I did.

My teacher said I was totally crazy, in that it doesn't have to be that neat.

I reckon I was the only Grade 5 student left at 10 to 12. It's because I made sure every note stem was the perfect length and straightness.

I don't even think you get any extra marks for making it look really neat.

Did you use a ruler?

I sometimes did for assignments etc just to keep it looking neat as I got my knuckles rapped in 1st year of my music degree - my work was too messy!!!!

You shouldnt take a ruler into the exam, if an invigilator sees, you will be disqualified: they say that at the start of the exam

Why would you be disqualified? I thought it was ok as long as it didn't have a picture of a keyboard on it.

True it doesn't have to be *that* neat, but if it makes you happy and you've got time, why not! In all my grades 1-5, I did the paper roughly in pencil first, then as I checked everything and was satisfied with it, I went over it in ink, and yes I used a ruler. My exam papers have always looked like they'd been printed rather than hand done, and no it wasn't strictly necessary, but I enjoyed doing it, much like I enjoy doing calligraphy I don't recommend doing this if you're short of time though!


Edit: yes it's a ruler with a keyboard diagram they object to, not an ordinary ruler.

But I wasn't disqualified, and a lot of people I knew took rulers in, and pencil cases too!

Wait - not unless they've disqualified me without even telling me...

Yes, I always use a ruler when I have taken my exams, it makes the paper look nice and neat, not like my practise papers when I have done them, I never used a ruler then!

When hand-writing any music, I've never used a ruler.

Some of you here will have seen my hand-written music (thinking of those of you that played the Charlie Wilson Blues at Woodford in 2006). I think you could all read that OK. Couldn't you?...

one of my pencils I had for my grade 8 had a picture of a keyboard down it, but nobody noticed. I completely forgot until I found myself chewing it towards the end of the paper...

Why is it not allowed anyway?? especially for say grades 5-8 when the candiate probably knows what a piano looks like and would just draw one as soon as they do in anyway...

Back on topic.... I used to use a ruler when I first started composition for Standard grade but then got sloppy and just did my lines free hand. Unless of course it was a score where you need to draw a neat bar line down several instrumental parts - then I think its necessary.

No way. A line that actually looks straight??? It would look so out of place in my handwriting! You can tell when I've been writing quickly because everything gradually gets more and more slanted, mimicking my letters Still, people can read it. Apparently.

My writing is known for its large size ...

Mine is known for its minuscule italics... Indeed, I've been known to hand in my maths coursework with a magnifying glass. I have to scale it up for music though, or it gets dwarfed by the stave

Lol that made me chuckle, and yes i too use a ruler for writing out music, it just makes it look alot neater, well for me it does anyway.

I've never used a ruler, not even for drawing staves.

If you can draw lines straight then you don't need a ruler, but me, particularly when I am nervous, (which I am in an exam) well I can't draw a straight line to save my life

No, life is too short.

Ruler only used to line up notes when working out a chord.

This has got me thinking about other elements of "neatness". I understand that clefs must be on the right lines, sharps/flat symbols written correctly, or that leger lines be the same distance apart... but how close to the printed ideal?

I recently bought the old papers, and was a little disappointed that the model answers were type-set rather than being like someone would have written it. So I'm no wiser to what would be an acceptable style.

For instance, daughter often has variable lengths to her stems. And when copying from the above line, she cannot fit the key signature in the same space as the first line - it is wider. Would this matter ?

And what of handwriting and spelling? Not her strong points in English, so do Italian terms have be exactly spelt?

Many thanks

Stems should be roughly an octave long. So if the note is D then the stem should end where the next D on the stave is. As long as her writing is legible and the spelling is reasonably close that the word can be recognised they don't penalise candidatesif the word is incorrectly spelt. With practice could write music smaller. I don't think it matters too much if her version takes more space than the original. I had the opposite problem with one of my students recently - her writing was so small I couldn't see it!

I have just taken Grade 5 theory as a revision exercise (to make sure I could still remember it!) At the start of the exam, the invigilator said that calculators were not allowed, and that as rulers were counted as calculators they were also not allowed and should be handed to her before beginning the paper. But I still saw people using them, and nothing was said.

These are the Regulations:

http://www.abrsm.org/?page=exams/regs/ukIr...heoryExams.html

It says "musical calculators" are not allowed, or anything which represents a keyboard, or books, or notes...

It doesn't say that ordinary rulers are banned and it seems a bit bizarre to do so

I think there ought to be more consistency at exam centres... at my last exam, someone asked for more rough paper and was told they couldn't have any, and yet I'm sure that on previous occasions, the invigilator has announced that more paper could be given out on request. I asked about this in the "Chief Examiner" thread but there haven't been any answers there for a long time.

I've seen ordinary rulers used and also extra paper has been given if required. Definitely needs some consistency

I wish I had checked the regulations. To think that I cherished my ruler all the way from the Outer Hebrides to Kent, all in the interests of straight beams and bar-lines, only to be told that it was "illegal"! But really, you would think that the invigilators, of all people, should know the regulations.

You can have extra paper as required so long as you use their manuscript paper only. I remember when I sat Grade 4 that a couple of students asked for plain A4 paper and the invigilator read out the rules that only their manuscript paper was allowed to be given out. I requested some extra paper when I did my Grade 5 and for Grade 6 I know that I will need more than a couple of little sheets of manuscript paper.

ET

We were allowed any extra paper, and we could keep the papers afterwards, even though I could of easily have written down some of the questions, which I also believe is not allowed!

Every musician I know that composes - whether dabbling, making a living from it, or hoping to .. (that is 2 professional composers, a few composition students, one dedicated amateur that also contributes regularly to these forums and me - a dabbler) ... scores their compositions in Sibelius or some similar computer program (either from a comuter keyboard, or by playing the parts on a midi instrument). Doesn't this make the whole business of paper, pens, and rulers is a bit of anachronism.

It is when you have to prepare 20 or 30 fair copies of vocal or instrumental parts (or transpose for whatever instruments happen to be available) that the benefits of computerised scores over hand copying strike home. Being able to hear what your music won't sound like when it is performed by real voice and instruments is nice too.

I use an old fashioned pen/pencil so rarely these days that my hand starts to cramp up after a few minutes (yet I can play/practise piano for 4 or 5 hours). This would be quite a problem if I ever had to take another theory exam.

When I did Grade 6 I was given a BIG sheet of MS paper: A4 rather than A5.

Yes, you get a big piece to start with for the higher grades.
But you can still ask for more if you use it all.
I don't think I'd have had time to use it all as the only way I can see that I'd need to would be if I worked the first 3 questions more than once.

Should I be scared? Because I didn't really use my MS paper in my G5 exam.

No.
I only used mine for the composition at grade 5 as far as I remember.
Can't think that I'd have needed to for anything else as I knew my key signatures very well.

I always get my pupils to use a ruler for bar lines and note stems, and I teach them to draw a keyboard! It never occurred to me I was doing anything illegal! I've always told pupils they can't have rulers with keyboards drawn on them and no -one has ever had their ruler confiscated.

I had an 8 year old do Grade 1 this time and without a ruler her work would have been appallingly messy -she can't draw straight lines that well With a ruler she managed to get it pretty neat.

I wish the rules were clearer on these things, to exam centres as well!

Nothing wrong with any of that.

When I did my G4 in Feb, I had an A5 sheet of paper that I used most of both sides of. For the G5 exam I took at the weekend, I used 4 lines on one side for the composition, and did a few scribbles on the other side (e.g. circle of 5ths). Used it a LOT less than I did in the G4 exam.

Thats nice to know thank you.



I am so surprised at that as you are supposed to hand in the paper when you have finished. Someone wasn't doing their job properly at your centre.



Thats also good to know. At the moment whilst I am studying for Grade 6 I seem to be doing an awful lot of working out. My scrap note book is rapidly getting filled.

firstly in early grade (1-2)
i was using ruler to make stems
after higher grade (3-5)
i wsnt using any ruler again

it won't be very necessary i think as far the stem not too bent

My stems are about a fifth long! And often not attached to either the note or any flags My sharps look more like boxes (Again, too small) It would appear that my music writing is appalling!

I never used rough paper..... But when I compose I always start with plain old pencil and paper - I only transfer it to a computer score if I need to hand in a neat copy for some reason - and not always then!

back to the manuscript discussion, i practice my clefs on them, then draw it, so as to warm my hnd up to that shape, if you know what i mean.

I didnt realise you can take a ruler in, i shall next session!

Haha I'm the same!! I use a ruler and am very careful to make everything look perfect!! I like it to look neat, and also I know you get marks for neatness - I don't really know how unneat it' have to be to lose those marks, so I play safe!!

I think taking the time to get everything straight and neat helps to eliminate mistakes...if I didn't bother taking ages to neaten it up then I may not realise if I put that sharp sign on the wrong line or whatever - but for me taking longer helps me notice those little mistakes!!

I don't use a ruler when I'm doing stuff at home, e.g. past papers, but I did use a ruler in my G4 and G5 exams this year.
When I don't use a ruler, I tend to write a lot faster. The ruler slows me down which is probably good in the exam situation! I don't think my not-rulered writing is that bad, but on the other hand who wants to find out the hard way by losing marks?!

I feel that it gives me time to, um, cogitate

Yes, maybe invigilators should be tested on the regulations before being allowed to invigilate exams. There seems to be such a difference between centres, total consistency is required so that candidates do their written exams under the same conditions, with the same regulations whether they sit the exam in the Uk, USA, Asia or the moon!

Ive been using one for past exam papers etc my teacher says they have to be very accurate at Gr 5 level
but not sure if you have to take them into proper exams

You don't have to... it's up to you.

When scribbling out manuscipt in a hurry no. When doing a proper copying job, yes. If I were to take a theory exam, yes, and I'd also make sure my beams were thick and my stems were thin, and my double bars were the right combination of thick and thin lines too.

Thats personal taste.

I can write neat manuscript without a ruler. The one thing I would not be without is an eraser.