Just finished my entry exams for 3rd grade.

Yesterday I finished my entry exams for 3rd grade at out local conservatory...

Today they will tell me the marks... I'm obviously not sure, but I think that I will get a 6.75 (out of 10), which is not great but it is not bad either. For 3rd year there is only one place, but two candidates, so passing is not enough, I have to outdo the other guy...

The exam has 3 main parts:
A: music interpretation with the guitar (for these I had to play the three pieces that I mentioned in a previous post) (60% of the final mark)
B: with four subparts: rhythm, music theory, intonation and dictation. (25%, where each subpart is marked up to (respectively): 4,2,2,2)
C: playing a small piece at first sight (15%)

And you have to pass each of the 3 main parts in order to get a final mark. Preparing the interpretation part was fun, but the theory not so much, since I was assuming that it would be simpler, and only started looking at it seriously a week before the exam. This meant that I had lots to put in my head, but did not have the time to practice, analyze, or simply study it properly, so I put in my TO DO list: reading of Harmony for the Guitar (or something similar).

In a few hours the marks will be published, but I know that the two parts that need working a lot are dictation and intonation, so regardless of the exam results I will have to do exercises to improve these. So far, my best companion for ear training will be GNU Solfege.

Will report back...

A DAY LATER....

Good stuff: I got an overall mark of 7.2 (out of 10) and the other guy got a 6.7, so I assume I will be a student again (and hopefully there is another place for the other guy as well, he plays well and he looks passionate about the guitar, so I think he deserves it too).

Bad stuff: I think I got the worst note of all candidates (at all levels and with all instruments) in intonation. I need to practice this a lot.