A guide to the new. Guitar Syllabus. What s changing in New set pieces, scales and sight-reading

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1 A guide to the new Guitar Syllabus What s changing in 2009 New set ieces, scales and sight-reading

Guitar Syllabus from 2009 New set ieces, scales and sight-reading The new Associated Board Guitar Syllabus for 2009 onwards is ublished in July 2008 and takes effect from 1 January 2009.

2 Guitar Syllabus from 2009 New set ieces, scales and sight-reading The new Associated Board Guitar Syllabus for 2009 onwards is ublished in July 2008 and takes effect from 1 January This time, we ve not only refreshed the choices of set ieces to include a wider variety of comosers, styles and arrangements, but we ve also udated the scale and sight-reading requirements for all exams taken from This leaflet is essential reading for guitar teachers and candidates, as it guides you through the key changes to all asects of the syllabus, and gives details of the new suorting ublications. Research and Consultation The changes that we ve made to the new Guitar Syllabus are the result of collaboration with guitar teachers at all levels throughout the world. We reviewed the feedback we ve asked for in recent years and have acted on requests for a broader range of music on the syllabus and a more musical aroach to sight-reading, and for the gas between grades to be bridged more effectively. This review of the Guitar Syllabus has been a threeyear rocess, beginning with working arty meetings and taking in consultation with guitar teachers via a major ilot study. Careful consideration was given to questions of rogression, both in learning and in the demands at each grade, and breadth and balance in the reertoire selected. The detailed feedback generated by the consultation roject fed directly into the content of the new syllabus, including many suggestions for core and lesser-known reertoire ieces. About Graded Exams Associated Board Grade 1-8 exams are designed to motivate uils and students at all levels by roviding clear, attainable goals. Successful exam candidates are rewarded for their rogress and achievement with a certificate. The grades are recognised as international benchmarks and are valued by teachers and institutions all over the world. The assessment rogramme is flexible. Candidates can study in their own time and at their own ace, and can begin at the level most aroriate for them Grade 1 is suitable for beginners who have been learning for about one year, whilst each subsequent grade is ositioned broadly as an annual target. It is not necessary for a candidate to be attached to any secific institution or follow a articular course or method of study in order to do their graded exams. Graded music exams are available in over 35 instruments, singing, music theory and ractical musicianshi. For further information, lease visit 2

3 Changes to the Syllabus Reertoire The lists of set ieces have been thoroughly refreshed, reflecting the diverse range of high-quality ublications that have come into existence in recent years. Accomanied ieces using a single-line aroach for the candidate are now extended through to Grade 3, but only one accomanied iece may be offered at this grade New arrangements from West Side Story and songs by The Beatles and Richard Rodgers are highlights amongst the early grades. Arrangements of Bach s Cello Suites feature in Grades 5-8 The international base has been broadened considerably by the inclusion of studies and other works from leading guitarist/comosers Steán Rak and Léo Brouwer across several grades The famous Nokia ringtone makes an aearance on the Grade 8 syllabus, in its original guise as art of the Gran Vals by Francisco Tárrega The choice of new reertoire throughout the grades is designed to achieve a clear sense of technical rogression and to ensure arity with the demands of other instruments. The wealth of new and exciting ieces should entice and challenge uils at all levels and make for enjoyable music-making. â â Suorting Publications The oular ABRSM Publishing series Time Pieces now extends to embrace guitar. Two volumes will be roduced for guitar, containing a carefully graded selection of over 30 tuneful ieces each and covering a wide range of musical material for solo (and duo) erformance. Each volume resents the ieces in chronological order and rints the year in which they were written, in order to give the erformer a real feel for different styles of music through time. Time Pieces for Guitar will include ieces from each list at Grades 1 and 2 in Volume 1, and from Grades 3-5 in Volume 2. Both volumes will be available from July Two new titles, Weiss for Guitar and Scarlatti for Guitar bring together syllabus ieces selected for List A at Grades 6-8, and will be available from late Recordings of syllabus reertoire are available for the first time through the Guitar Exam Pieces CD series, available from late At Grades 1-3, all of the syllabus-rescribed duos are accomanied by another guitar, and layalong tracks for these ieces are also included on the CDs. Grades 4-8 are for solo guitar only. Order your coies from your local retailer or visit 3

Changes to Scales and Areggios Benefits of scales and areggios The sense of key and attern acquired through familiarity with scales and areggios has many benefits: it seeds u the learning of new

4 Changes to Scales and Areggios Benefits of scales and areggios The sense of key and attern acquired through familiarity with scales and areggios has many benefits: it seeds u the learning of new ieces, develos evenness of line and quality of tone, builds aural awareness, and increases familiarity with the geograhy of the instrument. In utting together the new requirements for guitar scales, many issues were considered, including the unnecessary dulication of scales using identical left-hand fingerings, the role of the thumb, the rogression of scales in intervals, and the use of different rhythm atterns. What s changed? Candidates will no longer have to lay scales with secified right-hand fingerings This exam requirement has been removed for consistency as it asks for something that cannot be heard by the examiner. Guideline fingering will still be rovided in the new scale books, however. Right-hand finger scales are now comlemented by additional lower-octave scales layed by the thumb alone at Grades 1 and 2 Additional two-octave scales are added to Grades 3-5 where the thumb lays the lower octave and the fingers the uer These atterns romote the indeendence of thumb movement as well as a stable right-hand osition when changing between thumb and fingers. Scales in intervals (thirds, sixths, octaves and tenths, layed together and broken) are introduced from Grade 3 These scales are added as they relate directly to atterns found frequently in guitar music. Distinction is now made between over-ringing broken chords and non-over-ringing areggios This feature is to hel students understand the function of different musical elements whether an areggiated assage is art of a melodic line or the accomanying harmonic texture. Overall, the new scale requirements reresent a more logical rogression through the grades, with tasks more closely interrelated for easier absortion. Candidates cover all keys by Grade 8 and, desite the additions outlined above, there is in fact a reduction in the number of scales requested at each grade. Suorting Publications New editions of Guitar Scales and Areggios, are available in two volumes (Grades 1-5 and Grades 6-8) from July These reflect the changes in requirements from January The new scale requirements are resented fully in the new Guitar Syllabus, available from July Order your coies from your local retailer or visit 4

5 Changes to the Sight-Reading Tests The new tests have been crafted to encourage and enable a more musical aroach to sight-reading. At the lower grades the tests are slightly shorter than the current ones, allowing greater focus on musical detail. 4 Haily i f Grade 1 sight-reading 6 Moderato i m a mf mf Grade 3 sight-reading 4 Tranquillo 3 3 f Grade 4 sight-reading 5

Changes to the Sight-Reading Tests Evocative titles have been added to tests at Grades 6-8 The addition of titles hels candidates quickly connect to the mood and style of the music.

6 Changes to the Sight-Reading Tests Evocative titles have been added to tests at Grades 6-8 The addition of titles hels candidates quickly connect to the mood and style of the music. 3 Andantino grazioso River Boats m a 2 2 I 2 V m mf Grade 6 sight-reading All changes are designed to allow candidates to ay more attention to the musical detail contained in the tests, and so gain a greater degree of satisfaction and sense of achievement and enjoyment. Suorting Publication The new edition of Guitar Secimen Sight-Reading Tests, Grades 1-8, is available from July 2008, and reflects the changes in requirements from January Order your coies from your local retailer or visit 6

7 When do these changes take effect? The new Guitar Syllabus is ublished in July 2008, and includes full details of the new set ieces as well as the revised technical requirements (both valid from 1 January 2009). Overla information Set ieces Candidates may lay ieces from the revious syllabus as follows: UK & Reublic of Ireland until the end of Period A (sring examinations) 2009 only All other countries until 31 December 2009 All the ieces must be from the same syllabus candidates may not erform a mixture of ieces from old and new syllabuses Scales and sight-reading There is no overla eriod for scales and sight-reading; the new requirements take effect for all candidates worldwide from 1 January 2009 For more information on the syllabus and regulations see Our service to you The Associated Board is committed to offering you a high standard of service at the exam centre and during the exam. We monitor our exams closely to ensure consistency, fairness and efficiency. If you have any concerns about the conduct or conditions of an exam lease contact us. Contact us UK & Ireland Our offices are oen on weekdays from 8am to 5.30m. You can also get information from the website ( or from your Honorary Local Reresentative, who is listed at the website and in the Examination Information & Regulations booklet. Alternatively, contact our UK and Ireland Oerations team: Northern Region, Scotland & Wales Exams t: e: londonandnorth@abrsm.ac.uk London Region Exams t: e: londonandnorth@abrsm.ac.uk Southern Region Exams t: e: midsandsouth@abrsm.ac.uk Midlands Region Exams t: e: midsandsouth@abrsm.ac.uk Ireland Exams t: e: ireland@abrsm.ac.uk Secial Visits t: e: secialvisits@abrsm.ac.uk Dilomas t: e: dilomas@abrsm.ac.uk Theory Exams t: e: theory@abrsm.ac.uk Music Medals t: e: musicmedals@abrsm.ac.uk Outside of the UK & Ireland Reresentatives and contacts are listed at and in the International edition of the Examination Information & Regulations booklet. Alternatively, contact the International Deartment: t: e: international@abrsm.ac.uk Coies of this leaflet are also available to download from The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music 24 Portland Place London W1B 1LU United Kingdom Registered Charity No

New titles for Guitar for exams from 2009 Available for the first time!

reertoire for guitar, containing ieces set on the new syllabus from 2009 For

8 New titles for Guitar for exams from 2009 Available for the first time! 2 volumes: Grades 1-5, volume: Grades CD er grade, Grades 1-8 New volumes to reflect the new exam requirements. For ublication July 2008 For release October 2008 Introducing 3 new albums of reertoire for guitar, containing ieces set on the new syllabus from 2009 For ublication Setember 2008 For ublication Setember 2008 For ublication July 2008 Available from music retailers worldwide ublishing@abrsm.ac.uk

GUITAR: CLASSICAL & PLECTRUM

GUITAR: CLASSICAL & PLECTRUM 2016 2019 Initial Grade 8 Exams to suort the way guitar layers learn, testing erformance and technique through exciting reertoire including duets, as well as cleverly designed