493 Pupil Book ABRSM Grades 6 to 8

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AURAL TESTS (ABRSM) Aural tests account for 18 out of the 150 marks in your ABRSM exams (12%) !hey "on#t count as much as $ein a$le to &lay your instrument 'ell $ut enouh to make the "ifference $et'een ass*+ail*Merit*,istinction Also confi"ence a$out this &art of  the exam 'ill $oost your confi"ence for the 'hole exam -ou 'on#t $e oin throuh the exam 'orryin a$out this one $it How are the aural tests marked?

!he mark for aural tests is arri.e" at $y makin an o.erall assessment of the can"i"ate#s &erformance "urin the set of tests as a 'hole an" relatin this to the assessment criteria sho'n $elo' Rather than startin at /ero an" a'ar"in marks as the tests &rocee" or at 18 an" "e"uctin marks examiners use the &rinci&le of markin &ositi.ely or neati.ely from the &ass mark !he mark then reflects the cumulati.e $alance of ualities that the can"i"ate has "emonstrate" takin into account $oth the accuracy an" the confi"ence of their res&onses t is 'orth notin that hesitation is "eeme" as a mark loser A riht ans'er sai" ner.ously looses marks ractise s&eakin confi"ently e.en 'hen you#re not

Distinction (!)

3 4uick accurate an" &erce&ti.e res&onses

Merit (" # $)

3 oo" res&onses 3 Minor errors or hesitation

%ass (& # ')

3 A&&roximately half other tests correctly ans'ere" 3 6.i"ence of a'areness "es&ite hesitation an" error 

Below %ass ( # )

3 Slo' an" uncertain res&onses 3 naccuracy in &arts of all tests

( # !)

3 7ery slo' an" most inaccurate res&onses 3 All tests entirely inaccurate

(*)

3 o 'ork offere"

H+, -A. / HEL% M0SEL1 ,/TH AURAL?

f your teacher for 'hate.er reason is una$le to un"ertake reular aural &ractice 'ith you there are many thins you can "o9 1

urchase ABRSM s&ecimen aural $ooks 'ith :, $ackin tracks an" test yourself reularly

2

Sin u& to '''hofnotecom  four months $efore your exam an" "o "aily online &ractice

;

!ry an" listen to lots of "ifferent ty&es of music 3 fin" the &ulse $y ta&&in alon 3 s&ot any chanes in tem&o an" &ulse 3 s&ot any chanes in key 3 try an" 'ork out 'hen it miht ha.e $een 'ritten an" 'hy you thouht that 3 s&ot the ca"ences an" try an" "eci"e 'hat they 'ere

'ith t'o melo"ic  &arts in the to& lines o.er a "ifferentiate" $ass

C

/M/TAT/+. is .ery common A tune starts in one han" an" is re&eate" in the other 

C

,ynamics chanes are usually terrace" > chanes are su""en rather than ra"ual

C

,on#t use the &e"al of the &iano much as music 'as oriinally 'ritten for instruments such as har&sichor" En a mo"ern &iano Baroue music is often &laye" in a mezzo  staccato style as a result

C

Hse of ornaments such as trills

C

+or ra"e 8 only it is 'orth kno' a little $it a$out Renaissance Music ('"* # **) Dritten $y Tallis an" B9rd5 +eatures inclu"e9 Sometimes still 'ritten in mo"es use of imitation an" contra&untal in style Eften 'ith as many as < lines of counter&oint at one time May em&loy a roun" $ass Melo"ic lines are smooth an" e.en in structure as are the rhythms

&5 -lassical music

:5 Romantic music9

$"* C !&*

3

Dritten $y such &eo&le as Moart and Ha9dn and earl9 works t'o melo"ic lines one in each han" of eual im&ortance %ol94honic # similar to contra&untal in that music simultaneously com$ines se.eral "ifferent lines

Rh9thm

the &attern of note .alues (reular irreular "otte" tri&lets synco&ate" etc)

Use3ul /talian ,ords

Tem4o

 

D9namics

rallentando accelerando a tempo  

piano  forte mezzo piano mezzo forte  pianissimo  fortissimo

2radation o3 tone   crescendo diminuendo

 

Articulation

-haracter

 

ra"ually slo'in "o'n ra"ually ettin faster  return to the oriinal tem&o soft*uiet lou" mo"erately uiet  mo"erately lou" .ery uiet .ery lou" ra"ually ettin lou"er   ra"ually ettin uieter 

staccato legato tenuto  sforzando

short an" "etache" smooth hol" for their full lenth su""en accent

mesto  scherzando maestoso misterioso tranquillo energico lento  Andante  Allegro  Allegretto Cantabile

sa"  &layful ma?estically mysteriously tranuil calm eneretic slo'ly 'alkin &ace li.ely uick $ut not as uick as Allero in a sinin style

,hat ha;e scales e;er done 3or me? Scales hel& the fluency of your &layin your siht rea"in im&ro.isation com&osition an" aural (listenin a$ilities) as 'ell as $ein useful for &racticin techniues on your instrument Remem$er most &ieces are com&ose" usin scales an" ar&eios as the $uil"in $locks

Scale Practice Tips Ti4  %ractice scales when 9ou donFt need to t miht seem .ery o$.ious to say &ractice scales reularly $ut you 'oul" $e sur&rise" at ho' many &eo&le "onJt !hey try an" cram them ?ust $efore a lesson or exam !his is not an efficient use of your time es&ecially 'hen kno'in your scales makes learnin all &ieces so much uicker @a.in ?ust one or t'o scale tarets each 'eek an" re.ie'in your scales reularly makes a hue "ifference to your o.erall  &layin an" &roress et them on your &ractice &lan an" you 'ill soon 'on"er 'hat all the fuss 'as a$out Ti4 & S4eed comes later !here is al'ays room for slo' scales &ractice 3 e.en 'hen you can &lay them :oncentrate on your techniue ettin e.ery note totally e.en ensurin finerin is correct e.ery time Ence you are confi"ent you can s&ee" them u& $ut not to a &oint 'here you start to make mistakes Ti4 : Use d9namics Hse scales to &ractice "ynamics :oncentrate on &layin  pp all the 'ay throuh a scale 'ith all notes soun"in e.enly ractice  ff  for the 'hole scale 3 make it slo' as 'ell for a reat $reath control exercise ractice ra"ual crescen"os an" "iminuen"os as 'ell Ti4 ' %ractice articulation Scales may $e &laye" leato staccato tonue" slurre" or e.en accente" Make use of scales to &ractice "ifferent techniues 'ithout ha.in to 'orry a$out the notes in a  &iece Ti4 " -hane the rh9thm Ence you kno' your scales &lay them in other rhythms than straiht ua.ers Dhat a$out s'in ua.ers or tri&lets or "otte" rhythmsK Ti4  Down and u4 Scales are enerally &laye" startin at the $ottom 3 oin to the to& an" $ack to the  $ottom aain nstea" start at the to& o to the $ottom an" $ack to the to& Dhen you can "o this for all scales try startin in the mi""le Ti4 $ -an8 .earl98 -anGt :reate an honest list of scales you can "o can nearly "o an" really can#t "o Dith reular &ractice scales 'ill ra"ually make their 'ay from :an#t to early to :an an" you ha.e the satisfaction of chartin their &roress to see ho' far you#.e come !his 'ill hel& to kee& you moti.ate" on a $a" scale "ay

S-ALES %ractise all articulations set 3or 9our instrument

-A.

.EARL0

-A.GT