(diaryland) June 07, 2004 - 12:32 p.m.

So, this morning I had my very first university-oriented piano exam.

I got up at about 6AM after having an almost totally sleepless night, went to school and practiced on a piano which had some extremely crucial keys which were stuck which made me even more scared shitless because I couldn't practice properly, and then hung around the exam room. The hanging around took place at 10AM, which is still an ungodly hour for making loud musical noises.

I sort of cheated because I asked the guy who was examined before me what scales they were going to ask. He told me.

Then the examiners forced me into their little room.

I was slightly embarrassed because one of the examiners had written the introduction to the book I was using. I tried to act cool and I said to him, "Hey! You won't even need to look in this book, ha ha!"

He said, "Mwa-hahahahaaaaaaaaa."

Then they gave me a big piece of paper with many bewildering scales written upon it. I messed up the first few, especially because I was playing them all at demon speed, but by the end I was actually kicking arse. I conveniently forgot to play one of the arpeggios, which was the hardest one, but they gently reminded me and I aced that one too. Bloody E flat minor arpeggios.

Then I shat my pants because I didn't want to play my study. I was also sick of my study. I also knew that inevitably I would play the study a lot faster than I promised myself I would and I'd mess up.

My little shaky hands approached the keyboard. Then, without doing any proper mental preparation, I launched into the thing. I just wanted it to be over and done with.

I remember one time my friend's brother won the only race he ever won at Little Athletics because he really had to go to the toilet. That is how I played my study. It sounded like I had to get to the end really fast because I had an appointment abseiling down a skyscraper in ten minutes' time. I missed all the notes I thought I might, and ruined the cool bit. But I was OK, I hope.

I will give myself 65%.

Then the examiner who wrote the introduction to the book I was using said, "Thanks for that. Good luck in your end of year exams too!"

I think this means I actually did pass.