every day.

How should you practice sight reading. Again, in my experience, most students focus primarily on getting the notes the correct pitch at the expense of keeping the beat going. If you look at the marking criteria for a sight reading test, the FIRST thing that is mentioned for a distinction is, “Fluent, rhythmically accurate” followed by “Accurate notes/pitch/key”.

Then there is the “musical detail” such as dynamics and articulation. These also will get you more marks in an exam and finally in the marking criteria for a distinction there is mentioned “Confident presentation”. A sight reading test is an assessment on how well you can convey the music as a whole performance, NOT if you can recognise the pitches A, B, C etc - that is a theory exam!!

In an exam you are given up to half a minute to prepare. Now at this point, most people will tentatively start to try and work out the pitches of the first few bars. This is a waste of your 30 seconds. Try and get the rhythm in your head, look out for dynamics and articulation marks, try and get a sense of the music as a whole.

I would practise sight reading with a metronome, maybe set to a slowish tempo if necessary and keep going whatever. If you miss a note, DON’T go back and correct it, you’ll only upset the flow and rhythm of the music and this effectively then counts as a 2nd mistake. You can’t erase the first mistake, and the examiner is not interested if you can improve on your wrong note, he wants to hear a performance of the music as a whole, which conveys as best you can, the character of the piece.

With this in mind, you might find helpful, a playlist called "Sight reading trainer" which I have prepared on my YouTube channel, in which you get a few seconds to look at the piece and then you need to play along with the audio which forces you to keep time.

How to Pass an ABRSM Exam - PIECES

In order to get a good mark on your pieces in an ABRSM Exam, it is not just a question of getting the correct notes. That might be good enough to pass at lower grades, but at the higher grades there must be a sense of involvement when playing - communicating the mood, style and character to the listener.

First, let's take a look at the marking criteria. According to the officially published marking scheme a distinction would include:

• Expressive, idiomatic musical shaping and detail
• Assured
• Fully committed
• Vivid communication of character and style

Compare these two examples of the same piece set for Grade 8 Piano

     

I think you'll agree that, although the first one was 95% note accurate and kept the pulse going, the second, had more expression, conviction and musicality. With this in mind, getting a good mark in an ABRSM exam, starts right back when you choose your pieces. You should listen to all the options available and then choose the one that inspires you. You will play a piece better if you enjoy it.

The next step, is not to start learning the notes immediately. but listen to other good performances of the piece. make notes of how others interpret it, the shaping, the phrasing, the dynamics etc. Remember - you are a MUSICIAN not a TECHNICIAN.

Then, if there are any particular technical difficulties, start practicing slowly. maybe with a metronome. If you are stumbling on a particular passage, you are playing it too fast. Don't try and run before you can walk. You'll find that slow methodical practice, gradually increasing the speed, will develop muscle memory, so that eventually you will be able to play it faster - effortlessly. On the other hand, if you start practicing too quickly, constantly making the same mistakes, you are reinforcing the habit of making those mistakes. It will be even harder to break that habit later.

Once you have learned a piece, both musically and technically, you should be confident when going into the exam. Remember, one of the marking criteria for a distinction, was an "assured" performance. Go into the exam believing in yourself and when playing, you should have done enough preparation, that you can forget about the notes and enjoy the music. That's right, I said "enjoy" in the context of an exam. If you enjoy performing a piece, the examiner will enjoy listening to it.

To Play, or not to Play..... FROM MEMORY.

You’ve been preparing your exam pieces for a few months now, played the same piece over and over hundreds of times and probably able to play it from memory. Should you play it from memory in the exam? I will tell you what I did personally, when taking exams at the end, but for now let me highlight some Pros and Cons. 

Having the music book there in front of you, even if you don’t use it can give you confidence. An exam is a stressful situation and different people react differently to nerves. Under stress it can happen that the mind goes completely blank. Playing without the music might look impressive, but you will not get any more marks for doing so in an exam. You may know all the notes, but little reminders, pencil markings on interpretation, might just help you on the day to focus on the finer details. That said, if you go to any professional concert, a soloist will usually play without the music. Is that just to show off? I think not. Once you know a piece well technically, you can fully immerse yourself in it musically, better without the dots in front of you. This will mean learning not only the notes from memory, but also every little nuance. Added to this, especially at the higher grades, page turns can sometimes be problematic. 

In an exam situation - I’m sure an examiner will be a little sympathetic if a page turn causes a minor hesitation, but more importantly, it adds to YOUR stress and if a clumsy page turn does cause you a minor mishap, this will have a psychological effect on the rest of your performance. 

So what do the ABRSM regulations state on this subject. Here is their official line:

"Performing pieces from memory is optional, but candidates are encouraged to do so if they consider it will enhance their performance. Candidates performing from memory must ensure that a copy of the music is available for the examiner to refer to if necessary. 

Notice here there is a hint that playing from memory might make a performance better - but note that you need to have a copy of the music for the examiner. At the beginning I said I would tell you what my preference was personally when taking exams. I think you can possibly guess from the tone of some of my observations that I did my exams many years ago - ..... from memory, but I would be very interested to hear from you in the comments below - what is your preference and why.

How to pass an ABRSM exam - Aural Tests

AURAL TESTS are possibly one of the most feared parts of an ABRSM exam, but they needn't be. With good preparation you can be confident of getting a good mark in this section of the exam.

It is interesting in the marking criteria for the exam that a distinction is given for confident responses whereas you'll get between 12 to 14 marks for cautious responses even if you answer mostly correctly. So sound like you believe in your answer and respond without hesitation, even if you are not sure in yourself.

Secondly it is worth noting that it is always worth having a go. You'll get 6-8 marks just for having a go. Zero is only awarded if you don't even try. This rather strangely means that 1-5 marks don't exist.

The examiner should adapt to your vocal range and you could even hum or whistle the responses to the sung parts of the test if you prefer. However, singing is probably more suitable to most. When it comes to singing, I find many of my students are simply shy especially if the range goes a little high - practice at home just singing simple phrases increasing the pitch range of these gradually. I would recommend starting any note with a consonant sound such as lah, dah or tah. It gives the note a definite beginning and so is more likely to be in tune. Support your note with your diaphragm, that is the muscle you feel contracting when you cough - feel this muscle contracting as you sing, maybe placing your hand below your belly button at first to help sense this support. It will give you more confidence on the day and if confidence is your problem, practice doing this in front of other people to eliminate your embarrassment.

Finally be prepared, know what to expect - the tests follow a very precise formula. If you know what
the question will be even before it is asked, this will help you feel more prepared. For example the 

C test in grade 5 aural asks you first about general musical features - however the same music will be used to ask later on, that time signature the piece is in. By the time this question is asked, it will be the third time you've heard this piece and you could be thinking about the time signature even on
the very first playing.

To help you feel even more confident, I have prepared a training course on YouTube to help develop your Aural skills called “E - Aural Trainer” - check it out here

Trinity vs ABRSM

Trinity vs ABRSM - The new syllabus 2018-2020

Grade 1 Trinity Piano 2018-2020

In the last couple of weeks the new 2018-2020 piano syllabus was published by Trinity College London and out of curiosity I thought I'd take a look. I've always been an ABRSM person, took their exams many years ago and now teach their syllabus to my own students. However in this post I would like to point out some of the differences between ABRSM and Trinity College and I would be interested in your thoughts, so please leave a comment below.

Sneak Preview of some of the new Trinity College London Grade 1 Pieces 2018-2020

First of all, ABRSM is much bigger worldwide than Trinity College and by many it is considered better. Being bigger, it has more exam centres and so unless you live in a big city like London, you might find yourself having to travel a long way to take your exam.

Regarding the exam itself, the biggest difference I noticed is in the supporting tests. In ABRSM as you probably know, you have to play three pieces, do scales, aural tests and sight reading. In Trinity there is a choice. You pick only TWO of the following four supporting tests:

Sight Reading; Aural; Improvisation; Musical Knowledge about a piece you are playing. This means that a student can focus on his strengths - for example if you really find the aural difficult, you won’t be penalised. Then again, does the ABRSM approach make for a more all round musician? Should everyone, for example, be able to sight read or is it a cop out to let the student decide if he wants to avoid sight reading through his entire studies on an instrument? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

The scales seem of a similar difficulty, but there are less of them in Trinity.Many students, especially in the higher grades feel inundated by the sheer number of scales they need to know for ABRSM. Is
knowing the complete cycle of fifths both major and minor at Grade 5 piano a good thing or a bad
thing in your opinion?

To make up for the fewer number of scales, Trinity College has additional Technical exercises, short
little pieces which test things like tone, balance, coordination flexibility whereas ABRSM tests this in the main pieces.

Then there are the pieces themselves. My first impression is that they are a little easier especially at the early grades. I’ve starting making a few videos of the new Trinity College Piano syllabus and will be working through the grades in the weeks to come. There is a link ABOVE to these videos if you want to have a listen and tell me if you think they are in fact easier than ABRSM. However, the difficulty of the pieces is not the only difference. In ABRSM you need to choose three pieces one from each of three lists A, B and C. In Trinity College, again you need to choose three pieces, but these can be ANY three from the whole book. There is even an option where one of the pieces is a duet, where your teacher would accompany you in the exam. You can even offer you OWN composition as an alternative to one of the pieces. The idea behind the ABRSM forcing you to play from three different lists, I guess, is that you will get experience of playing different styles of  music. In my opinion, although the Trinity option might be more popular with students, that of the ABRSM in the long run might produce better all round musicians. What do you think?

So in summary, my initial little curiosity has opened up a lot of questions as to the PROs and CONS
of these two examining boards so please leave your thoughts in the comments below.