Rock School Exams

[bassistmike]

When I started Bass Lessons, I told the teacher, I dont want to take exams, I just want to learn to play.
Then When I went for my first lesson, I discovered he was going to teach me BASS CLEF !.But I persevered and now I can read bass clef, Then Last week he said have you ever heard of rock school, heard a bit but did not know anything about it.
Did I fancy having a look at the exam pieces.
So Now I think, why Not have a go
Anyone here Taken a Rock School Exam, how was it for you.

[Doddy]

I've not taken any of the exams,but I have taught upto(and including) grade 8.
It won't do you any harm by going through them. You'll have to cover various scales and arpeggios which is a good thing,and then you've got the play along tracks aswell. It's actually a pretty decent course.

[AttitudeCastle]

^ you can do two of the pieces in a stricly performance one,

They are all right, not done one but may do soon enough,

Though i've never met a teacher that didn't pre-right the improv bits for their students (the same thing for each pupil i mean)

[skej21]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1015101' date='Nov 7 2010, 11:24 AM']I've not taken any of the exams,but I have taught upto(and including) grade 8.
It won't do you any harm by going through them. You'll have to cover various scales and arpeggios which is a good thing,and then you've got the play along tracks aswell. It's actually a pretty decent course.[/quote]

+ 1

I teach Rockschool & LCM upto (and including) Grade 8.

I would agree that courses such as this are good for helping you to develop your playing with a specific focus on technicality, musicality and music theory.

The way I see them is like when you have driving lessons. The lessons help you to get comfortable and gain an understanding, but you don't really learn to drive properly until you drive on your own for a while.

Great starting point and they'll help you to develop your playing skills and help you to gain confidence in your playing, but I always advise students to become an active musician and try applying the stuff they're learning in a practical/musical setting, not just in their lesson.

[arthurhenry]

I've used the grade 6-8 scales/arpeggios for practice and found it pretty useful and enjoyable. I typed a list of all the scales/arpeggios, cut it up and picked them out at random, then picked from cut up bits of paper with all 12 keys and practiced.

[icastle]

[quote name='skej21' post='1015375' date='Nov 7 2010, 04:00 PM']but I always advise students to become an active musician and try applying the stuff they're learning in a practical/musical setting, not just in their lesson.[/quote]

Couldn't agree more with this.
We have a number of Rock School students in my local area - I've seen them playing in a "classroom environment" from time to time and they're reasonable.
The best one by far though is a young lad who has struggled time and time again to pass his exams but has been a regular at one of the "plug n play" nights for the last couple of years - he's still at school and his Dad has to bring him.
Now [b]he[/b] is going to be a superb player in a few years.

Rock School and others have a valid place in providing the techniques and theory, but actually "doing it" adds the flexibility, flow and feel that you can't be taught.

[Musicman20]

I did these years back. I went upto 5, then I found my A Levels needed my attention, and then my degree, etc. I enjoyed learning, and the scales/etc really get your fingers working!

I say they are a good idea, and have helped my technique from day 1.

[JamieBenzies]

I got a merit in grade 8 Bass with Rockschool in October '09 thinking it might be beneficial for music college applications etc. So far I have had absolutely no use for it at all.

Personally I enjoyed the pieces but found everything else fairly useless. For example the choice of arpeggios and scales was strange; one was the superlocrian mode, which I now understand and use in Jazz, but then it was just provided without context or explanation and seemed pretty irrelevant.

Good fun, but not much point in paying for the exam

[skej21]

[quote name='JamieBenzies' post='1015510' date='Nov 7 2010, 06:31 PM']I got a merit in grade 8 Bass with Rockschool in October '09 thinking it might be beneficial for music college applications etc. So far I have had absolutely no use for it at all.[/quote]

Can I just say something in response to this, as it's a reckless and flippant comment and people could get the wrong idea.

Taking ANY (LCM, Rockschool, Trinity Guildhall or ABRSM) graded music examination above grade 5 (theory or instrumental) will contribute towards your total of UCAS points when applying for University places.

If your actual A-Level/BTEC grades alone do not supply you with enough UCAS points, any points gained through graded music exams can be invaluable and could secure you a place at Uni (and if your A-Level/BTEC grade is good, it's just a good way to ensure that you will [b]definately[/b] have enough UCAS points)

Just because you THINK it didn't do much, this may not be the case for someone else.

Edited November 7, 2010 by skej21

[OliverBlackman]

Rockshool are a bag of crap. I would advise taking guildhall. I took grade 5 rockshool, i got a piece of paper saying i had a merit, that was it. With Guildhall i got a marking sheet which said where improvements could be made. Guildhall then is money well spent. Rockshcool in my opinion is a complete waste of it

[skej21]

[quote name='blackmn90' post='1015540' date='Nov 7 2010, 06:53 PM']Rockshool are a bag of crap. I would advise taking guildhall. I took grade 5 rockshool, i got a piece of paper saying i had a merit, that was it. With Guildhall i got a marking sheet which said where improvements could be made. Guildhall then is money well spent. Rockshcool in my opinion is a complete waste of it[/quote]

LCM also provide a marking sheet with constructive criticism in each of the specific areas that they mark.

I agree that it is a lot more useful to have this than just the certificate.

[JamieBenzies]

[quote name='skej21' post='1015518' date='Nov 7 2010, 06:37 PM']Can I just say something in response to this, as it's a reckless and flippant comment and people could get the wrong idea.

Taking ANY (LCM, Rockschool, Trinity Guildhall or ABRSM) graded music examination above grade 5 (theory or instrumental) will contribute towards your total of UCAS points when applying for University places.

If your actual A-Level/BTEC grades alone do not supply you with enough UCAS points, any points gained through graded music exams can be invaluable and could secure you a place at Uni (and if your A-Level/BTEC grade is good, it's just a good way to ensure that you will [b]definately[/b] have enough UCAS points)

Just because you THINK it didn't do much, this may not be the case for someone else.[/quote]

I apologise for reflecting on my own experiences and responding to the initial question...

If you were to criticize my opinion in a less condescending manner then this might have lead to a beneficial conversation. As it stands however, your valid point is completely overshadowed by your somewhat bigoted input.

Now if the thread can continue being flame free it would be for the best.

Edited November 10, 2010 by JamieBenzies

[skej21]

[quote name='JamieBenzies' post='1019193' date='Nov 10 2010, 07:06 PM']I apologise for reflecting on my own experiences and responding to the initial question...

If you were to criticize my opinion in a less condescending manner then this might have lead to a beneficial conversation. As it stands however, your valid point is completely overshadowed by your somewhat bigoted input.[/quote]

I apologise if you read my post and could only see a condescending tone. I just didn't feel that "reflecting on my own experiences" was producing a very fair and objective representation of such exams. My post was in fact not intented for you, but was intended to offer the OP the positive, factual and objective benefits of exams such as rockschool which were not highlighted in your (and a few other) posts, that is all.

Edited November 10, 2010 by skej21

[JamieBenzies]

[quote name='skej21' post='1019215' date='Nov 10 2010, 07:21 PM']I apologise if you read my post and could only see a condescending tone. My post was in fact not intented for you, but was intended to offer the OP the positive, factual and objective benefits of exams such as rockschool which were not highlighted in your (and a few other) posts, that is all.[/quote]
In that case sorry for getting so worked up. I may have overreacted but I hope you can see how describing my thoughts as flippant and reckless could be taken as offence, along with all the emphasis.

Nice rig by the way - there's something we can see eye to eye with

[skej21]

[quote name='JamieBenzies' post='1019221' date='Nov 10 2010, 07:26 PM']In that case sorry for getting so worked up. I may have overreacted but I hope you can see how describing my thoughts as flippant and reckless could be taken as offence, along with all the emphasis.

Nice rig by the way - there's something we can see eye to eye with [/quote]

Yeah mate, sorry about that. Clearly writing responses in a hurry doesn't make them very friendly :S

As for the gear, hell yes I agree. Aggy are #1!

[Phantomnin]

I have done Rockschool Grades 1,2,3,4 and 5. I know you don't have to do them like this, but I don't have a tutor and it has allowed me to make each step as I need.
Although I completly agree that joining a real band, getting out there is really the best way, my current high commitments make that difficult and noodling just never motivated me.
With all the Rockschool exams I've taken I have received a mark sheet pointing out good elements and areas of improvement.
They have really worked to motivate me and improve my playing.

[Master blaster]

i found that rockschool were fairly good. I've done up to grade 6. But i found a couple of areas of the rockschool corse a bit weird. One was the way they tabbed the scales and arpeggios. They seemed to do the fingering for a normal one octave then for the second octave of the exercise they just wrote it as just using the g string. Also I thought it was weird that they gave me a good mark for my reading when i didn't even scrape through a single bar.

[XB26354]

I took Grade 8 years ago and got 97%. IIRC it included a couple of performances, some reading, theory knowledge etc.
I still have the (very detailed) mark sheet. I didn't think much of it at the time (and it certainly doesn't mean I'm a great player), but I remember nailing it having been in the studio reading and recording all day prior to the exam. I think any exercise like this is worth it if you go into it positively as an experience. I actually got some gig contacts through the examiner...
Back in my day there was no tab after Grade 5

[bluesparky]

I've done the Rockschool Grade 8, and obtained a distinction.
Some of my mates have asked several times "What is the point" and can't grasp the idea of music exams.
Personally i enjoy learning, no matter what the subject, as long as it's relevant to me.
I'm not in a band so it gave me something to focus on and also give some structure to my practice for a while.

I'm looking to do the RGT grade 8 once i get the time to schedule the exam in, and also work my way up to 8 theory too - It may not give me any use for them in the future, but it's something to do now.

I did find that the rockshool exams were more about learning and repeating the pieces and scales etc than being able to have a musical knowledge and a good ear.

Also, the examiner i had was hot!!

[AttitudeCastle]

[quote name='blackmn90' post='1015540' date='Nov 7 2010, 06:53 PM']Rockshool are a bag of crap. I would advise taking guildhall. I took grade 5 rockshool, i got a piece of paper saying i had a merit, that was it. With Guildhall i got a marking sheet which said where improvements could be made. Guildhall then is money well spent. Rockshcool in my opinion is a complete waste of it[/quote]

As in Trinity Guildhall?

They only do Jazz electric bass I thought?

As they only allow you to do things which apply to the courses they run as a university?

Just curious!

Trinity are great +1 to that!

[edster]

I've been doing Rockschool for a few months now. Today I sat grade 1 and 2. I'm not in a band at the moment and returned to playing after a lengthy break about 14 months ago. I attend regular lessons and as part of these lessons I wanted to learn theory. I chose Rockschool to help structure this learning curve and as a means of self assessment. I think the books are designed to be used alongside a tutor as some of the syallbus isn't well explained. I enjoy it and it gives me a purpose to my playing, makes me practise and makes me play styles I wouldn't normally look at. I do it for the enjoyment and to learn new aspects of playing. Another added bonus is that if, like me, you haven't played in front of anyone for a long time playing in front af an assessor helps to boost confidence and get you used to it again. I'd recommend it. You don't have to sit exams and you can learn a lot about your strong and weak points of playing.