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“Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay
I don't know who the examiners are but it seems like you only have to be able to limp through a three chord song out of time, with no energy or drive whatsoever.
Therin in lies the problem. To my mind, no one has really nailed a way for a self taught player to get into theory. I sort of think your brain gets it, or it doesn't. Mine doesn't, it's probably stopped me from getting some gigs. But are they gigs I would have wanted?
The guitar is different to other instruments in that it retains a freedom for players to use it "as they see fit" rather than have that claim upon it to be played "conventionally" in the way that other instruments seem to have.
The best way to put it is just to say - Lightin' Hopkins.
“Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay
That's really interesting, but more importantly inspiring! I don't underestimate what he's done - it's a great achievement and I hope will be useful but I do think that the "grading system" can blunt expression and (paradoxically) understanding.
If you're a classical player, then the repertoire is fairly fixed and the skill set is well defined. The grading system - whatever board you got them with - will be fairly predictable if you're a performer looking to get a job with an orchestra and needing to prove some level of 'definable' achievement. It's a bit of a sausage machine, IMHO, and I started as a classical guitarist and have/had those grades as a kid.
In other areas, such as rock music, I'm unsure it means much. When I swapped from classical to electric aged 17 I pretty much had to relearn the instrument and you can still see my heritage if you were to look at my left hand or my right hand if I'm fingerpicking.
The other thing about tests of any sort is they only tell you what a person was able to achieve on a specific day. It doesn't mean they can still do it or that they even want to.
The college recommended the Rock School books and, as I'm basically self taught, I got them to help her. Somewhat optimistically I purchased the whole series up to grade 8. I think I got her started on the grade 3 or 4 books, before she dropped out.
As an exercise purely for myself, I remember learning the first grade 8 piece "Meet Darth Ear" which I found very challenging, but I wouldn't call myself a metal player. The other pieces pieces look much more doable. I did have a plan of working through the whole book when I retired, but other things have taken my interest now.
I'm looking at the grade 8 book now. It looks doable but certainly not easy and a bit of a challenge.
Remember more Chords, arpeggios, scales.... you'll be fine. 9/10 the chords sounded shite. Take a random chord (maj/min) pick some random numbers 4,5,13. Decide to sharpen or flatten. Sounded shit.
The sight reading wasn't bad, again mostly chords (with stupid changes). The specialist section I did tapping, chords and runs on the left hand, melody on the right.
I'm proud of doing it and achieving it. I never really mention it. Just remember more than lower grades.
Ps, of all the things I did remember, I drew a total blank on 6/8 time signature. So I played the sight reading in 4/4. Got penalised, but got all the notes/chords right.
I'm in discussions with my new music tutor about grades, I'm not opposed to the idea but I'm not really sure if they'll be of much benefit to me (though clearly the sillybus will be) but she is quite keen for me to do some (I suspect they look good on her teaching CV if she gets people through grades) however, there are a couple of serious orchestras round here that you need grades to play in (you can audition without them though), so the assumption is that all the players in those orchestras have grades and so on.
I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.