Learning a Grade 5 piece...!

drpbier

Are You Gonna Go My Way, especially the solo...ring finger shredded, really going to take a while to get to tempo!

Lestratcaster

What exam board is it with? I know that song is Grade 7 for Rockschool so it must be Trinity as I think I saw it but at a lower grade.

drpbier

Yeah, Trinity. I'm trying to learn the real solo but might have to simplify a little

Lestratcaster

I'm currently teaching this to a Grade 7 learner (from the Rockschool syllabus). It's as much about attitude and style and the way you play it as well as the correct notes and phrasing. Good luck with it!

kelpbeds

I've taught this song a lot with my students. I think it's the hardest at Grade 5, the solo is tough for the grade for sure. To be honest, I think it's more like Grade 6. 

drpbier

I have to admit, I'm really struggling with it. To the point where it's just not fun and therefore a waste of time, since this is just a hobby for me. It's a shame as I love the song and really enjoy playing the rhythm parts! Any tips on more 'typical' difficulty Grade 5 pieces in the Trinity syllabus I should consider? I've got the Riverboat Song and I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor on my list so you can tell I'm an indie rock fan...how about The One I Love (REM)?

sev112

are there particular riffs, bars or parts of the solo that you are struggling with ?

drpbier

Almost all of it. The second part of the opening of it (pulling off from C# to B on the D string and then that little run up to the top E string), then getting the fast runs down in the middle and at the end. Basically I'd happily just play the rhythm parts but not sure that works for Graded exams

Lestratcaster

When I did it with the grade 7 candidate we adjusted one of the phrases (don't think its the same one you're talking about though) to make it easier to play and keep it within the style of the song. They didn't say anything about it.

And for graded exams they need to see both lead and rhythm playing, as much as rhythm is very important to guitar playing lead is also needed!!

drpbier

I don't mind doing a bit of lead, but it's not really my bag. I'm doing 'Back in Black' and 'The Pretender' for my first 2 pieces and haven't found them nearly as daunting as Are You Gonna Go My Way. I'm trying to balance the progressive nature of doing grades with keeping as far as possible away from 'shredding' which I appreciate mean I'll top out at some point. But even in Grade 6 you can do Queens of The Stone Age, Radiohead and Reef (across RSL and Trinity) so I think there's still some riff runway for me!

In the meantime, maybe the REM song will be a better bet for Grade 5.

stickyfiddle

I'm somewhat astonished that REM's The One I Love is on the same grade list as Are You Gonna Go My Way? 

I'm a big fan of both but the REM song is significantly easier

Lestratcaster

Lead playing doesn't necessarily mean shredding. I'm not a shredder and I can't do sweep picks and all that stuff but I know my scales and how to use them musically with some feel. Lately I've been learning pop song melodies and figured its all about the phrasing of the notes, not how many of them are. The most recent one used just notes but the phrasing is the main thing, and the rhythm of the notes in the phrase.

DefaultM

Do Rock School still do Metal Mania and that jazz one that's in 15/16? 

stufisher

@drpbier ; ... you've probs got all of the help you need but should you wish for an alternative source then perhaps this might be useful:



He's always my starting point for working out a solo or a song.

topdog91

drpbier said:

I don't mind doing a bit of lead, but it's not really my bag. I'm doing 'Back in Black' and 'The Pretender' for my first 2 pieces and haven't found them nearly as daunting as Are You Gonna Go My Way. I'm trying to balance the progressive nature of doing grades with keeping as far as possible away from 'shredding' which I appreciate mean I'll top out at some point. But even in Grade 6 you can do Queens of The Stone Age, Radiohead and Reef (across RSL and Trinity) so I think there's still some riff runway for me!

In the meantime, maybe the REM song will be a better bet for Grade 5.

Couple of points to consider here. I guess the grades are meant to demonstrate all round skill? Doesn't sound like you'll get away with not being into the lead part; it's difficult to play something well when we're not into it. Also, what do you mean keep as far as possible from shredding? To me that sounds like not playing any notes. Watch out for your own biases and try to open up to new frontiers.

topdog91

stufisher said:

@drpbier ; ... you've probs got all of the help you need but should you wish for an alternative source then perhaps this might be useful:



He's always my starting point for working out a solo or a song.

He's such a legend, he's got a great ear which elevates his teaching. I understand his thing is short cuts but the only thing I'd change is that he verbalizes tab i.e. fret x on the y string. You could learn Eruption from him and still it know much about the music. (His Eruption lesson is one of the best along with Pete Thorn's.

stufisher

Yep ... got it ... I hadn't considered the formal learning of music, merely the demonstrable breaking down into bit sized chunks.

As I'm thinking about it @topdog91, would examiner's mark you down for playing a solo such as this if sounded fantastic but was only 80% accurate to the original?

Do you have to sight read sheet music or tablature and play it note for note?  Does the expectation of sight reading get higher as you progress through graded exams?

I'm a total dunce with this stuff and I wish I'd learned music and to play an instrument properly when I was at school  

Littlejonny

I‘m pretty sure Rockschool allow you to play a Trinity piece as a ‘free choice’ piece. I wonder if Trinity have the same policy regarding Rockschool? If that’s the case then you have a significantly larger repertoire to draw from.

Littlejonny

Also,  think Riverboat Song will be very doable for you.

topdog91

stufisher said:

Yep ... got it ... I hadn't considered the formal learning of music, merely the demonstrable breaking down into bit sized chunks.

As I'm thinking about it @topdog91, would examiner's mark you down for playing a solo such as this if sounded fantastic but was only 80% accurate to the original?

Do you have to sight read sheet music or tablature and play it note for note?  Does the expectation of sight reading get higher as you progress through graded exams?

I'm a total dunce with this stuff and I wish I'd learned music and to play an instrument properly when I was at school  

Ok I have no idea, I'm your typical non sight reader and I haven't done grades, both of which are pretty standard in the world of rock, funk, blues, well everything except jazz and classical. Most guitarists haven't, I wouldn't be hard on yourself about it, part of the beauty of the guitar is that anyone can pick it up and pick things up and we all have our own paths.

Learning to sight read is in my 2025 goals as it will help me get certain types of gigs and have a positive side effect on my knowledge of harmony.

As for your questions, it would be a harsh examiner to mark down something fantastic, but one also wants to show good musicianship so playing it more or less as written is probably a good start.

The sight reading does get more difficult in later grades; all the things get more difficult in later grades.

Why do you want to do grades?

Lestratcaster

I think if you substituted a phrase in the solo provided it was musical and fit the style of the song and grade level they can't really mark you down on it, that's showing creativeness and musicianship by adapting to the part and playing for the song.

Grades is a funny one and I get this question by parents all the time. All you're really doing it preparing to pass a test. Like a driving test just cos you've passed doesn't necessarily you're a good driver.

I've taken 3 learners to grade 8 level but only 1 of them can really play to a good level. The other two have a bit of work to do despite going through all the criteria needed to pass the exam. They can do the technical stuff, and probably follow a chord chart if stuck in front of them but improvising solos and transcribing by ear, playing with feel and groove and learning how to pick out guitar parts is something they can't do to a good level yet, hence they're still taking lessons and learning that now.