Theory & Impro Grade 8 music theory.

[MandyH]

So, having vowed I would never go beyond grade 5, then grade 6, I find myself now studying for grade 8 theory!

This wasn’t in the plan, but having got on well with my grade 7 theory lessons, then discovering that I can’t take the grade 7 exam in the June session (because I have a concert the same day and it’s just way to challenging to try to do both) it made no sense to stop at this point, nor to keep plodding on for 8 months until the November exam.
So we have decided to focus our lessons on grade 8 material instead.

This week’s homework is to write 12 bars of a trio sonata for 2 violins & basso continuo!

In the exam question you are given the bass line and the figured bass, plus the opening 3-4 bars of one or both violin parts and a few notes here & there in either violin part (to guide or help)

At this point in time, I’m thinking that smacking my head against the wall will be less painful

Watch this space!

 

[Jeanette]

Go for it @MandyH I have every faith

Jx

 

[Halfers]

Good luck, Mandy. D0 you have to compose the piece, or could you get away with writing the theme tune from Eastenders?

 

[jbtsax]

Sounds like fun! Be sure to show us what you came up with.

 

[MandyH]

We have moved onto question 2: Complete the given outline of the following piano piece:

So, since I’m not a great piano player (!?!) I asked my “friend” Sibelius to play it for me!

Copy of the completed piece is here. Given notes are blue, my notes are black:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1142755928913133568

View: https://twitter.com/mama_saxophone/status/1142755928913133568?s=21


😀😱😳

 

[Ivan]

We have moved onto question 2: Complete the given outline of the following piano piece:
View attachment 13016

So, since I’m not a great piano player (!?!) I asked my “friend” Sibelius to play it for me!

Copy of the completed piece is here. Given notes are blue, my notes are black:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1142755928913133568

View: https://twitter.com/mama_saxophone/status/1142755928913133568?s=21


😀😱😳

I don't twit so... are you supposed to know what was originally written in the last three bars?

Is the exam done without access to an instrument?

 

[jbtsax]

Bravo. Well done @MandyH. Since I use Finale, I have a question about Sibelius. Can you scan the printed music to input it, or do you have to manually enter the notes in order to play and hear the work? Sadly Finale no longer has the scan feature. 🙁

 

[Veggie Dave]

Sibelius does have this feature, as an optional extra. I've got it on the version the OU sent me - I've used it once or twice but the amount of work often needed to fix errors makes it a bit of a waste of time. And these were perfect PDF files, too, rather than handwritten or printed sheets.

 

[MandyH]

I don't twit so... are you supposed to know what was originally written in the last three bars?

Is the exam done without access to an instrument?

No you “invent” / “compose” all the notes for all the empty spaces, to fit in with any implied harmony and that suit the musical hints suggested by the given snippets.

And yes, there is no access to an instrument - you can’t even sing out loud. You are in a room full of others taking any grade of theory exam. The lower grades have shorter exam times, so we all start together, and then others leave as their exams finish.

 

[MandyH]

Bravo. Well done @MandyH. Since I use Finale, I have a question about Sibelius. Can you scan the printed music to input it, or do you have to manually enter the notes in order to play and hear the work? Sadly Finale no longer has the scan feature. 🙁

My version of Sibelius came with a scanning package. It’s pretty good for straightforward scores, but more complicated scores need some intervention to get them correct. It’s still quicker than typing in every note.

 

[Ivan]

And yes, there is no access to an instrument - you can’t even sing out loud. You are in a room full of others taking any grade if theory exam. The lower grades have shorter exam times, so we all start together, and then others leave as their exams finish.

Oh, same format as the Gd 5 wot I done a few years ago

Tough gig

 

[Jeanette]

Oh, same format as the Gd 5 wot I done a few years ago

Tough gig

So when are you doing grade 8? 😉

Jx

 

[Ivan]

So when are you doing grade 8?

Ladies first

 

[Jeanette]

Ladies first

If how long it took to study for grade 5 is anything to go by it'll be 2023 🙂

Jx

 

[Jazzaferri]

Good luck with it.

 

[Ivan]

If how long it took to study for grade 5 is anything to go by it'll be 2023

I can wait

 

[zannie]

I did my Grade 8 theory in 1997 and the sonata question WAS THE SAME!!! Fortunately I'd written one for my A-Level music so I *may* have reused a chunk...

 

[MandyH]

Well, it’s taken a while but ...
I sat the ABRSM grade 8 theory exam 4 weeks ago today.
It was a special sitting of the exam because Covid had stopped the March sitting.
I thought the exam had gone disastrously badly and couldn’t imagine that I would have scored the 66/100 necessary to pass.

the result came out today:

 

[Colin the Bear]

74/100. Does yhat mean you can only play in 34?😉

 

[Pete Effamy]

In the exam question you are given the bass line and the figured bass, plus the opening 3-4 bars of one or both violin parts and a few notes here & there in either violin part (to guide or help)

Fab to know that the ABRSM theory exams are as on-point as they were 60 years ago. Shame there isn’t a choice - perhaps writing for SATB in the style of Eric Whitacre.