Mark Tanner: Know The Score: Clarinet Solo

This new series of books targets the Quick Study head on: all freshly composed pieces with the exam kept firmly in mind. It is not a solution in itself, nor a means of short-circuiting the skills you will need to develop, but a practice tool to steer you in the right direction.

The initial pieces are prefaced by a guide page to help you sift out the nitty-gritty in the music. Come the big day, you should feel confident, alert and more able to respond to the challenge in a measured, systematic way.

It's all about making the most of the five minutes you'll be given, focussing on what is indispensible in the musical text and, just as importantly, gauging whichsurface details you can afford to leave out; essentially, the skill is seeing the wood for the trees and keeping up the concentration.