SteveXFR Posted December 27, 2023 Author Share Posted December 27, 2023 33 minutes ago, Baloney Balderdash said: Excuse me for my ignorance and not being of much help to OP, but what the hell does "Grade 7 Level Metal" mean, and how do you measure it? Also how many Grades are there? 360? With Grade 360 being the same as Grade 1, coming full circle? What is even a grade 1 song, 2 chords only picking 1/4 root notes? Sounds silly to me. The grades are used as a measure of performance difficulty in more formal lessons. There are exams at each level. I believe there are certain criteria which define what is required at each level. It goes up to grade 8. From memory, grade 1 is very basic with simple rhythms and straightforward note patterns. As you progress the grades, the rhythms get more complex and techniques such as slap and tapping are introduced and the songs get more challenging. It's about performance of covers, not music theory. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 (edited) 10 hours ago, MacDaddy said: According to the examining board: GRADE 7 STEVE VAI The Crying Machine MUSE Hysteria BLACK SABBATH N.I.B. LEVEL 42 The Sun Goes Down GREEN DAY Welcome to Paradise KATE BUSH Babooshka RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS Higher Ground THE JACKSON SISTERS I Believe In Miracles IRON MAIDEN Phantom Of The Opera (TF) TOOL Schism* STEVIE WONDER Sir Duke RUSH The Spirit Of Radio KAJAGOOGOO Too Shy (TF) FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD Two Tribes (TF) https://www.trinityrock.com/instruments/basbe ver I've no knowledge of musical grades (except that my wife has lots of them !), and to see a list of pieces of music, some of which I know, and know that they're what constitutes Grade 7 is really interesting. Thanks for posting. Edited December 27, 2023 by ahpook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Lo Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 12 hours ago, SteveXFR said: It's Bath Spa she's applying to, the commercial music course. She was going to go with Orion by Metallica or Hysteria by Muse but thought they've probably heard those dozens of times so wanted to play something different. My suggestion was Maxwell Murders by Rancid but she says it's too Ska to show what she wants to do. I mean if Rancid is fair game.... Death of John Smith by NOFX? The Decline is definitely a showstopper but possibly too long. White Knuckle Ride by Rancid? I mean, there's always the infamous For Whom The Bell Tolls cover by Primus if she REALLY wants to impress... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 1 hour ago, Baloney Balderdash said: Excuse me for my ignorance and not being of much help to OP, but what the hell does "Grade 7 Level Metal" mean, and how do you measure it? Also how many Grades are there? 360? With Grade 360 being the same as Grade 1, coming full circle? What is even a Grade 1 song, 2 chords only picking 1/4 root notes? Sounds silly to me. Grades 1 to 8, in music theory or performance. Grade 5 was O level equivalent, and Grade 8 was A level equivalent. Some universities accepted Grade 8 in place of an A level for their music courses. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 19 minutes ago, MacDaddy said: Grades 1 to 8, in music theory or performance. Grade 5 was O level equivalent, and Grade 8 was A level equivalent. Some universities accepted Grade 8 in place of an A level for their music courses. Higher grades still count towards UCAS points, certainly in classical music exams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteb Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 12 hours ago, MacDaddy said: According to the examining board: GRADE 7 STEVE VAI The Crying Machine MUSE Hysteria BLACK SABBATH N.I.B. LEVEL 42 The Sun Goes Down GREEN DAY Welcome to Paradise KATE BUSH Babooshka RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS Higher Ground THE JACKSON SISTERS I Believe In Miracles IRON MAIDEN Phantom Of The Opera (TF) TOOL Schism* STEVIE WONDER Sir Duke RUSH The Spirit Of Radio KAJAGOOGOO Too Shy (TF) FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD Two Tribes (TF) https://www.trinityrock.com/instruments/bass/grade7 Out of interest, do you know what songs make the list for Grade 8? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baloney Balderdash Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 (edited) 9 minutes ago, peteb said: Out of interest, do you know what songs make the list for Grade 8? I just did a Google search, and this are the first list that pops up: Weather Report - Palladium Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes Primus - Tommy The Cat Chaka Khan - Move Me No Mountain Stevie Wonder - Master Blaster (Jammin') Edited December 27, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyb625 Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 33 minutes ago, Norris said: Higher grades still count towards UCAS points, certainly in classical music exams Trinity piano exams give UCAS points as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyb625 Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 2 hours ago, ahpook said: I've no knowledge of musical grades (except that my wife has lots of them !), and to see a list of pieces of music, some of which I know, and know that they're what constitutes Grade 7 is really interesting. Thanks for posting. It's not just about being able to play them, you have to play them as they're transcribed in the exam pieces. So if you're not in the same key, or if you decide to add/remove parts, then you'll have points subtracted. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 23 minutes ago, peteb said: Out of interest, do you know what songs make the list for Grade 8? https://www.trinityrock.com/instruments/bass/grade8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveXFR Posted December 27, 2023 Author Share Posted December 27, 2023 I'm quite surprised NIB by Black Sabbath is grade 7. It's a lot easier than anything else on the list. Even the bass solo at the start is dead easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 13 minutes ago, jimmyb625 said: It's not just about being able to play them, you have to play them as they're transcribed in the exam pieces. So if you're not in the same key, or if you decide to add/remove parts, then you'll have points subtracted. Yes - I'd expect that be the case. No 'interpretation' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteb Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 13 minutes ago, MacDaddy said: https://www.trinityrock.com/instruments/bass/grade8 9 minutes ago, SteveXFR said: I'm quite surprised NIB by Black Sabbath is grade 7. It's a lot easier than anything else on the list. Even the bass solo at the start is dead easy. There is quite a big jump up in technique required for those on the Grade 8 list compared with Grade 7. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baloney Balderdash Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, jimmyb625 said: It's not just about being able to play them, you have to play them as they're transcribed in the exam pieces. So if you're not in the same key, or if you decide to add/remove parts, then you'll have points subtracted. I just read the description, and for the audition you only have to chose 2 songs from the Grade 8 song book, one of which has to be specifically focused on technique (market with "TF"), but you are free to chose whichever 3rd song you wish, which can be a personal arranged cover or a piece you composed yourself. Edited December 27, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 It's good that she gets to choose her audition pieces. The day of my audition is now just a blurry memory, but I remember being the most nervous that I've ever been. We could choose one of our own which could be an original piece. It had to showcase our technical proficiency - or otherwise. The other piece was given to us on the day. We were given a transcription and had - I think - 30 minutes to prepare it. Good luck to her anyway. I know a couple of people who studied music at Bath Spa. One is a guy I work with. They all have good things to say about it. She'll have a wonderful time. I miss my undergrad days. I'm often walking about at work, hearing the students practising in the rehearsal rooms, and wishing I could walk in and join them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 (edited) Really interesting post... My Son is looking at... Edited December 27, 2023 by PaulThePlug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyb625 Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 42 minutes ago, Baloney Balderdash said: I just read the description, and for the audition you only have to chose 2 songs from the Grade 8 song book, one of which has to be specifically focused on technique (market with "TF"), but your are free to chose whichever 3rd song you wish, which can be a personal arranged cover or a piece you composed yourself. Yes, that's right. Songs 1 & 3 are selected from the trinity book (3 is for technical focus) Song 2 can be free choice. For the free choice one, if it's not from the book, you need to bring a copy for the examiner, as per the below: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christhammer666 Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 five magics - megadeth orion - metaliica pulling teeth - metallca wynonas beaver - primus hand of stone - mastodon 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveXFR Posted December 27, 2023 Author Share Posted December 27, 2023 1 hour ago, christhammer666 said: five magics - megadeth orion - metaliica pulling teeth - metallca wynonas beaver - primus hand of stone - mastodon She can play Orion and Pulling Teeth really well but doesn't want to use them because she thinks they've probably heard them both dozens of times. Same for the Tool songs she knows. I'm not so sure, I think they'll have heard them played badly dozens of times so would be more impressed by hearing them played right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJpullchord Posted December 30, 2023 Share Posted December 30, 2023 This is mad, I can play a couple of these and I’m not even a bass player? I know that makes me sound arrogant but NIB? and that terrible pop punk ‘welcome to paradise’ tune? How high do the grades go up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveXFR Posted December 30, 2023 Author Share Posted December 30, 2023 4 minutes ago, DJpullchord said: This is mad, I can play a couple of these and I’m not even a bass player? I know that makes me sound arrogant but NIB? and that terrible pop punk ‘welcome to paradise’ tune? How high do the grades go up? They go up to grade 8. I think NIB and Welcome To Paradise are definitely very easy compared to other grade 7 tunes such as Hysteria 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binky_bass Posted December 30, 2023 Share Posted December 30, 2023 6 minutes ago, DJpullchord said: This is mad, I can play a couple of these and I’m not even a bass player? I know that makes me sound arrogant but NIB? and that terrible pop punk ‘welcome to paradise’ tune? How high do the grades go up? Terrible is your opinion. I actually very much like Dookie and all songs on it. It's genuinely a great album of its time and genre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJpullchord Posted December 30, 2023 Share Posted December 30, 2023 8 minutes ago, binky_bass said: Terrible is your opinion. I actually very much like Dookie and all songs on it. It's genuinely a great album of its time and genre. Well it’s all subjective innit. One man’s poop etc. We’d already had grunge, punk, hardcore etc and this sanitised version did nothing for me at the time, especially when there was new music and ideas coming out early nineties, jungle, acid techno etc even some ‘trip hop’ type stuff. I do like playing the fiddly bit halfway through paradise though, the ‘du du du du, du du du du, du du du du, du du du du’ bit. Could never decide whether pick or fingers was better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunderwonder Posted December 31, 2023 Share Posted December 31, 2023 On 27/12/2023 at 21:04, SteveXFR said: Thanks. I'm surprised there's a couple on there I can play. I've never done grades and kind of assumed grade 7 was much higher than I could play. Same. The reason I can't play the rest is probably only that I haven't had the enthusiasm for them. It's amazing what you can get under your fingers when you are really into it, and then it's no big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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