In this installment of the RGT video rock guitar lesson series, we’re learning how to play an excerpt from the RGT Rock Initial Exam Track – ‘Missing in Action.’
When taking the RGT Rock Initial Guitar Exam, you will need to perform two rock songs from the RGT Initial Stage handbook, one of these songs could be ‘Missing in Action.’
The first section of ‘Missing in Action’ is chordal, consisting of two bars of E minor and two bars of D major.
The E minor chord should be strummed three times per bar, with the last strum being allowed to ring on.
The D major chord is only strummed once, and the chord should sound for the whole bar.
The second section consists of a melody line played on the bass strings. All the notes of the melody are taken from the E pentatonic minor scale.
Listen to the video and audio tracks below in order to hear how it should all be played.
You can also click here to purchase the RGT Initial Stage Rock Exam book, which contains the full music to ‘Missing in Action,’ as well as all of the other musical requirements for this exam.
To view more articles in this series, please visit the “RGT Rock Guitar Video Lessons Archive.”
RGT Missing in Action Lesson – Practice Tip
To help get you begin learning this song, here is a quick tip on how to navigate ‘Missing in Action.’
“Notice how the rhythm used for the strumming of the opening bars of E minor, is the same rhythm that is used for most of the melody from bar 5 onwards. When playing this ‘1 2 3_’ rhythm, make sure that the last note in each bar is allowed to ring on for two beats.”
RGT Missing in Action Lesson – Audio
Apart from studying the video lesson below, here are two audio tracks that you can use when learning how to play ‘Missing in Action’ in your guitar practice routine.
It would be a secure approach to practice with the full track for ‘Missing in Action’ first, so that you learn how to play along in time with the recorded guitar track.
After you can play along with the recorded guitar track, the next practice goal would be to jam along with only the backing track for ‘Missing in Action.’ Allowing you to learn how to perform the song without the help of the guide guitar track.
Here are both of those audio tracks for ‘Missing in Action’ to jam along with when learning how to play this song in the practice room.
Click to listen to the full backing track for ‘Missing in Action.’
Click to listen to the backing track for ‘Missing in Action.’
RGT Missing in Action Lesson -Video
Video presented by Chris Bird, Music Editor of Total Guitar Magazine
RGT Rock Guitar Initial Books
To find out more about ‘Missing in Action,’ and the RGT Rock Initial Exam, please download the RGT Rock Guitar Exam Information Booklet.
You can also check out the Rock Guitar Initial Exam Book, which comes with a CD and contains notation of all the exam pieces, as well as diagrams for all of the chords and scales that the pieces are based on for this grade.
Not a Registered RGT Teacher yet? Visit the Join the RGT Page to find out the great benefits that membership has to offer.