Grades

[Rhodri]

anyone here done grades?

i've done grade 2 on guildhall and grade 4 on london college of music and i just bought the grade 5-6 and 7-8 books... the grade 8 stuff is absolutely terrifying, lol... it's so hard D:

and what do you think of grades? i think they're decent because they give me a goal to work towards and help with my reading... but some of the pieces are a bit silly in the way they change time signature and tempo for the sake of it... most of the pieces aren't like any song i've ever heard.

also, anyone done grade 8 on london college? if so what pieces did you play?

:)

[That Guy]

Nutha just took his grade 8 test a few weeks ago I think. Here he is doing some grade 8 work ----> http://www.youtube.com/user/nuthajason

[Rhodri]

i saw his vids, he's decent :D

i like the idea of rockschool... it's a load more practical than the grades I do which are about cramming all the theory on earth into a piece of paper... but then I wanna be a pit drummer so I need my reading to be good...

any news if he passed?hope so :D

[Tutin]

Can you go ahead and sit a grade without having done others? I looked at some grade 6 or 7 stuff and I could play it with practice. I couldn't be bothered sitting the other grades though, so I wanted to see if I could go straight into a higher grade.

[Mediocrefunkybeat]

It depends. You can skip grades but some grades (6-8 usually) need prerequisite grades, for instance in theory. For ABRSM Grades 6,7 and 8, you need to have Grade 5 theory.

[Rhodri]

As he said, on some boards you can skip, but on others you need theory

i'm doing london college of music, and they don't require you to have done previous grades, but the questions they ask are based on cumulative knowlegde

here's what it says for the Viva Voce (the playalong, sight reading and theory questions that the examiner tests you on) for grade 8:

Candidates will be expected to answer questions on the areas covered by the Viva Voce sections in Grades 1-7. Additionally, they should be prepared to discuss with the examiner those styles and performers which have been influential in the development of their playing. They should also be able to demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of recognised musical styles and some of the history and development of the drum kit. Candidates may be asked to demonstrate various styles within the areas of Rock, Fusion, Jazz and Latin.

Example Questions:
Which performers have had a major influence on your playing?
Please play a few bars of a Samba.

for other grades, they ask you about note groups, what you understand by the term syncopation and other things such as asking you what a symbol means or what rit. means

[Tutin]

Sounds good. What would be the best book to get started on theory then?

EDIT: I know a fair amount of theory as it is, I mean for higher grades.

[lewisn27]

i have a trinity guild hall book it has loads of theory stuff in it and everyting in the grade examinations. there is a few grade books, i have grades 3 - 4 book and there is loads of sheet music and some rudiments.

[y0buba]

iv just done my Trinity Guildhall grade 8. i know what you mean about the pieces being strange, most songs are nothing like the music in drum grade books.

the grade books used to be SOOO much worse tho and like 10x easier so im glad theyv made some changes.

anyway, yeah i think doing grades is vitally important to succeed as a competant drummer

[FunkyJazzer]

I went straight to grade 4, then I did grade 5, 7 and then I did grade 8 about 2 years ago. I did these with Trinity Guildhall, the new syllabus rocks. ODD ONE OUT FTW!!!

Funnily enough, IMO, I hate Rockschool. I mean, I don't want to be elitist or anything, but just the idea of doing a bunch of, if I'm honest, fairly easy pop/rock pieces just seems obnoxious and naive, and doesn't cut it for me. London College grades are super hard though.

People say that to me alot, "Oh well I don't need the ability to play from 4/4 to 5/4 to 3/4 in a single phrase [like Guildhall's Grade 8 'Zap De Mime'] because I've never heard it in a song". You're right. Well, sort of. But so what? it's sounds great. It's for the same reason I encourage rock players to learn jazz, because it will open up your rock playing and your ears by miles, and you're bound to enjoy it. It's all part of becoming a better drummer, regardless whether you use it or not.

Lloyd

[y0buba]

yeah i agree lloyd. haha i ended up doing 'Zap de mime' for my exam.

God i hate that piece. whenever i play the section on the ryde cymbal i become so self conciose (cant spell) of the hi hat on the off beat. i play it fluently without realising and it just puts me off for some reason :(

[Rhodri]

ODD ONE OUT FTW!!!

London College grades are super hard though.

People say that to me alot, "Oh well I don't need the ability to play from 4/4 to 5/4 to 3/4 in a single phrase [like Guildhall's Grade 8 'Zap De Mime'] because I've never heard it in a song". You're right. Well, sort of. But so what? it's sounds great. It's for the same reason I encourage rock players to learn jazz, because it will open up your rock playing and your ears by miles, and you're bound to enjoy it. It's all part of becoming a better drummer, regardless whether you use it or not.

Lloyd

I LOVE ODD ONE OUT :O

I find LCM easy D: I've been playing 2 years and I'm preparing for grade 6 with no trouble, and grade 8 looks doable with some work :S

And I agree completely. It's about having the technique in reserve even if you don't use it 24/7.