Can Guitar Grades be fun? Rockschool or RGT?
Discussion
Have any of you fine guitar folk been through any of the grading schemes?
I feel like I need some targets, and a bit of direction to help me improve. I enjoy a bit of "play-along-a-song" with Rocksmith, and have found Yousician useful for making me play stuff I wouldn't think of otherwise.
My challenges seem to be a) remembering what I played yesterday on RS and b) making what I improvise sound good. I *think* it would probably help both issues if I had a better grounding of the basics and more understanding of the theory... or maybe I just need to play more? I may be a little senior to be a rockstar, but I'd really like to be "a guitarist" rather than just someone who owns a couple of guitars.
So I'm thinking a tutor and/or working through the grades would help.
Anyone here worked their way through the Rockschool and/or RGT (Registry of Guitar Teachers) schemes and can offer an opinion on either?
Cheers.
I feel like I need some targets, and a bit of direction to help me improve. I enjoy a bit of "play-along-a-song" with Rocksmith, and have found Yousician useful for making me play stuff I wouldn't think of otherwise.
My challenges seem to be a) remembering what I played yesterday on RS and b) making what I improvise sound good. I *think* it would probably help both issues if I had a better grounding of the basics and more understanding of the theory... or maybe I just need to play more? I may be a little senior to be a rockstar, but I'd really like to be "a guitarist" rather than just someone who owns a couple of guitars.
So I'm thinking a tutor and/or working through the grades would help.
Anyone here worked their way through the Rockschool and/or RGT (Registry of Guitar Teachers) schemes and can offer an opinion on either?
Cheers.
I took the RGT grades - or some of them - a few years back.
I wanted to see how good (or bad) I was so this seemed a benchmark that I could work to. I enlisted a guitar teacher and started on grade 3 as 1 and 2 are very basic. I followed on with them up to grade 6 (got an honors) and then gave up because I felt they were getting a bit "jazzy" for my tastes after that and i'm not really cut out to be a jazz player. It was useful though and my playing definitely improved over the time.
I still have guitar lessons but also play with a band. The best improvement in my playing is when playing along with other people regularly. The RGT grades gave a bit more structure to the lessons as it set targets to learn and practice. Overall though, I'd say a good guitar teacher and/or someone to jam with will make the most difference, depending on what you want to do and where you want to go with it.
I wanted to see how good (or bad) I was so this seemed a benchmark that I could work to. I enlisted a guitar teacher and started on grade 3 as 1 and 2 are very basic. I followed on with them up to grade 6 (got an honors) and then gave up because I felt they were getting a bit "jazzy" for my tastes after that and i'm not really cut out to be a jazz player. It was useful though and my playing definitely improved over the time.
I still have guitar lessons but also play with a band. The best improvement in my playing is when playing along with other people regularly. The RGT grades gave a bit more structure to the lessons as it set targets to learn and practice. Overall though, I'd say a good guitar teacher and/or someone to jam with will make the most difference, depending on what you want to do and where you want to go with it.
I'm taking the RGT grades currently. Having started at Grade 5 and also completed 6 I am now working on getting ready for the exam for Grade 7.
As the previous poster mentioned, things do start to get a bit jazzy and not really what you'd play for giggles. But having achieved encouraging results at both exams so far I feel as though I am really enjoying the progression and am now determined to complete the full set. If for no other reason the personal satisfaction of doing so, given that I am far from being a natural musician. I practice now much more than I have ever done.
I didn't look too closely at Rockschool. I've read that some people recommend it over RGT but weirdly it was the name that put me off, rightly or wrongly. I wanted to be a rounded guitar player, not a rock guitar player specifically.
Best of luck if you choose to give it a go.
As the previous poster mentioned, things do start to get a bit jazzy and not really what you'd play for giggles. But having achieved encouraging results at both exams so far I feel as though I am really enjoying the progression and am now determined to complete the full set. If for no other reason the personal satisfaction of doing so, given that I am far from being a natural musician. I practice now much more than I have ever done.
I didn't look too closely at Rockschool. I've read that some people recommend it over RGT but weirdly it was the name that put me off, rightly or wrongly. I wanted to be a rounded guitar player, not a rock guitar player specifically.
Best of luck if you choose to give it a go.
completely different - I did classical guitar grades (many years ago)
Went all the way to Grade 8;
helped me in more ways than you would think - a lot of the theory applies to all music styles, and the art of practice still lives with me.
Finished my Grade 8 when I was 16; 30 years ago !
What I find amazing is that I can still pick up my classical guitar and play some of the pieces from memory...
Went all the way to Grade 8;
helped me in more ways than you would think - a lot of the theory applies to all music styles, and the art of practice still lives with me.
Finished my Grade 8 when I was 16; 30 years ago !
What I find amazing is that I can still pick up my classical guitar and play some of the pieces from memory...
I've not done formal grading. However, I have seen educational materials for these 'rock school' courses and they're not for me.
I recommend finding a teacher who teaches musical content only. You might have to ask around for a teacher who does that. The study of things like chord tones, modes and scales may seem dull in isolation. It is not art, but it really will make you a complete player.
I recommend finding a teacher who teaches musical content only. You might have to ask around for a teacher who does that. The study of things like chord tones, modes and scales may seem dull in isolation. It is not art, but it really will make you a complete player.
Thanks for the comments guys.
I'm not looking for "academic" qualifications as such, or to go anywhere professionally with it; just want targets to aim at, to understand and enjoy my playing more, and get the confidence to start jamming with other people.
Being able to play old school rock, southern and texas blues with a degree of competence would make me very happy indeed. Classical and jazz I'm happy to leave to the experts.
From a bit of googling, it does sound as if Rockschool may be more fun, and AIUI they allow a greater degree of selection of genres and styles, so I'm going to pick up a few 2nd hand grade books off eBay and have a look. Next step is to find a teacher though.
I'm not looking for "academic" qualifications as such, or to go anywhere professionally with it; just want targets to aim at, to understand and enjoy my playing more, and get the confidence to start jamming with other people.
Being able to play old school rock, southern and texas blues with a degree of competence would make me very happy indeed. Classical and jazz I'm happy to leave to the experts.
From a bit of googling, it does sound as if Rockschool may be more fun, and AIUI they allow a greater degree of selection of genres and styles, so I'm going to pick up a few 2nd hand grade books off eBay and have a look. Next step is to find a teacher though.
Beware a s/h Rockschool grades as you really need the music tracks which are available off the www but you need the log in reference from the book. Not sure if transferrable.
Son (aged 11) did debut and enjoyed it, with a good teacher, but slowed on Grade 1 and whilst he's a better player than me, he can pick up a sheet of tab and run with it whilst I fumble along.
Son (aged 11) did debut and enjoyed it, with a good teacher, but slowed on Grade 1 and whilst he's a better player than me, he can pick up a sheet of tab and run with it whilst I fumble along.
Skyedriver said:
Beware a s/h Rockschool grades as you really need the music tracks which are available off the www but you need the log in reference from the book. Not sure if transferrable.
Thanks. Yes, a bit of a gotcha - although I read that the download codes can be used a few times so would assume that as long as the original owner hadn't used up their quota they might be reusable?If I do decide to do the grade exams I'll just get the book new anyway.
Early versions of the current syllabus (2012-2018) books did come with CDs though, and I managed to bag s/h books for Grades 3 thru 6 incl the CDs off eBay last weekend for only a few shekels so going to work through a few pieces to try it out and find the right level for me.
I've never really been the sort to judge my ability on a grading system, feels a bit like I'd be seeking approval for something.
I've always tried to jam with or learn from people more talented than I am, as it's forced me to think of new things and not fall into old routines and habits.
I've found generally that works better than having a pre-defined 'you're good / not good' score system for something that I enjoy as a hobby. I don't want to make it too formal but equally, want to stretch my abilities when I can.
Bedroom jamming for me has usually been about warming up with some licks and basic things, then finding a new way to play something I already knew, then finding something new to play. Right now I'm focusing on right-hand technique (snigger) as I've been doing lazy legato for too long. I think identifying where your weaknesses are, and actively going after them is more worthwhile than monkey see monkey do on a course. But that's just me.
I've always tried to jam with or learn from people more talented than I am, as it's forced me to think of new things and not fall into old routines and habits.
I've found generally that works better than having a pre-defined 'you're good / not good' score system for something that I enjoy as a hobby. I don't want to make it too formal but equally, want to stretch my abilities when I can.
Bedroom jamming for me has usually been about warming up with some licks and basic things, then finding a new way to play something I already knew, then finding something new to play. Right now I'm focusing on right-hand technique (snigger) as I've been doing lazy legato for too long. I think identifying where your weaknesses are, and actively going after them is more worthwhile than monkey see monkey do on a course. But that's just me.
Edited by andy-xr on Thursday 3rd August 10:45
Rockschool have recently changed their name to RSL - I do agree with the earlier poster that the name wasn't/isn't great. Its a pretty comprehensive grading system, you learn 3 pieces, technical exercises (scales, arpeggios, chords) sight-reading, aural tests and a few questions. All the grade pieces are 'soundalikes' so not actual pieces, you can however do 2 free choice pieces (as long as you submit sheet music and a backing track) and grades 1-5 you can buy a book from Rockschool called hot rocks which contains 'real' pieces. Next year is the last year of the current syllabus and from speaking to them and gauging whats happened in the new acoustic grades the next syllabus will be 'real' songs.
RGT tends to be more study based, I think you only do 1 or 2 pieces then its a case of learning a big arsenal of chords, arpeggios etc and being tested on them both individually and in practise (improvising over charts etc) there are also aural and sight-reading tests. I'm not really 100% up on the electric grades as spend more time on the acoustic side of RGT.
Another board worth looking at is Trinity Rock & Pop (horrible name again!) 3 pieces - all of them are 'real' pieces you can do 1 free choice piece in the exam, one piece will be a technical focus and the other 2 more band based. There is only one auxiliary test which is either improvisation or play back (a mix of sight-reading & Aural). The syllabus is due to change next year. The last syllabus was their first (whereas Rockschool have been running since the early 90s) so I imagine there will be an improvement next time round - the current syllabus was pretty good to be fair. The Trinity R&P tends to be more like 'real' playing so you play a song which might be 90% fairly straight forward and then you come across a couple of tricky lines where you need to focus most of your attention.
RSL definitely has the best network of exam centres and the easiest website to navigate. They have however been clamping down on the marking and I've found it pretty inconsistent over last couple of years the other thing is that with the last syllabus they changed the grading boundaries to make it easier to pass (60% rather than 65%) but then made it harder to get a distinction (90% whereas previously it was 85%) ... basically after the first couple of grades it makes it pretty hard to get a distinction - as it should be but if even if you get 18/20 on all 3 pieces and 14/15 on technical you can only afford to drop 3 marks on your sight reading & aural which above G5 is a tough ask for most...
Overall I'd say they're a good thing to supplement teaching/learning & give students a goal to work towards, make sure there is progress and introduce new techniques at sensible points. Are they a complete system? No, there are holes and gaps in all the syllabi but a good teacher will cover these too and make holistically everything is in place.
I'd say look at Trinity too, you might find more pleasure getting out and playing at some jam nights and with other people over grading systems?
What ever you do most of all have fun & good luck
RGT tends to be more study based, I think you only do 1 or 2 pieces then its a case of learning a big arsenal of chords, arpeggios etc and being tested on them both individually and in practise (improvising over charts etc) there are also aural and sight-reading tests. I'm not really 100% up on the electric grades as spend more time on the acoustic side of RGT.
Another board worth looking at is Trinity Rock & Pop (horrible name again!) 3 pieces - all of them are 'real' pieces you can do 1 free choice piece in the exam, one piece will be a technical focus and the other 2 more band based. There is only one auxiliary test which is either improvisation or play back (a mix of sight-reading & Aural). The syllabus is due to change next year. The last syllabus was their first (whereas Rockschool have been running since the early 90s) so I imagine there will be an improvement next time round - the current syllabus was pretty good to be fair. The Trinity R&P tends to be more like 'real' playing so you play a song which might be 90% fairly straight forward and then you come across a couple of tricky lines where you need to focus most of your attention.
RSL definitely has the best network of exam centres and the easiest website to navigate. They have however been clamping down on the marking and I've found it pretty inconsistent over last couple of years the other thing is that with the last syllabus they changed the grading boundaries to make it easier to pass (60% rather than 65%) but then made it harder to get a distinction (90% whereas previously it was 85%) ... basically after the first couple of grades it makes it pretty hard to get a distinction - as it should be but if even if you get 18/20 on all 3 pieces and 14/15 on technical you can only afford to drop 3 marks on your sight reading & aural which above G5 is a tough ask for most...
Overall I'd say they're a good thing to supplement teaching/learning & give students a goal to work towards, make sure there is progress and introduce new techniques at sensible points. Are they a complete system? No, there are holes and gaps in all the syllabi but a good teacher will cover these too and make holistically everything is in place.
I'd say look at Trinity too, you might find more pleasure getting out and playing at some jam nights and with other people over grading systems?
What ever you do most of all have fun & good luck
Edited by dojo on Saturday 5th August 09:06
Edited by dojo on Sunday 6th August 10:07
Thanks for the comprehensive reply dojo - I'll have a look at Trinity.
I'm going to work on some of the easier songs from the Rockschool books over the next few weeks, but I've already found the performance notes for the pieces to be really useful as they give the sort of technique pointers you just don't get from plain old tab.
And I had my first lesson in 30 years last week!
dojo said:
I'd say look at Trinity too, you might find more pleasure getting out and playing at some jam nights and with other people over grading systems?
Jamming with others is certainly the plan, and I'm very much looking at the grades as a way of giving myself targets, forcing me to cover the gaps in my knowledge, and a way of measuring my progress rather than just collecting certificates.I'm going to work on some of the easier songs from the Rockschool books over the next few weeks, but I've already found the performance notes for the pieces to be really useful as they give the sort of technique pointers you just don't get from plain old tab.
And I had my first lesson in 30 years last week!
dojo said:
Rockschool have recently changed their name to RSL - I do agree with the earlier poster that the name wasn't/isn't great. Its a pretty comprehensive grading system, you learn 3 pieces, technical exercises (scales, arpeggios, chords) sight-reading, aural tests and a few questions. All the grade pieces are 'soundalikes' so not actual pieces, you can however do 2 free choice pieces (as long as you submit sheet music and a backing track) and grades 1-5 you can buy a book from Rockschool called hot rocks which contains 'real' pieces. Next year is the last year of the current syllabus and from speaking to them and gauging whats happened in the new acoustic grades the next syllabus will be 'real' songs.
RGT tends to be more study based, I think you only do 1 or 2 pieces then its a case of learning a big arsenal of chords, arpeggios etc and being tested on them both individually and in practise (improvising over charts etc) there are also aural and sight-reading tests. I'm not really 100% up on the electric grades as spend more time on the acoustic side of RGT.
Another board worth looking at is Trinity Rock & Pop (horrible name again!) 3 pieces - all of them are 'real' pieces you can do 1 free choice piece in the exam, one piece will be a technical focus and the other 2 more band based. There is only one auxiliary test which is either improvisation or play back (a mix of sight-reading & Aural). The syllabus is due to change next year. The last syllabus was their first (whereas Rockschool have been running since the early 90s) so I imagine there will be an improvement next time round - the current syllabus was pretty good to be fair. The Trinity R&P tends to be more like 'real' playing so you play a song which might be 90% fairly straight forward and then you come across a couple of tricky lines where you need to focus most of your attention.
RSL definitely has the best network of exam centres and the easiest website to navigate. They have however been clamping down on the marking and I've found it pretty inconsistent over last couple of years the other thing is that with the last syllabus they changed the grading boundaries to make it easier to pass (60% rather than 65%) but then made it harder to get a distinction (90% whereas previously it was 85%) ... basically after the first couple of grades it makes it pretty hard to get a distinction - as it should be but if even if you get 18/20 on all 3 pieces and 14/15 on technical you can only afford to drop 3 marks on your sight reading & aural which above G5 is a tough ask for most...
Overall I'd say they're a good thing to supplement teaching/learning & give students a goal to work towards, make sure there is progress and introduce new techniques at sensible points. Are they a complete system? No, there are holes and gaps in all the syllabi but a good teacher will cover these too and make holistically everything is in place.
I'd say look at Trinity too, you might find more pleasure getting out and playing at some jam nights and with other people over grading systems?
What ever you do most of all have fun & good luck
Son was 1 mark off a Distinction (89%) in his Debut Grade.RGT tends to be more study based, I think you only do 1 or 2 pieces then its a case of learning a big arsenal of chords, arpeggios etc and being tested on them both individually and in practise (improvising over charts etc) there are also aural and sight-reading tests. I'm not really 100% up on the electric grades as spend more time on the acoustic side of RGT.
Another board worth looking at is Trinity Rock & Pop (horrible name again!) 3 pieces - all of them are 'real' pieces you can do 1 free choice piece in the exam, one piece will be a technical focus and the other 2 more band based. There is only one auxiliary test which is either improvisation or play back (a mix of sight-reading & Aural). The syllabus is due to change next year. The last syllabus was their first (whereas Rockschool have been running since the early 90s) so I imagine there will be an improvement next time round - the current syllabus was pretty good to be fair. The Trinity R&P tends to be more like 'real' playing so you play a song which might be 90% fairly straight forward and then you come across a couple of tricky lines where you need to focus most of your attention.
RSL definitely has the best network of exam centres and the easiest website to navigate. They have however been clamping down on the marking and I've found it pretty inconsistent over last couple of years the other thing is that with the last syllabus they changed the grading boundaries to make it easier to pass (60% rather than 65%) but then made it harder to get a distinction (90% whereas previously it was 85%) ... basically after the first couple of grades it makes it pretty hard to get a distinction - as it should be but if even if you get 18/20 on all 3 pieces and 14/15 on technical you can only afford to drop 3 marks on your sight reading & aural which above G5 is a tough ask for most...
Overall I'd say they're a good thing to supplement teaching/learning & give students a goal to work towards, make sure there is progress and introduce new techniques at sensible points. Are they a complete system? No, there are holes and gaps in all the syllabi but a good teacher will cover these too and make holistically everything is in place.
I'd say look at Trinity too, you might find more pleasure getting out and playing at some jam nights and with other people over grading systems?
What ever you do most of all have fun & good luck
Edited by dojo on Saturday 5th August 09:06
Edited by dojo on Sunday 6th August 10:07
My son used to play every day non-stop for 3 years until we decided to set up the exams. I don't know about Rockschool but he tried Trinity method that is very confusing and gives pieces of information about the exam requirements in few different places of the book but also on a syllabus that you should be aware of. If you are self-taught or your teacher doesn't know the method well enough you have a good chance to go for a fail no matter how good you are. It is how they make their business - more than 50 pounds to set or recess your exam. Not a very great way to promote the love of music!
I feel so gutted - not for the fail or the money but for not hearing my son playing the guitar, we lost these happy moments.
I feel so gutted - not for the fail or the money but for not hearing my son playing the guitar, we lost these happy moments.
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