introduction to grade 1 guitar - rockschool

Europe’s No.1 Rock music exam board

INTRODUCTION TO GRADE 1 GUITAR Step-by-step lessons taking you through the key parts of Grade 1 Guitar

INSIDE: 9 lessons introducing rockschool Grade 1 Guitar. ONLINE: Audio, TAB, and video lessons are available at www.rockschool.co.uk/guitarnation

LESSON 1 GETTING STARTED 4

LESSON 2 CHORDS 6

LESSON 3 RHYTHM 8

LESSON 4 TECHNICAL EXERCISES 10

LESSON 5 SIGHT READING 12

LESSON 6 SIGHT READING PART 2 14

LESSON 7 IMPROVISATION AND INTERPRETATION 16

LESSON 8 EAR TESTS 18

LESSON 9 GENERAL MUSICIANSHIP QUESTIONS 20

CONTENTS

THIS BOOKLET ARE AVAILABLE AT WWW.ROCKSCHOOL.CO.UK/GUITARNATION 3

rockschool is Europe’s No. 1 rock music exam board. We offer rock musicians the opportunity to get the same qualifications that classical musicians can get. All our grade exams have original set repertoire, encourage improvisation and have an element of free choice so you can play the music you love AND get a qualification.

WELCOME TO GRADE 1 GUITARThis booklet of 9 lessons is your introduction to Grade 1 Guitar. In it we will cover everything you will need to take Grade 1 Guitar. The first 3 lessons focus on one out of the three tracks you will need to learn for the exam.

To help you along the way we also have videos lessons, audio and sheet music for ‘Gone But Not Forgotten’. Visit www.rockschool.co.uk/guitarnation and click on the Sheet Music & Audio Files link.

TAKING THE EXAMIf you want to take the rockschool Grade 1 Guitar exam, you will need the Guitar Grade 1 Book. This has further hints and tips, standard notation, TAB, full mixes and backing tracks on CD and the rest of the tunes you will need to learn for the exam.

rockschool always advises that self taught musicians have a few lessons with a professional teacher before taking any exam.

VIDEO LESSONS, SHEET MUSIC, FULL MIX AND BACKING TRACK TO ACCOMPANY 2

www.rockschool.co.uk/guitarnation

EXERCISE 1 - ‘GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN’ MELODY

This is the first eight bars of the melody plus a pickup bar at the start of the piece, which startson beat two. Follow the pick markings below the TAB as this will make your playing more fluent.

EXERCISE 2 - ALTERNATE PICKING EXERCISE

Isolating tricky passages and turning them into an exercise is a great way of working on specifictechniques. This is taken from bar three of the melody and will help you develop a fluent pickingstyle. Ensure you use alternate picking (down, up, down, up) throughout.

EXERCISE 3 - FRET HAND ACCURACY

Here you are concentrating on your fret-hand. Fret as close to the fret as you can without beingdirectly on top of it. Keep your thumb in the middle of the back of the neck - this will help yourfingers to arch more.

5THIS BOOKLET ARE AVAILABLE AT WWW.ROCKSCHOOL.CO.UK/GUITARNATION

IN YOUR FIRST LESSON FOR GRADE 1 GUITAR WE WILL BE LOOKING AT IMPROVING YOUR PICKING

TECHNIQUE AND FRETTING ACCURACY.

Over 9 lessons we’ll be taking a look at what you need to do to pass your Grade 1 exam. In these 9 lessons we are going to cover:

TECHNICAL EXERCISES

CHORDS

EAR TESTS

IMPROVISATION

SIGHT READING

A TRUE MEASURE OF YOUR SKILLS

Grade exams aren’t just exams for the sake of it. Everything we cover will make you a betterguitarist and the exam is a way of showing what you’ve learned.

PERFORMANCE FOCUSED EXAM

The main part of the exam is the performance of three pieces. One of these can be a piece byyour favourite band or artist, (we call this a Free Choice piece. Criteria for Free Choice pieces canbe found on our website.) The other two pieces must be chosen from the six available in theGuitar Grade 1 book.

THE FOCUS TUNE FOR THESE LESSONS

We are going to focus on one piece from the Grade 1 book over the first three lessons: ‘GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN’This is a cool, jangly piece that features both picking and strummed sections. You’ll be studyingdifferent sections of this over the next three lessons. The full TAB, backing tracks andaccompanying video lessons are available at www.rockschool.co.uk/guitarnation

LESSON 1GETTING STARTED

4 VIDEO LESSONS, SHEET MUSIC, FULL MIX AND BACKING TRACK TO ACCOMPANY


7

EXERCISE 3 - VISUALISATION

The guitar is unique in that it has the ability to use ‘geometric’ shapes and patterns. Use this facility to your advantage. ‘See’ these shapes moving in your mind’s eye from one toanother. This is a useful ability to develop.

THIS BOOKLET ARE AVAILABLE AT WWW.ROCKSCHOOL.CO.UK/GUITARNATION

A COMBINATION OF VISUALISATION TECHNIQUES AND CONTROLLED PRACTICE WILL HELP WITH FLUENT,

ACCURATE CHORD CHANGES.

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON

Accurate chord changes aren’t just an exam requirement, they’ll help your timing and you’ll soundmore professional. Learning to do this can be challenging, and you may get frustrated by how slow your progress seems. It’s the same for everyone, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself. The more time you spend with the guitar, the quicker you’ll see results. You can also practice ‘in yourhead’. We cover this in video lesson 2, but there’s plenty you can do with the guitar in your hands.

KEEP IT SLOW

Practising slowly is important because your muscles are being drilled in to ‘remembering’ how to play that part. If you practise things at too fast a tempo, continually making the same mistakes, your muscles will ‘remember’ these errors, making things needlessly difficult.

Examples 1 – 3 will improve your chord changes which will help with the exam piece ‘GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN’

EXERCISE 1 - ACCURATE CHORDS

When you play this simple G major chord, what you’re aiming for is a clear, ringing sound, with eachnote of the chord sounding clearly. Position the wrist so that the fingertips can form an arch, whichhelps the fingertip fret the note.

EXERCISE 2 - CHANGING CHORDS

Take this exercise slowly and it’ll help you improve your accuracy when you’re changing chords. If one chord per beat is too quick for you, do one every two beats, or one every bar, and slowly workup to doing one per beat.

LESSON 2CHORDS



EXERCISE 3 - MORE STRUMMING PATTERNS

These simple two bar strumming patterns can be played with any chords and can be loopedendlessly. Practice with drums or loops, so that you have to keep time with another instrument.Remember to keep your strumming hand in constant motion.

EXERCISE 2 - CHORD CHANGE DRILLS

Start slowly and gradually increase the tempo. The numbers indicate down strums, the ‘&s’ are upstrums. The brackets mean that you move your arm in the appropriate direction but don’t strikethe strings. It’s this constant motion that will give you a good ‘feel’ for rhythm.


LESSON 3RHYTHM

KEEPING YOUR STRUMMING HAND IN CONSTANT MOTION IS THE KEY TO RHYTHM GUITAR PERFECTION,

AND THESE EXERCISES WILL GET YOU ON YOUR WAY.

GET RHYTHM

Everyone loves a guitar hero, right? All those fast solos that impress everyone on YouTube. Perfect. But inside every great guitar hero is a superb rhythm guitarist. From Van Halen to Slash, Hendrix to Heafy, as well as being cracking soloists they also have a sense of rhythm that makestheir playing ‘feel’ right.

In a band situation, you’ll mostly be playing rhythm guitar, so getting your rhythm feel right is not something you can overlook. In fact, your feel for rhythm feeds directly into your feel and phrasing for leads and solos.

FLUENT MOTION

The key to great rhythm guitar is to maintain a constant up and down motion of the strummingarm/hand. Once you have this fluent motion in place you simply don’t strike the strings on certain beats. This creates different rhythms. Video lesson 3 shows this technique in action.

EXERCISE 1 - CONSTANT MOTION STRUMMING

The direction of the strumming hand is marked with up and down symbols. The bracketedsymbols indicate where the hand should go up or down without hitting the strings. It might feel abit strange, but this is usually because players have been strumming ‘incorrectly’ without realising.



EXERCISE 3 - MAJOR CHORDS (GROUP B)

You’ll be asked to play a selection of these three chords. Watch video lesson 4 online for tips onplaying chords correctly.

EXERCISE 4 - MINOR CHORDS (GROUP B)

It’s important to learn the names of the chords as well as the finger patterns; otherwise you won’tbe able to recall the chords when asked for them by name only.

EXERCISE 5 - RIFF (GROUP C)

The riff in bar one should be played in the same shape in bars two, three and four. The root note ofthe pattern to be played is shown in the music in each of the subsequent three bars.

The tempo is = 70.


LESSON 4TECHNICAL EXCERCISES

BUILDING TECHNIQUE

The word ‘exercise’ strikes fear into the hearts of many guitarists as they imagine hours of boring,pointless practice. They are far from pointless and don’t have to be boring. The technical exercisesrequired for rockschool Grade 1 are based on the essential ingredients of music and practisingthem is a great way of building your technique to make you a better player.

LEARN YOUR ABC...

The technical exercises are split into three groups:

GROUP A: SCALES

GROUP B: CHORDS

GROUP C: RIFF

The examiner will ask you to perform a selection of the exercises from each group.

Examples 1-4 show some of these exercises, so you can try them out. Just a few minutes a dayspent on each exercise, paying careful attention to the tips outlined in video lesson 4, will improveyour basic technique.

EXERCISE 1 - C MAJOR SCALE (GROUP A)

Play the scale slowly and evenly at first. Once you feel you have committed the notes to memory,start to play to a metronome to help your timing. Watch video lesson 4 for advice on playing with a metronome.

EXERCISE 2 - E MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE (GROUP A)

Play this scale, and all scales, using the tips of your fingers placed as close to the frets as possiblewithout being on top of them. This will help avoid unwanted fret-buzz.



EXERCISE 3 - SIMPLE C, D AND E NOTE MELODY

This melody uses the three notes introduced in exercise 2. All the notes are the same lengthso aim for an even sequence of notes. Check your progress with video lesson 5 and don’tworry if your version is slightly faster or slower.

EXERCISE 4 - MELODY 2

Example 3 featured adjacent note movement; this example has some C to E jumps, so lookclosely at the notes when you’re working on the sequence to avoid errors.


READING MUSIC ISN’T SOMETHING TO BE SCARED OF - IT WILL HELP YOU BECOME A MORE COMPLETE MUSICIAN.

THE CHOICE IS YOURS

Following the technical exercises lesson, the next part of the Grade 1 exam features a choice between:

SIGHT READING A FOUR BAR MELODY

OR

IMPROVISATION AND INTERPRETATION TEST

The next two lessons will focus on sight reading. Lesson 7 looks at Improvisation andInterpretation.

MUSIC READING

Early on you should forget the phrase, ‘sight reading’ and think of it as ‘music reading’. Removing the idea of having to get things right on the first play will allow you to focus onprogressing in a pressure-free environment. As you improve over time you’ll be able to readmusic ‘at sight’ with minimal preparation.

First learn the notes on the stave and the location of a few notes in relation to the guitar. Watch video lesson 5 in conjunction with examples 1-4 for the best results.

EXERCISE 1 - NOTES ON THE STAVE

You should learn the two rhymes to help you remember the notes on the stave.

LINES: EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FOOTBALL

SPACES: SPACE SPELLS FACE

EXERCISE 2 - C, D AND E NOTES

This example shows you where the C, D and E notes are located on the stave and in the TAB.Learn each note individually and make sure you can name the notes instantly from memory.

LESSON 5SIGHT READING



EXERCISE 3 – FILLING BARS WITH RHYTHMS

This example shows a full bar of each of the Grade 1 rhythms. Notice how the name of the notecorresponds to the fraction of a 4/4 bar one note occupies (i.e. one half note takes up half a bar.)

EXERCISE 4 – MELODY WITH RHYTHMS

This example puts all the elements of both sight reading lessons together. Spend some timeworking out how to play the phrase and then see how you did by checking your progress withvideo lesson 6. Don’t worry if you play the whole phrase a little faster or slower than the video.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

We’ve covered all of the rhythms you need for Grade 1, but you’ll need to keep practising and expanding your knowledge of the different notes on the stave. Visit our site for extra supporting materials.


LESSON 6SIGHT READINGPART 2

THE ABILITY TO READ RHYTHMS IN NOTATION ALLOWS YOU TO PLAY MUSIC YOU’VE NEVER HEARD BEFORE.

NOTATION VS TAB

In the last lesson you looked at the notes on the musical stave, now it’s time for you to get stuckinto rhythms. Rhythms tell you when to play a note and how long it lasts. This is the main areawhere musical notation has an advantage over TAB. TAB only allows you to see where and how onthe guitar the notes are played.

PUT THE TIME IN NOW

Reading standard notation allows you to play songs you’ve never heard before – a useful skill forevery guitarist. It may seem that playing unfamiliar songs from a sheet of paper is a long way off, but getting the basics now will pay dividends later.

At Grade 1 you’ll be expected to be able to play three different rhythms:

WHOLE NOTES

HALF NOTES

QUARTER NOTES

These are explained in-depth in video lesson 6. Use examples 1-4 with the lesson and for revision.

EXERCISE 1– BARLINES AND TIME SIGNATURES

Bar lines divide the music into the number of beats specified in the time signature. There are lots of time signatures, but 4/4 is the only one you’ll encounter at Grade 1. See video lesson 6 for an in-depth explanation.

EXERCISE 2 – NOTE VALUES



EXERCISE 3 - RHYTHM IMPROVISATION, COMBINING DOWN AND UPSTROKES

This is a slightly more advanced idea that uses upstrokes. Only attempt this if you are confident ofyour ability. Remember to keep your ideas simple and achievable at Grade 1.

EXERCISE 4 – LEAD PLAYING EXAMPLE

This is the final lead example in video lesson 7 and is the end result of the ideas covered in thelesson. It is divided into four distinct, one-bar sections.


LESSON 7IMPROVISATION &INTERPRETATION

IF YOU STRUGGLE WITH SIGHT READING YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER THE OTHER OPTION FOR THE

GRADE 1 EXAM: IMPROVISATION AND INTERPRETATION.

RHYTHM OR LEAD

You’ll be shown a short chord sequence like exercise 1 and asked to play an improvised part,consisting of either rhythm or lead playing, along with a backing track. You will have 30 seconds tolook at the chart and then you’re allowed to practise through with the backing track before playingto the examiner on a second run through.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Although the music you create isn’t pre-planned, the reality is you will have some strummingpatterns or lead licks that you are already familiar with. You simply select the most appropriate ideafor the sequence.

It’s a good idea to work on some licks and strumming patterns, so you have a reasonable arsenal to draw upon. Remember: Do not attempt anything too difficult in the exam. You only get 30seconds preparation, so it’s best not to make things too tricky.

EXERCISE 1 - IMPROVISATION AND INTERPRETATION.

This is an example of the type of improvisation and interpretation chart you can expect to see in the Grade 1 exam.

EXERCISE 2 – RHYTHM IMPROVISATION

This simple strumming pattern is a good place to start if you choose to play rhythm guitar. Try to brush your pick over the strings in a relaxed fluent motion. Don’t allow the pick to snag inthe strings.



The rhythmic recall follows a similar process to the melodic recall. For a full breakdown of theexam procedures watch video lesson 8. Examples 3 and 4 show you what the test could look like.

EXERCISE 3 - MOCK EAR TEST - RHYTHMIC RECALL 1

For a full run-down of the rhythmic recall test watch video lesson 8.

EXERCISE 4 - MOCK EAR TEST - RHYTHMIC RECALL 2

Ear training can be developed over time so make sure you get someone to test you regularly.


THIS LESSON COVERS EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ROCKSCHOOL GRADE 1 EAR TESTS.

RECALL

The ear test section of the rockschool Grade 1 exam consists of two separate tests:

MELODIC RECALL

RHYTHMIC RECALL

In the melodic recall test you’ll be asked to play back a two-bar melody composed of the firstthree notes of the major scale. You’ll be given the root note or tonic - that’s the first note of thescale - and told the starting note, which at this grade is always the first note of the scale. You’ll hear the test, played to a simple backing track. There’s a short break for you to practise andthen you’ll be asked to play along with the backing track.

EXERCISE 1 - MOCK EAR TEST - MELODIC RECALL 1

The melodic recall test uses just the first three notes of the major scale so practise identifyingshort phrases with your teacher or a friend

EXERCISE 2 - MOCK EAR TEST - MELODIC RECALL 2

Avoid the temptation to play while listening through the first play-through. You’ll get more of thetest correct if you just absorb it first time through.

LESSON 8EAR TESTS



The names of the strings are E, A, D, G, B, E. You can remember them with the rhyme:

ELEPHANTS AND DINOSAURS GROW BEARDS EASILY.

WHAT NEXT?

Over the last 9 lessons we’ve covered all the sections of the exam, so you should have agood overview of the whole process.

If you want to progress further and take the exam, you will need to buy the rockschoolGuitar Grade 1 book to get the rest of the performance pieces you need to perform in the exam.

Once you can perform three pieces from the book and can do the technical exercisesconfidently you can apply to take the exam, the application form is in the grade book witheverything you need.

To see everything you will need to be able to do for the exam in full and get the markscheme - download the Guitar syllabus guide at www.rockschool.co.uk


LESSON 9GENERAL MUSICIANSHIPQUESTIONS

THE FINAL LESSON OF OUR QUICK START GUIDE TO GRADE 1 IS A RUNDOWN OF THE GENERAL MUSICIANSHIP

SECTION OF THE EXAM.

5 QUESTIONS

The exam will end with the examiner asking you five questions. Four questions will cover musicnotation and one will cover knowledge of the guitar including amplification. We’ve coveredmusic notation in the other lessons and examples 1 and 2 are examples of the kind of questionyou may be asked in the exam. The answers can be found in video lesson 9.

KNOW YOUR GUITAR

You’ll be expected to name the open strings on your guitar. These are shown in example 3. You may be asked to identify certain parts of the guitar. You probably know a few already, but there’s also a run down in video lesson 9.

The notes mentioned in these examples, with the answers are in video lesson 9.

EXAMPLE 1 - MUSIC NOTATION QUESTION 1

How many beats is this note worth?

EXAMPLE 2 - MUSIC NOTATION QUESTION 2

What is the pitch of this note?

EXAMPLE 3 – NAMES OF THE OPEN STRINGS

20

TAB Elephants

And

EasilyBeards

GrowDinosaurs

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Published by rockschool ltd. © 2010

Unauthorised reproduction of any part of this publication by any means including photocopying is an infringement of the copyright.

Written by: James Uings Music Engraved by: Simon Troup, Digital Music Arts

Edited by: Bek Sunley

These lessons originally appeared in Total Guitar Magazine. Total Guitar is published monthly and features a regular rockschool column.

Design: Paul Chessell

To find out more about guitar grade exams or other music qualifications visit us at www.rockschool.co.uk

rockschool, the rockschool logo and all other rockschool product or service names are trademarks of rockschool Ltd. ©2010 Rock School Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

AVAILABLE FROM ALL GOOD MUSIC SHOPS AND ONLINE AT WWW.MUSICROOM.COM

Learn Grade 1 Guitar with rockschool

rockschool is committed to making music examinations and qualifications practical, flexible and fun, so join us in this step by step introduction to Grade 1Guitar. Each lesson covers an important part of the exam and helps you develop the key skills, styles and techniques you need to play the music you love.

Play the music you love AND get a recognised qualification

rockschool grades are accredited by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) and can be found on the Qualifications andCredits Framework (QCF). When you take a rockschool exam you can be assured that you are getting a recognised qualification and a true measure of your achievements.

INSIDE: 9 lessons introducing rockschool Grade 1 Guitar. ONLINE: Audio, TAB, and video lessons are available at www.rockschool.co.uk/guitarnation


introduction to grade 1 guitar - rockschool

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