RGT Rock Guitar Performance Awards

As well as offering traditional exams for Rock, Electric, Bass and Acoustic Guitar, for Rock Guitar candidates, there are alternative qualifications to these exams – these are titled ‘RGT Rock Guitar Performance Awards.’

These awards focus entirely on the performance of prepared pieces and do not include any of the improvisation or aural assessment components that feature in the standard grade exams.

With the focus solely on the performance of pieces, some candidates may wish to enter Rock Guitar Performance Awards mainly to have their prepared performances assessed prior to entering a full grade exam; other candidates may simply prefer to concentrate on prepared pieces rather than the other components of the full grade exams.

 

Rock Guitar Performance Awards Types

There are three types of Rock Guitar Performance Award available:

1. Live Performance Award

Candidates attend an exam venue and perform their chosen set of pieces to the examiner.

2. Filmed Performance Award

This follows exactly the same format as a Live Performance Award, except that candidates submit a video recording of their performance rather than attending an exam venue. The video may be submitted on DVD or uploaded via the RGT website.

As the videoing of a performance will allow for several performances to be filmed prior to submitting the best take, the performance standard expected for the Filmed Performance Award is slightly higher than that expected for a Live Performance Award of the same level.

3. Recorded Performance Award

This follows exactly the same format as a Live Performance Award, except that candidates submit an audio recording of their performance rather than attending an exam venue.

The recording may be submitted on CD or uploaded via the RGT website. As the recording process allows for numerous attempts, edits and overdubs the performance standard expected for the Recorded Rock Guitar Performance Award will be significantly higher than that expected for the Live Performance Award of the same level.

Both the Filmed and Recorded Rock Guitar Performance Awards enable those candidates who, for whatever reason, are unable to travel to attend an exam venue, to still have the opportunity of having their playing independently assessed and gaining a formal qualification.

The range of Rock Guitar Performance Awards options available will hopefully encourage guitar players from all locations, backgrounds and levels of experience to develop their playing, performance skills and recording techniques.

 

Rock Guitar Performance Awards Levels

There are ten levels of Rock Guitar Performance Award available; the following table shows the grade standard that each one is equivalent to:

Performance Award Grade Exam
Initial Level Initial Stage
Preliminary Level Preliminary Grade
Level 1 Grade 1
Level 2 Grade 2
Level 3 Grade 3
Level 4 Grade 4
Level 5 Grade 5
Level 6 Grade 6
Level 7 Grade 7
Level 8 Grade 8

 

Up to and including Performance Level 5, candidates perform three prepared pieces, for Performance Levels 6, 7 and 8 candidates perform four prepared pieces.

At each level, one of the pieces must be chosen from the list of pieces for the equivalent grade exam, but the other pieces can be free choices, if preferred, providing they are of the same technical standard.

The set should contain a variety of rock styles and techniques, and should include both lead and rhythm guitar playing.

Rock Guitar Performance Awards are not currently Ofqual accredited, but are accredited by London College of Music Exams and successful candidates will receive a Performance Award certificate from the University of West London.

 

Do you have a question about these exams? Visit the Rock Guitar Performance Awards Page, or post a question in the comments section below.

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