By: David Millar

Preparing students for advanced level grade exams is often one of the most engaging and interesting aspects of teaching for guitar tutors.

This article will provide some advice on preparing students for advanced level acoustic grades.

Advanced RGT Acoustic Grades at a glance summary:

• chords / scales / arpeggios
• 2 pieces
• musical knowledge
• accompaniment
• aural assessment.

Different Student Types

Be aware of the student’s specific tuition needs. Students arriving to prepare for advanced acoustic grades can broadly be divided into the following categories: existing students whom you have previously taught and entered into earlier grade exams; new students who have received tuition elsewhere; new students who have been self-taught.

Students you have taught previously.

This is perhaps the easiest group to deal with. If the student has been attending lessons with you for a length of time you will have a good idea of their strengths and weaknesses.

If they have worked their way up through the grades then they will also have benefited from learning from a structured syllabus, which will have progressively built-up their technical skill and musical knowledge relating to the acoustic guitar.

You will already have a good insight into their personality and how they respond to different teaching methods and approach to practice, etc.

Students who have previously had tuition elsewhere.

In this group it is important to make an early assessment of how the student responds to all sections in the exam handbook.

There may often be gaps in knowledge of chords or scales from previous grades, or weaknesses in aural skills and fingerboard knowledge.

Also be aware of the student having developed bad habits or poor technique, such as not making full use of the fourth finger on the fretting hand, or difficulties with hammeron and pull-off techniques.

It may also take the student some time to get used to your own teaching style if it differs significantly from what they have previously been accustomed to.

Students who have previously been self-taught.

Unlike the classical guitar, where training tends to follow a more defined and formal path, it is not uncommon for an advanced acoustic guitar student to have been previously self-taught, and indeed some famous professional performing guitarists from the solo acoustic guitar genre do claim to be mostly self-taught.

With the advent of free lesson material widely available on the internet, the acoustic guitar genre is quite a common style for self-taught musicians. This type of student may present the most difficult challenges to the tutor to prepare fully for an advanced grade exam.

Quite often the student may display a high level of technical skill when performing a piece but may have limited theory/fingerboard or chordal knowledge. They may not be used to having instruction and teaching, or following a structured practice routine.

Fingerboard Knowledge

At the RGT advanced grades the chords, scales and arpeggios should be promptly and cleanly presented. If chordal and fingerboard knowledge is weak this will present difficulties in the accompaniment section and in some of the aural assessments.

It is useful to relate to scale and chord theory when preparing for recognition of cadences in the harmony tests.

If students have only been used to previously reading tablature notation they may find some difficulty with knowing the appropriate note names on the fingerboard.

Performance Pieces

For Grade Six and beyond, as well as an increased level of technical skill required to perform the pieces, students should also be aware of the requirement to add their own interpretation to the pieces and develop an ability to engage the listener.

By these advanced levels, students should be encouraged to develop a repertoire and perform their pieces whenever opportunities arise.

The tutor takes on the role of a mentor in this regard and, as well as being able to demonstrate the technical requirements, they also need to assist the student in developing the ability to communicate the music in performance.

Students who are studying AS and A’ level music may find some of the advanced grade material suitable for part of their course assessments. As well as the pieces in the handbook a list of recommended alternative pieces is available on the RGT website, as well as the option of a ‘free choice piece’ provided it is of an equivalent technical standard.

Musical Knowledge

In addition to understanding the technical and theory aspects of the music performed, students are required to research and gain an understanding and stylistic awareness of the acoustic guitar repertoire in greater depth as the grades progress.

Accompaniment

In the advanced grades, in order to obtain a high mark, the accompaniment playing should be creative and expressive, as well as accurately following the chord chart and time signature. Hesitations with chord changes will present difficulties in keeping up with the melody and maintaining fluency and accuracy.

Aural Assessments

At all levels students will have different innate aural abilities. However, it is possible to improve these and assist students for this section of the exam.

At advanced grades this may mean going back through aural assessments of the earlier grades in order to progressively improve their aural skills and confidence.

It is best to begin work on aural tests in the very early stages of preparing for the grade exam, but at least well before the exam date.

Working out simple melodies by ear and working out chords for songs just by listening are engaging ways to help students in this section.

Often the ten marks available may make all the difference when the totals are added up.