Hi, I was just wondering if anyone has ever had an exam and the piano was really horrible to play? I did my Grade 6 exam yesterday but the piano was awful! The stool was too high (it wasn't adjustable!!) , the music was too low and vertical ( I prefer it at an angle away from me ) , the pedals were at an odd angle too and the piano itself didn't do dynamics no matter how hard you tried!! (apart from forte!!)

Will most examiners take this into account? As I feel I played fine it just didn't sound very good on the piano itself.

Thanks

The examiners have to play the piano themselves, so are well aware of any problems. However, if it was that bad I would complain about it (the examiner may have done so already, in which case it would support your complaint). Did you take the exam in a public hall, or was it in someone's house? If it was in a hall it is likely that the AB could arrange for a decent piano to be hired in for the duration of the exams.

AAH! Grade 7 on thursday.


The piano in our exam hall is tuned in a way so it's very revealing. Press hard and it's VERY loud. Press soft and it's VERY quiet. It also makes mistakes stand out.

But it's a lovely sounding piano.


When i was in primary school, i did a regional music competition. I played piano. Everybody else played a woodwind/string/brass instrument, but they all had accompanists.

The piano i practiced was brilliant!!
The piano i performed on was rubbish. I pressed really hard and i made a very quiet sound. I played very well but the piano sucked. I was 10 or something, and i nearly burst out crying.

I didn't win.


Sorry i didn't answer your question, but anecdotes are fun. I don't think the examiners played the piano themselves though, but the accompanists of other performers came over and commended me, and talked to me about how bad the piano was.

That is true. The examiner had to give you aural tests, right? So he/she would have played some short pieces on the piano, so they would have found out how bad the piano was by the end of the session.

Is it a popular practice to go try out the piano at the exam venue weeks before the big day? It sure is common here in my area. At least I wasn't shocked when I played on the loud Yamaha piano in the previous exam. There are even students who try to buy the same model as what they would have for exams.

I had a similar experience on Monday when I sat grade 5. The stool couldn't be adjusted either, so it was slightly higher than I would have liked. The piano probably wasn't as bad as I thought at the time, but it was just different from what I'm used to - my own piano is fairly new, and this one was ancient in comparison! My pieces fell apart in places, and they just didn't sound as good as they did at home. Hopefully the examiner will be sympathetic to us! Good luck with your results.

One of the hazards of playing the piano is that you have to be able to cope with different instruments. A good pianist can make a clunky old joanna sound good, but it really isn't fair for exam candidates to have to cope with sub-standard instruments. If you feel the piano was seriously bad, do complain - the examiners will have noticed too and will be sympathetic. The piano at our local centre was eventually replaced by a hired one after several of us moaned about it. If you are taking a higher grade exam it is definitely worth trying to arrange a practice session beforehand on the exam instrument. My teacher even researched several centres to find the one with the best piano for me to do my grade 8.

Good luck tomorrow! Let us know how you got on!

Thanks! I will.

I'm very nervous now. Two science modules tomorrow as well.

Thanks for that. Yes the examiner did play it, it seemed as if he was struggling a little to get dynamics so *fingers crossed* he will sympathise.

I couldn't really organise a practice as I live over 2 hours away from the examination centre. The exam was actually in a church hall, usually I do my exams in someone's house but this time it was different.

One of my friends from school did her Grade 3 exam in the same centre last session but she said they had hired in a brand new piano at the time. I do know though that the shop where they hired the new piano from has recently gone into administration so was maybe unavailable to hire a piano from.

Good luck for tomorrow fabnt. And to anyone else waiting on results! *fingers crossed*!!!

No excuse - there are plenty of places where you can hire a piano

I had my exam today. Did pretty well.

The rehearsal piano was gorgeous! I loved it soo much. I ended up arriving to the exam 45 mins early, and i was the first person to do the exam so they let me practice for nearly a whole hour! I LOVED IT.

Exam piano: complete ****. i tried to play quiet, but it was too loud! and i tried to play loud and it was exactly the same as quiet.

i held in the soft pedal for the quiet bits, but i got my two feet mixed up and i kept changing the soft pedal at harmonies instead of the right one.

And the examiner played it. Otherwise how could I do ear tests? So she must know. she'll take it into consideration with my marking, but i'm just unhappy that she couldn't hear me in full glory.

The piano at the Cheltenham Exam Centre is awful. When I took Grade VI I was playing the scale of F# (can't remember if maj or min) and the top F# simply didn't sound. I ended up really hitting it and it made a noise. Of sorts. I mentioned to the examiner at the end of the scale that the piano would make a very nice bonfire, and he smiled and seemed to agree. I got a merit in the exam. I made sure that when I took my Grade VIII it was at a different centre.

Edward

Is it possible to specify where you want to sit an exam? (or where you don't want to sit it?) I thought it was just the luck of the draw. I've only been to two exam centres and I much prefered one to the other, so would rather go back there the next time!

Aww, hope the results still go well for you, fingers crossed!

I was the first candidate for my Grade 8 piano, I was actually allowed in the proper exam room to practise for about 20 mins, which was great. Probably because the examiner hadn't arrived either.. so I guess I was lucky?
Don't worry too much.. I'm sure when the examiner played, she would be able to feel if the piano was very sensitive, as you said.

It's usual for whoever enters you for the exam (usually your teacher) to specify the centre and the preferred exam week. Just tell your teacher which centre you'd like to take your exam at.


I think you were extremely lucky! We have a choice of two centres. At one there's nowhere to warm up and at the other there is a rehearsal piano which of course isn't the same type as the exam piano. If it's a nice examiner, he will give you a minute to try out the piano when you get in there; otherwise you just have to get used to it as you do the scales etc.

Well done, fabnt! Hope you get a great result before too long!

To quote from the Examination Information and Regulations "Centres provide ...... an examination room, which contains a satisfactory piano ...." If the piano provided is not satisfactory, complain to both the HLR and the UK Operations Director. Complaints must be made in writing within seven days of the exam. Full details can be found here. If no-one complains it will be assumed that the piano is satisfactory and nothing will be done about it.

This sounds like the piano I played on for my Grade 4. I had a comment from the examiner on my first piece that there weren't enough dynamics (I tried very hard to put them in but it just didn't work). My last piece fell apart completely, because the notes just didn't sound at one point. I ended up with a merit, which I was very surprised about - it was my highest mark ever in a music exam!

Hi, Just though I would let you know, that after all that, I ended up getting a merit! I am so happy because I thought it would be so much worse than that!! I got the pass mark for scales and aural but I got 19/21 for sight-reading and 24, 25 and 27 for my pieces!! Haven't seen my comments yet as my teacher only phoned this morning but I look forward to seeing them!

Congratulations!

Congratulations It will be interesting to see whether the comments mention the piano!

I just sat my grade 8 last week and the piano in the room was horrible, i've always gone to the centre and have always used a wonderful baby grand that is there but this time i ended up on an upright that was horrible to play and a very intrusive music stand on which i hit my hand several times. I am hoping that the examiner noticed as she was a concert pianist herself.

I have my comments sheet back, but no mention of the piano at all!! I do agree that the examiner has taken it into account because any rememberable mistakes made due to the piano (e.g. notes not sounding because of the effort needing to play 'piano' etc) aren't mentioned at all. Overall am pretty pleased with the feed back but his does say I struggled with the contrary.... but as far as I remember it was fine. Oh well.. at least I passed!

Well done!
Where did you sit the exam?
I sat my Grade 8 in Biggars and the piano was horrible too! And the practice piano was actually just a keyboard! It was awful But I guess there won't be any more exams there anymore....!
P.S.......How did your A&B auditions go, and do you know when we'll be getting the letters?

erm... it was in some church in glasgow?!? kingspark maybe?

they had hired a new piano in, but because there was a funeral in the hall where they were supposed to be the exams got moved into a different hall with a different piano!

My music teacher said we might not get told about ABSCB until after Christmas but last year im sure we got them before christmas... so who knows? my actual audition went rubbishly!! couldn't play anything properly. Yours? I heard you were accompanying lots though!!!


EDIT: Got my letter from Mr Grant today.... Got in again!! Concerts in Rothesay and Dunoon this year but Castle Toward again

The pianos on offer do seem to vary considerably! At least the examiner was minded to note its flaws. But, many congratulations, Cornetsrule - a solid performance whatever the state of the instrument!