Available in both traditional and Performance Award settings, RGT’s Rock Guitar Exams are fast becoming popular choices among both students and teachers.

To help you get a better understanding of the required songs that students prepare for the Grade 1 to 8 exams, we have put all of those titles in one easy to reference page for both students and teachers to enjoy.

Below you will find a listing of all of these songs, instructions on song requirements for each grade, as well as links so you can purchase the tab/notation and backing tracks for any grade level.

For more information on preparing for these exams, please check out the RGT Rock Guitar page on the RGT website.

RGT Rock Guitar Exam Breakdown

The core of all RGT Rock Guitar Exams is the Prepared Performance section, which is where you perform the rock pieces you have chosen to play in the exam.

From Preliminary Grade onwards, the examiner will also test your aural ability to reproduce riffs and recognise chords by ear.

From Grade One onwards, there is an improvisation section where you improvise a lead solo and then a rhythm guitar part to a backing track.

Please visit the RGT Rock Guitar Exam Overview and RGT Rock Guitar Performance Awards Overview pages for more information on these two popular exams.

RGT Rock Guitar Exam Song List

Here is the song list for Grade 1 to 8 RGT Rock Guitar Exams. Each grade has its own requirements, which are found in the RGT Rock Guitar Exam Handbook, and are outlined briefly here for reference.

Grades 1-3 – Candidates should chose two (2) of these pieces to perform over a backing track.

*All the performance pieces that are listed for Grades One, Two and Three are in the book/CD Graded Guitar Songs – 9 Rock Classics for Beginning Level Guitarists.

Grades 4-5 – Candidates should choose two (2) of these pieces to perform over a backing track, and if preferred, a free choice song may be substituted for one of the listed pieces given that it is of similar standard and does not exceed five minutes.

*All the performance pieces that are listed for Grades Four and Five are in the book/CD Graded Rock Guitar Songs – 8 Rock Classics for Intermediate Guitarists.

Grades 6-8 – Candidates should choose three (3) of these pieces to perform over a backing track, and if preferred, one or all songs may be substituted for a free choice song, given that they are of similar standard and do not exceed five minutes.

*The RGT grade handbooks list recommended publications that include the notation and backing tracks for the grade six, seven and eight songs.

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Grade 1

• Sunshine Of Your Love – Cream
• Smoke On The Water – Deep Purple
• Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana

Grade 2

• Day Tripper – The Beatles
• Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton
• Should I Stay Or Should I Go – The Clash

Grade 3

• All Right Now – Free
• Paranoid – Black Sabbath
• Pinball Wizard – The Who

Grade 4

• Layla – Derek And The Dominos
• All Along The Watchtower – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
• Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Walk This Way – Aerosmith

Grade 5

• The Boys Are Back In Town – Thin Lizzy
• Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N’ Roses
• Under The Bridge – Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Always With Me, Always With You – Joe Satriani

Grade 6

• Albatross – Fleetwood Mac
• Parisienne Walkways – Gary Moore
• Crazy Train – Ozzy Osbourne
• You Really Got Me – Van Halen
• Toxicity – System Of A Down
• Justin – Korn

Grade 7

• Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin
• Samba Pa Ti – Santana
• The Trooper – Iron Maiden
• Private Investigations – Dire Straits
• Seek And Destroy – Metallica

Grade 8

• Savoy – Jeff Beck
• Satch Boogie – Joe Satriani
• The Spirit of Radio – Rush
• Bat Country – Avenged Sevenfold
• Frank – Steve Vai

Have a question about the RGT Rock Guitar Exams or this song list? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.