Guitar lessons Essex- Guitar Grades
Which Grade?
Grades….love them or hate them?
Guitarists are pretty lucky really…..not only is it the coolest instrument (hahaha) *change tack*..
Most people learning an instrument are kind of forced to learn grades :/ Especially if the instrument your learning has the potential to be part of an orchestra…
But as guitarists we can get away without reading music and without doing exams…coz’ it’s rock and roll!
BUT…..
I think grades can be very useful…
They offer a structured approach to learning the guitar….(because sometimes us guitarists hate structure, that’s why we are guitarists right?) haha
They often draw lots of things together (scales, arpeggios, theory and playing the pieces) and offer a nice neat and tidy way of progressing….it’s a bit like tidying your room for pocket money and Mothers praise…plus you get a certificate to put on the wall…
But which grades?
Well simply I would recommend the Rock School syllabus….I think they are great! You get to play lots of different styles all on electric guitar….in the exam they even ask you to play fairly loudly! This school focus on using a guitar pick, which is different from Classical guitar….But Rock School was developed to encourage rock and pop musicians to ‘get graded’, as in the old days only people from the Classical world were able to take exams…So I’m a big fan, I have done grades 4,5,6 and 7 my self, currently studying towards grade 8 (highest grade, not putting it off honest).
If its acoustic then I would recommend going for RGT….these grades teach all the basics of acoustic guitaristry…I have prepared many people for these exams, they are really in depth and cover so many different aspects of playing the guitar…Again like with Rockschool, they ask you to play pieces in the exams as well as scales, arpeggios and also reading musical rhythm…Great to improve all things acoustic.
All of these books can be bought from Amazon.
If your interested in having Guitar lessons in Essex then please get in touch..
I offer guitar tuition both one to one and have just started offering small group guitar lessons in Essex.
Most of my lessons are around Basildon, Langdon hills, Laindon, Brentwood, Chelmsford, Writtle and surrounding towns.
Rock and Roll!