By: Tony Skinner
Tony Skinner presents a teachers’ guide to the RGT Acoustic Guitar Exams.
Ten acoustic guitar exam levels, up to Grade Eight, are available. Teachers have often requested an examination that would be suitable for young children and basic beginner level students.
Well this is the one: the acoustic guitar examination range starts at Initial Stage – a complete stage below Preliminary Grade – and is designed specifically for those who are new to guitar playing, and is particularly suited to young children.
The acoustic guitar exam handbooks include TAB, as an option to notation, and a CD featuring recordings of all the performances and tests – making it a very user-friendly package for students to practise with between lessons.
Each examination is split into various sections, all of which are outlined in detail below.
You can also find more info on these exams by visiting the “RGT Acoustic Guitar Exams Outlines” articles as well as the “RGT Acoustic Guitar Exams Video Lessons” on the RGT blog.
Fingerboard Knowledge
‘The syllabus has been designed in a holistic way…each section of the examination reflects and complements the others.’
If you’re familiar with the RGT’s electric guitar syllabus you’ll notice some similarity in format, with knowledge of both chords and scales being required.
However, to reflect the way the acoustic guitar is used in practical music-making (acoustic guitarists tend to spend much more time strumming or picking chords than playing lead guitar solos), in the acoustic exams far more emphasis is placed on a wide knowledge of chords (particularly in open positions), with the scale requirements being restricted to the core essentials.
The acoustic guitar exam syllabus has been designed in a holistic way so that each section of the examination reflects and complements the others; the scales and chords chosen in the Fingerboard Knowledge section relate directly to the keys and chordal content of the pieces in the Performance section of the examination.
Refer to the Acoustic Guitar Exam Information Booklet to view the list of chords, arpeggios and scales required for each grade.
To enable young children with small hands to play the chords cleanly, at Initial Stage three-string partial chords are permitted instead of the standard five or six-string chord shapes.
Performance Section
Rhythm Studies
“…designed to assess the candidate’s ability to play a flowing rhythm and maintain it whilst moving through the chord changes.”
The Performance section of the examination, up to and including Grade Five, always starts with a ‘Rhythm Study.’
This is essentially a short chord chart with a prescribed strum pattern that the candidate should apply to the chords.
Candidates can choose which Rhythm Study they’d prefer to play from a selection provided in the grade handbook (a sample is shown below).
The test is designed to assess the candidate’s ability to play a flowing rhythm and maintain it whilst moving through the chord changes.
Either a plectrum or, if preferred, just fingers can be used when strumming. From Grade 3 onwards, candidates are encouraged to perform their own variation of the strum pattern when playing through the chord progression for the second time.
The CD included with each handbook enables students to hear the prescribed strum pattern being used and provides examples of the standard of playing required for the variation strumming.
Melodies
“The handbooks provide a choice of well-known traditional melodies…”
In addition to the Rhythm Study, up to and including Grade Two candidates are asked to choose and perform a single-line melody (two melodies at Initial Stage and Preliminary Grade).
The handbooks provide a choice of well-known traditional melodies, but if candidates prefer to play something more contemporary they can instead play any well-known melody from 1960 onwards providing it is of at least similar technical standard and duration to the melodies shown in the exam handbook.
All the handbook melodies are performed on the CD as a study aid and as a guide to the standard required.
The melodies can be played using a plectrum or fingers. This melody playing aspect of the exam provides the ideal complement and counterbalance to the chordal Rhythm Playing Study.
Choice of traditional melodies to be performed at the early grades.
Candidates are also permitted to substitute a more contemporary melody of their own choosing.
Initial Stage
- When The Saints Go Marching In
- On Top Of Old Smokey
- Michael Row The Boat Ashore
- Kumbaya
Preliminary Grade
- Morning Has Broken
- Aura Lea
- Early One Morning
- For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow
Grade 1
- Auld Lang Syne
- The Bear Dance
- Mairi’s Wedding
- Swing Low Sweet Chariot
Grade 2
- Scarborough Fair
- The Skye Boat Song
- House Of The Rising Sun
- Londonderry Air
Fingerstyle Studies
At Grades One and Two candidates can opt to perform a Fingerstyle Study in preference to the melody. A choice of fingerstyle studies is provided in the grade handbooks and performed on the CD for students to hear.
Grade 1 Fingerstyle Study Example
Solo Pieces
“…students should have no difficulty in finding a piece that they really enjoy performing.”
From Grade Three onwards candidates are required to perform a solo piece (two solo pieces from Grade Six onwards).
This can be one suitable for fingerstyle players or one designed for plectrum players. A selection of solo pieces is provided in each grade handbook, but if candidates prefer they can instead play any alternative piece of their own choosing providing it is of at least similar technical standard and duration to the pieces shown in the exam handbook.
A wide ranging list of pre-graded suggested alternative pieces is also published on the RGT website, so students should have no difficulty in finding a piece that they really enjoy performing.
All the handbook pieces are performed on the CD as a guide to the standard required and as a study aid – with slow practice versions also being included at Grades Three to Five to help students learn the pieces.
Double Thumb Special – Grade 3
Rakes of Mallow – Grade 4
Country Mood – Grade 5
Click to view the RGT Country Mood Video Guitar Lesson 1.
Click to view the RGT Country Mood Video Guitar Lesson 2.
Musical Knowledge
“The range, depth and complexity of questions increases as the grades progress…”
This section of the examination is designed to assess the candidate’s knowledge of the acoustic guitar and the pieces performed.
The range, depth and complexity of questions increases as the grades progress and at higher grades candidates are expected to be able to communicate some understanding of style and repertoire beyond the pieces performed.
At Grade One topics will be limited to questions about the basic anatomy of the guitar, such as the location of notes on the fingerboard.
At Grade Three typical questions will be to identify the key and time signature and some of the techniques used in playing the piece.
In comparison, at Grade Eight candidates will be expected to discuss matters such as their approach to interpreting the piece, the technical and musical challenges involved in playing it, identifying any harmonic, rhythmic and melodic features of the piece.
Accompaniment
“The style of the accompaniment is left to the candidate’s discretion and the candidate can choose to either strum or fingerpick.”
Being able to provide a chordal accompaniment to either your own voice or someone else’s singing or playing is considered a core element of acoustic guitar playing, and hence this accompaniment section of the examination (which occurs from Grade One onwards) is allotted 20% of the total marks.
The examiner supplies the candidate with a chord chart and plays a short melody for the candidate to listen to.
The melody is then played a further three times without stopping. The candidate should perform a suitable accompaniment over the last two playings (the candidate’s performance over the first of the three playings will not be assessed and the first playing can be used either to ‘practise’ or just to read the chord chart).
The style of the accompaniment is left to the candidate’s discretion and the candidate can chose to either strum or fingerpick.
The range of the keys and chord symbols that occur in the Accompaniment section reflects the chords required for that grade, and so the complexity of the chord progression increases with the grades.
The number of chords that appear in the chord progression, the range of time signatures and the rhythmic complexity of the melodies all increase as the grades progress.
Examples of the melodies and chord charts are provided in the grade handbooks and on the CDs, as well as in the “Grade 5 Accompaniment Video Lesson” on the RGT blog.
Example of Grade 1 Accompaniment
Example of Grade 5 Accompaniment
Aural Assessment
“Examples of all the aural tests are provided in the grade handbooks and are also supplied on the CDs that accompany each handbook…”
From Preliminary Grade onwards each examination concludes with a series of tests to assess the candidate’s aural abilities.
The first set of three tests is based on a four bar melody: first demonstrating time-keeping by clapping the pulse of the melody while the examiner plays it, then identifying the time signature of the melody, then reproducing the rhythm of an extract from the melody.
The range of time signatures, rhythmic complexity and length of extract will increase as the grades progress.
Next is a pitch test: apart from at Preliminary Grade (where candidates identify the highest note of two notes), the test is to reproduce on guitar a short melodic phrase after the examiner has played it twice.
The rhythmic and melodic range and complexity of this tests grows as the grades progress, as does the range of time signatures and keys.
The final test involves recognising chords and movement between chords. The range of chords and cadential movements increases as the grades progress.
Examples of all the aural tests are provided in the grade handbooks and are also supplied on the CDs that accompany each handbook, enabling teachers and candidates to gain a very clear understanding of the type of tests that will occur at each grade.
How to Enter Acoustic Guitar Exams
“…entries can be made online via the RGT website”
RGT Acoustic Guitar Examinations are held three times a year in the UK, with entry deadlines being the same as those for other RGT examinations – i.e. 1st February (for March/April exams), 1st May (for June/July exams), 1st October (for November/December exams).
Overseas teachers should contact their national RGT Representative for information on examination dates.
Each grade handbook includes an examination entry form. This can be cut out and posted to the RGT office.
Alternatively, in the UK ONLY, and only for acoustic guitar exams, entries can be made online via the RGT website using the unique examination code that appears in the back of each handbook.