By: Tony Skinner
In this article, Tony Skinner brings you his top five tips for preparing your students for any LCM RGT classical guitar exam.
Most candidates taking an LCM RGT classical guitar exam are well prepared for the `performance’ section where three pieces are performed.
However, whilst this section accounts for 60% of the marks, that still leaves another 40% that can be gained (or lost!) in the remaining sections of the exam.
Tip 1- Scale Speed
Although the handbooks list recommended tempi for scales and arpeggios at each grade, remember that these are simply that: “recommended.”
So while candidates might lose some marks for an overly slow performance of a scale, they will lose far far more if rushing leads to forced errors.
The main thing the examiner will be listening for is accuracy, followed by evenness and clarity.
Too often examiners see candidates who are clearly capable of playing the scales accurately mess them up by attempting a pointless turbo-charged performance.
Train your students to always think carefully about the tempo before starting to play a scale.
Tip 2 – Melodic Key Study
The key study links the introduction of a new key to the performance of a short melodic theme from a piece by a well-known (non-guitar) composer.
The purpose is to make the learning of scales relevant to practical music-making and therefore more memorable.
The scales and melodic theme need to be played from memory.
When preparing students for this section of the exam it is recommended that the scales in the key study are learnt first, that way the melodic theme will be easier to learn as the fingering and fretboard groundwork will have been well prepared.
If your students are not familiar with the melodic theme, source and play them a recording of the piece so that they can hear it in its original (orchestral) format.
This will help them to remember the melody.
Tip 3 – Musical Knowledge
In many ways the spoken tests (viva voce) section should be one of the easiest to prepare.
The grade handbooks give clear examples of all the types of questions that might arise. In the early grades pretty much every possible question and answer is covered within the handbook.
So make sure your students study the musical knowledge chapter of the handbook, and regularly test them prior to the exam to make sure that they understand the information.
Tip 4 – Sight Reading
Sight reading is not a skill that can be quickly developed a few weeks prior to the exam.
It’s something that needs careful and continuous nurturing from the very start, so try to include some element of sight reading, maybe some simple duets, in every lesson.
During the exam, the candidate will be allowed a short time to look over the music before playing it.
It’s important that this time is used to best effect: students should be taught how, rather than wasting the short time available reading through every note, to ‘scan’ the music and quickly identify and then resolve any potentially awkward bits such as difficult looking chords or unfamiliar rhythms.
Also, get them into the routine of never starting before confirming to themselves the key and time signature, and choosing a realistically achievable tempo.
Explain that once they’ve started they should never stop or go back to correct an error – the only way should be forward!
Tip 5 – Aural Assessment
Some students will have natural ability with some tests while others may struggle with some or all of the tests.
So it’s important when embarking on an exam course with a student to discover their individual strengths and weaknesses.
The grade handbooks give clear examples of the types of tests that will occur so it should be relatively straightforward for a teacher to devise their own portfolio of suitable tests for each grade.
These can be introduced during lessons, but many teachers also record the tests onto Mp3 or CD so that students can practice at home.
If using this approach, try to include on the recording as many examples of each type of test as your stamina allows so that the student doesn’t begin to remember the order of the answers.
Do you have a top tip for RGT Classical Guitar Exam Preparation? Share your thoughts or questions in the comments section below.