The results are in...

A little white envelope arrived from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama today and I tentatively opened it to discover the results of my Grade 1 classical guitar exam... Not what I expected at all. I didn't get a pass. I got a MERIT! 76%. I even got 8 out of 8 for sight reading! As I said to a friend "how bad do you have to be to fail?!" I was utterly convinced I'd failed, but had a very faint hope that I might've scraped a pass...so you can imagine my euphoria this afternoon! I decided to celebrate by raiding the cupboard and eating the chocolate I'd bought to make truffles for Christmas!

I got a very comprehensive assessment record, and just for you here are the examiner's comments about the three pieces I played (if that's what you can call it!):

Arioso (accompanied): was played with a clean tone, although at times you anticipated the beat.

Melody (accompanied): suffered from nerves. However, I can see that you are developing a good technique and your playing shows potential.

La Valse: showed good tirando development and strength in your right hand.

I think I shall have that framed!!

If you want to read about the exam follow this link: Humiliation!