How to pass an ABRSM exam - PIECES

How to pass an ABRSM exam - PIECES.

In order to get a good mark on your pieces in ABRSM exam, it is not just a question of playing the right notes with the correct rhythm. It is probably good enough to pass at lower grades but as you go up to the higher grades, there must also be a sense of involvement when playing, and communicating the mood and style to the listener.

First of all lets take a look at the marking criteria. For a distinction, phrases used in the official ABRSM mark scheme include, Expressive, musical Shaping; Vivid communication of character and style; Assured; Fully committed.

For example here are two versions of an extract of Adriana, a piece set for the 2017 ABRSM Grade 8 Piano Syllabus, both to be found on YouTube.

I think you’ll agree, that although the first one was 95% note accurate and kept the pulse going, the 2nd had more conviction, expression and musicality.

With this in mind, getting a good mark in an ABRSM exam starts right back with choosing your pieces. You should listen to the all the options and then choose the one that inspires you. You will play a piece you enjoy the most, better.

The next step is not to start learning the notes, but to listen to other good performances of the piece. Makes notes of how others interpreted the piece, the shaping, phrasing, dynamics etc. You are a musician, an artist, NOT a technician.

Then if there are particular technical difficulties, start practising slowly, maybe with a metronome. If you are stumbling on a particular passage, you are playing it too fast. Don’t try to run before you can walk. You’ll find slow methodical practice, GRADUALLY increasing the speed will develop muscle memory so that you eventually will be able to play fast effortlessly. On the other hand, if you approach it too quickly at the beginning and are always making the same mistake, you are reinforcing the habit of making that mistake.

Once you have learned your piece both musically and technically, you should be confident when going into the exam. Remember one of the marking criteria for a distinction was “Assured”. Go into the exam, believing in yourself, and when playing, you should have done enough preparation that you can even forget about the notes and ENJOY the performance. Yes that’s right I said “ENJOY” in the context of an exam. If you enjoy performing, the examiner will enjoy listening.

I hope some of these points have been useful to you, and if so, please give this video a like. Also check out the other videos in this playlist on how to pass an ABRSM exam - Good Luck

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Please watch: "STOP PRESS - Sample Papers for the NEW style ABRSM Music Theory Papers AVAILABLE NOW!!"
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