Europe’s No.

1 Rock music exam board

INTRODUCTION TO
GRADE 1 GUITAR
Step-by-step lessons taking you
through the key parts of
Grade 1 Guitar

INSIDE: 9 lessons introducing rockschool Grade 1 Guitar.

ONLINE: Audio,TAB, and video lessons are available at www.rockschool.co.uk/guitarnation
 CONTENTS

rockschool is Europe’s No. 1 rock music exam board. We offer rock musicians the opportunity
to get the same qualifications that classical musicians can get. All our grade exams have
original set repertoire, encourage improvisation and have an element of free choice so you
can play the music you love AND get a qualification.
LESSON 1 GETTING STARTED 4
LESSON 2 CHORDS 6
WELCOME TO GRADE 1 GUITAR LESSON 3 RHYTHM 8
This booklet of 9 lessons is your introduction to Grade 1 Guitar. LESSON 4 TECHNICAL EXERCISES 10
In it we will cover everything you will need to take Grade 1 Guitar.
The first 3 lessons focus on one out of the three tracks you will need to LESSON 5 SIGHT READING 12
learn for the exam.
LESSON 6 SIGHT READING PART 2 14
To help you along the way we also have videos lessons, audio and sheet music LESSON 7 IMPROVISATION AND INTERPRETATION 16
for ‘Gone But Not Forgotten’. Visit www.rockschool.co.uk/guitarnation and click
on the Sheet Music & Audio Files link.
LESSON 8 EAR TESTS 18
LESSON 9 GENERAL MUSICIANSHIP QUESTIONS 20

TAKING THE EXAM

If you want to take the rockschool Grade 1 Guitar exam, you will need the Guitar Grade 1 Book.
This has further hints and tips, standard notation, TAB, full mixes and backing tracks on CD and the
rest of the tunes you will need to learn for the exam.

rockschool always advises that self taught musicians have a few lessons with a professional teacher
before taking any exam.

2 VIDEO LESSONS, SHEET MUSIC, FULL MIX AND BACKING TRACK TO ACCOMPANY THIS BOOKLET ARE AVAILABLE AT WWW.ROCKSCHOOL.CO.UK/GUITARNATION 3
 LESSON 1
GETTING STARTED

IN YOUR FIRST LESSON FOR GRADE 1 GUITAR WE WILL BE LOOKING AT IMPROVING YOUR PICKING EXERCISE 1 - ‘GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN’ MELODY
TECHNIQUE AND FRETTING ACCURACY. This is the first eight bars of the melody plus a pickup bar at the start of the piece, which starts
on beat two. Follow the pick markings below the TAB as this will make your playing more fluent.

Over 9 lessons we’ll be taking a look at what you need to do to pass your Grade 1 exam.
In these 9 lessons we are going to cover:

TECHNICAL EXERCISES
CHORDS
EAR TESTS
IMPROVISATION
SIGHT READING

A TRUE MEASURE OF YOUR SKILLS

Grade exams aren’t just exams for the sake of it. Everything we cover will make you a better
guitarist and the exam is a way of showing what you’ve learned.
EXERCISE 2 - ALTERNATE PICKING EXERCISE
Isolating tricky passages and turning them into an exercise is a great way of working on specific
techniques. This is taken from bar three of the melody and will help you develop a fluent picking
PERFORMANCE FOCUSED EXAM
The main part of the exam is the performance of three pieces. One of these can be a piece by style. Ensure you use alternate picking (down, up, down, up) throughout.
your favourite band or artist, (we call this a Free Choice piece. Criteria for Free Choice pieces can
be found on our website.) The other two pieces must be chosen from the six available in the
Guitar Grade 1 book.

THE FOCUS TUNE FOR THESE LESSONS

We are going to focus on one piece from the Grade 1 book over the first three lessons:
‘GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN’
This is a cool, jangly piece that features both picking and strummed sections. You’ll be studying
different sections of this over the next three lessons. The full TAB, backing tracks and
accompanying video lessons are available at www.rockschool.co.uk/guitarnation
EXERCISE 3 - FRET HAND ACCURACY
Here you are concentrating on your fret-hand. Fret as close to the fret as you can without being
directly on top of it. Keep your thumb in the middle of the back of the neck - this will help your
fingers to arch more.

4 VIDEO LESSONS, SHEET MUSIC, FULL MIX AND BACKING TRACK TO ACCOMPANY THIS BOOKLET ARE AVAILABLE AT WWW.ROCKSCHOOL.CO.UK/GUITARNATION 5
 LESSON 2
CHORDS

A COMBINATION OF VISUALISATION TECHNIQUES AND CONTROLLED PRACTICE WILL HELP WITH FLUENT, EXERCISE 3 - VISUALISATION
ACCURATE CHORD CHANGES. The guitar is unique in that it has the ability to use ‘geometric’ shapes and patterns.
Use this facility to your advantage. ‘See’ these shapes moving in your mind’s eye from one to
KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON another. This is a useful ability to develop.
Accurate chord changes aren’t just an exam requirement, they’ll help your timing and you’ll sound
more professional. Learning to do this can be challenging, and you may get frustrated by how slow
your progress seems. It’s the same for everyone, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself.
The more time you spend with the guitar, the quicker you’ll see results. You can also practice ‘in your
head’. We cover this in video lesson 2, but there’s plenty you can do with the guitar in your hands.

KEEP IT SLOW
Practising slowly is important because your muscles are being drilled in to ‘remembering’ how
to play that part. If you practise things at too fast a tempo, continually making the same mistakes,
your muscles will ‘remember’ these errors, making things needlessly difficult.

Examples 1 – 3 will improve your chord changes which will help with the exam piece
‘GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN’

EXERCISE 1 - ACCURATE CHORDS

When you play this simple G major chord, what you’re aiming for is a clear, ringing sound, with each
note of the chord sounding clearly. Position the wrist so that the fingertips can form an arch, which
helps the fingertip fret the note.

EXERCISE 2 - CHANGING CHORDS

Take this exercise slowly and it’ll help you improve your accuracy when you’re changing chords.
If one chord per beat is too quick for you, do one every two beats, or one every bar, and slowly work
up to doing one per beat.

6 VIDEO LESSONS, SHEET MUSIC, FULL MIX AND BACKING TRACK TO ACCOMPANY THIS BOOKLET ARE AVAILABLE AT WWW.ROCKSCHOOL.CO.UK/GUITARNATION 7
 LESSON 3
RHYTHM

KEEPING YOUR STRUMMING HAND IN CONSTANT MOTION IS THE KEY TO RHYTHM GUITAR PERFECTION, EXERCISE 2 - CHORD CHANGE DRILLS
AND THESE EXERCISES WILL GET YOU ON YOUR WAY. Start slowly and gradually increase the tempo. The numbers indicate down strums, the ‘&s’ are up
strums. The brackets mean that you move your arm in the appropriate direction but don’t strike
GET RHYTHM the strings. It’s this constant motion that will give you a good ‘feel’ for rhythm.
Everyone loves a guitar hero, right? All those fast solos that impress everyone on YouTube.
Perfect. But inside every great guitar hero is a superb rhythm guitarist. From Van Halen to Slash,
Hendrix to Heafy, as well as being cracking soloists they also have a sense of rhythm that makes
their playing ‘feel’ right.

In a band situation, you’ll mostly be playing rhythm guitar, so getting your rhythm feel right is
not something you can overlook. In fact, your feel for rhythm feeds directly into your feel
and phrasing for leads and solos.

FLUENT MOTION EXERCISE 3 - MORE STRUMMING PATTERNS

The key to great rhythm guitar is to maintain a constant up and down motion of the strumming These simple two bar strumming patterns can be played with any chords and can be looped
arm/hand. Once you have this fluent motion in place you simply don’t strike the strings on certain endlessly. Practice with drums or loops, so that you have to keep time with another instrument.
beats. This creates different rhythms. Video lesson 3 shows this technique in action. Remember to keep your strumming hand in constant motion.

EXERCISE 1 - CONSTANT MOTION STRUMMING

The direction of the strumming hand is marked with up and down symbols. The bracketed
symbols indicate where the hand should go up or down without hitting the strings. It might feel a
bit strange, but this is usually because players have been strumming ‘incorrectly’ without realising.

8 VIDEO LESSONS, SHEET MUSIC, FULL MIX AND BACKING TRACK TO ACCOMPANY THIS BOOKLET ARE AVAILABLE AT WWW.ROCKSCHOOL.CO.UK/GUITARNATION 9
 LESSON 4
TECHNICAL
EXCERCISES

BUILDING TECHNIQUE EXERCISE 3 - MAJOR CHORDS (GROUP B)

The word ‘exercise’ strikes fear into the hearts of many guitarists as they imagine hours of boring, You’ll be asked to play a selection of these three chords. Watch video lesson 4 online for tips on
pointless practice. They are far from pointless and don’t have to be boring. The technical exercises playing chords correctly.
required for rockschool Grade 1 are based on the essential ingredients of music and practising
them is a great way of building your technique to make you a better player.

LEARN YOUR ABC...

The technical exercises are split into three groups:
GROUP A: SCALES
GROUP B: CHORDS
GROUP C: RIFF EXERCISE 4 - MINOR CHORDS (GROUP B)
It’s important to learn the names of the chords as well as the finger patterns; otherwise you won’t
The examiner will ask you to perform a selection of the exercises from each group. be able to recall the chords when asked for them by name only.

Examples 1-4 show some of these exercises, so you can try them out. Just a few minutes a day
spent on each exercise, paying careful attention to the tips outlined in video lesson 4, will improve
your basic technique.

EXERCISE 1 - C MAJOR SCALE (GROUP A)

Play the scale slowly and evenly at first. Once you feel you have committed the notes to memory,
start to play to a metronome to help your timing. Watch video lesson 4 for advice on playing
with a metronome. EXERCISE 5 - RIFF (GROUP C)
The riff in bar one should be played in the same shape in bars two, three and four. The root note of
the pattern to be played is shown in the music in each of the subsequent three bars.
The tempo is = 70.

EXERCISE 2 - E MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE (GROUP A)

Play this scale, and all scales, using the tips of your fingers placed as close to the frets as possible
without being on top of them. This will help avoid unwanted fret-buzz.

10 VIDEO LESSONS, SHEET MUSIC, FULL MIX AND BACKING TRACK TO ACCOMPANY THIS BOOKLET ARE AVAILABLE AT WWW.ROCKSCHOOL.CO.UK/GUITARNATION 11
 LESSON 5
SIGHT READING

READING MUSIC ISN’T SOMETHING TO BE SCARED OF - IT WILL HELP YOU BECOME A MORE COMPLETE MUSICIAN. EXERCISE 3 - SIMPLE C, D AND E NOTE MELODY
This melody uses the three notes introduced in exercise 2. All the notes are the same length
THE CHOICE IS YOURS so aim for an even sequence of notes. Check your progress with video lesson 5 and don’t
Following the technical exercises lesson, the next part of the Grade 1 exam features a worry if your version is slightly faster or slower.
choice between:
SIGHT READING A FOUR BAR MELODY
OR
IMPROVISATION AND INTERPRETATION TEST

The next two lessons will focus on sight reading. Lesson 7 looks at Improvisation and EXERCISE 4 - MELODY 2
Interpretation. Example 3 featured adjacent note movement; this example has some C to E jumps, so look
closely at the notes when you’re working on the sequence to avoid errors.
MUSIC READING
Early on you should forget the phrase, ‘sight reading’ and think of it as ‘music reading’.
Removing the idea of having to get things right on the first play will allow you to focus on
progressing in a pressure-free environment. As you improve over time you’ll be able to read
music ‘at sight’ with minimal preparation.

First learn the notes on the stave and the location of a few notes in relation to the guitar.
Watch video lesson 5 in conjunction with examples 1-4 for the best results.

EXERCISE 1 - NOTES ON THE STAVE

You should learn the two rhymes to help you remember the notes on the stave.

LINES: EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FOOTBALL

SPACES: SPACE SPELLS FACE

EXERCISE 2 - C, D AND E NOTES

This example shows you where the C, D and E notes are located on the stave and in the TAB.
Learn each note individually and make sure you can name the notes instantly from memory.

12 VIDEO LESSONS, SHEET MUSIC, FULL MIX AND BACKING TRACK TO ACCOMPANY THIS BOOKLET ARE AVAILABLE AT WWW.ROCKSCHOOL.CO.UK/GUITARNATION 13
 LESSON 6
SIGHT READING
PART 2

THE ABILITY TO READ RHYTHMS IN NOTATION ALLOWS YOU TO PLAY MUSIC YOU’VE NEVER HEARD BEFORE. EXERCISE 3 – FILLING BARS WITH RHYTHMS
This example shows a full bar of each of the Grade 1 rhythms. Notice how the name of the note
NOTATION VS TAB corresponds to the fraction of a 4/4 bar one note occupies (i.e. one half note takes up half a bar.)
In the last lesson you looked at the notes on the musical stave, now it’s time for you to get stuck
into rhythms. Rhythms tell you when to play a note and how long it lasts. This is the main area
where musical notation has an advantage over TAB. TAB only allows you to see where and how on
the guitar the notes are played.

PUT THE TIME IN NOW

Reading standard notation allows you to play songs you’ve never heard before – a useful skill for
every guitarist. It may seem that playing unfamiliar songs from a sheet of paper is a long way off,
but getting the basics now will pay dividends later. EXERCISE 4 – MELODY WITH RHYTHMS
This example puts all the elements of both sight reading lessons together. Spend some time
At Grade 1 you’ll be expected to be able to play three different rhythms: working out how to play the phrase and then see how you did by checking your progress with
WHOLE NOTES video lesson 6. Don’t worry if you play the whole phrase a little faster or slower than the video.
HALF NOTES
QUARTER NOTES

These are explained in-depth in video lesson 6. Use examples 1-4 with the lesson and for revision.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

EXERCISE 1– BARLINES AND TIME SIGNATURES We’ve covered all of the rhythms you need for Grade 1, but you’ll need to keep practising
Bar lines divide the music into the number of beats specified in the time signature. There are lots and expanding your knowledge of the different notes on the stave. Visit our site for
of time signatures, but 4/4 is the only one you’ll encounter at Grade 1. See video lesson 6 for an extra supporting materials.
in-depth explanation.

EXERCISE 2 – NOTE VALUES

14 VIDEO LESSONS, SHEET MUSIC, FULL MIX AND BACKING TRACK TO ACCOMPANY THIS BOOKLET ARE AVAILABLE AT WWW.ROCKSCHOOL.CO.UK/GUITARNATION 15
 LESSON 7
IMPROVISATION &
INTERPRETATION

IF YOU STRUGGLE WITH SIGHT READING YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER THE OTHER OPTION FOR THE EXERCISE 3 - RHYTHM IMPROVISATION, COMBINING DOWN AND UPSTROKES
GRADE 1 EXAM: IMPROVISATION AND INTERPRETATION. This is a slightly more advanced idea that uses upstrokes. Only attempt this if you are confident of
your ability. Remember to keep your ideas simple and achievable at Grade 1.
RHYTHM OR LEAD
You’ll be shown a short chord sequence like exercise 1 and asked to play an improvised part,
consisting of either rhythm or lead playing, along with a backing track. You will have 30 seconds to
look at the chart and then you’re allowed to practise through with the backing track before playing
to the examiner on a second run through.

KEEP IT SIMPLE
Although the music you create isn’t pre-planned, the reality is you will have some strumming
patterns or lead licks that you are already familiar with. You simply select the most appropriate idea
for the sequence. EXERCISE 4 – LEAD PLAYING EXAMPLE
This is the final lead example in video lesson 7 and is the end result of the ideas covered in the
It’s a good idea to work on some licks and strumming patterns, so you have a reasonable arsenal lesson. It is divided into four distinct, one-bar sections.
to draw upon. Remember: Do not attempt anything too difficult in the exam. You only get 30
seconds preparation, so it’s best not to make things too tricky.

EXERCISE 1 - IMPROVISATION AND INTERPRETATION.

This is an example of the type of improvisation and interpretation chart you can expect to
see in the Grade 1 exam.

EXERCISE 2 – RHYTHM IMPROVISATION

This simple strumming pattern is a good place to start if you choose to play rhythm guitar.
Try to brush your pick over the strings in a relaxed fluent motion. Don’t allow the pick to snag in
the strings.

16 VIDEO LESSONS, SHEET MUSIC, FULL MIX AND BACKING TRACK TO ACCOMPANY THIS BOOKLET ARE AVAILABLE AT WWW.ROCKSCHOOL.CO.UK/GUITARNATION 17
 LESSON 8
EAR TESTS

THIS LESSON COVERS EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ROCKSCHOOL GRADE 1 EAR TESTS. The rhythmic recall follows a similar process to the melodic recall. For a full breakdown of the
exam procedures watch video lesson 8. Examples 3 and 4 show you what the test could look like.
RECALL
The ear test section of the rockschool Grade 1 exam consists of two separate tests:
EXERCISE 3 - MOCK EAR TEST - RHYTHMIC RECALL 1
MELODIC RECALL For a full run-down of the rhythmic recall test watch video lesson 8.
RHYTHMIC RECALL

In the melodic recall test you’ll be asked to play back a two-bar melody composed of the first
three notes of the major scale. You’ll be given the root note or tonic - that’s the first note of the
scale - and told the starting note, which at this grade is always the first note of the scale.
You’ll hear the test, played to a simple backing track. There’s a short break for you to practise and
then you’ll be asked to play along with the backing track.
EXERCISE 4 - MOCK EAR TEST - RHYTHMIC RECALL 2
Ear training can be developed over time so make sure you get someone to test you regularly.
EXERCISE 1 - MOCK EAR TEST - MELODIC RECALL 1
The melodic recall test uses just the first three notes of the major scale so practise identifying
short phrases with your teacher or a friend

EXERCISE 2 - MOCK EAR TEST - MELODIC RECALL 2

Avoid the temptation to play while listening through the first play-through. You’ll get more of the
test correct if you just absorb it first time through.

18 VIDEO LESSONS, SHEET MUSIC, FULL MIX AND BACKING TRACK TO ACCOMPANY THIS BOOKLET ARE AVAILABLE AT WWW.ROCKSCHOOL.CO.UK/GUITARNATION 19
 LESSON 9
GENERAL MUSICIANSHIP
QUESTIONS

THE FINAL LESSON OF OUR QUICK START GUIDE TO GRADE 1 IS A RUNDOWN OF THE GENERAL MUSICIANSHIP The names of the strings are E, A, D, G, B, E. You can remember them with the rhyme:
SECTION OF THE EXAM. ELEPHANTS AND DINOSAURS GROW BEARDS EASILY.

5 QUESTIONS
The exam will end with the examiner asking you five questions. Four questions will cover music
notation and one will cover knowledge of the guitar including amplification. We’ve covered
music notation in the other lessons and examples 1 and 2 are examples of the kind of question
you may be asked in the exam. The answers can be found in video lesson 9.
KNOW YOUR GUITAR
You’ll be expected to name the open strings on your guitar. These are shown in example 3.
You may be asked to identify certain parts of the guitar. You probably know a few already,
but there’s also a run down in video lesson 9.
The notes mentioned in these examples, with the answers are in video lesson 9.
WHAT NEXT?
Over the last 9 lessons we’ve covered all the sections of the exam, so you should have a
good overview of the whole process.
If you want to progress further and take the exam, you will need to buy the rockschool
Guitar Grade 1 book to get the rest of the performance pieces you need to perform
in the exam.
Once you can perform three pieces from the book and can do the technical exercises
confidently you can apply to take the exam, the application form is in the grade book with
everything you need.

To see everything you will need to be able to do for the exam in full and get the mark
EXAMPLE 1 - MUSIC NOTATION QUESTION 1 scheme - download the Guitar syllabus guide at www.rockschool.co.uk
How many beats is this note worth?

EXAMPLE 2 - MUSIC NOTATION QUESTION 2

What is the pitch of this note?

EXAMPLE 3 – NAMES OF THE OPEN STRINGS

Easily
T Grow
Beards
A Dinosaurs
B Elephants
And

20 VIDEO LESSONS, SHEET MUSIC, FULL MIX AND BACKING TRACK TO ACCOMPANY THIS BOOKLET ARE AVAILABLE AT WWW.ROCKSCHOOL.CO.UK/GUITARNATION 21
AVAILABLE FROM ALL GOOD MUSIC SHOPS AND
ONLINE AT WWW.MUSICROOM.COM

Published by rockschool ltd. © 2010

Unauthorised reproduction of any part of this publication by any means including

photocopying is an infringement of the copyright.

Written by: James Uings

Music Engraved by: Simon Troup, Digital Music Arts
Edited by: Bek Sunley

These lessons originally appeared in Total Guitar Magazine. Total Guitar is published monthly
and features a regular rockschool column.

Design: Paul Chessell

To find out more about guitar grade exams or other music qualifications visit us at www.rockschool.co.uk

rockschool, the rockschool logo and all other rockschool product or service names are
trademarks of rockschool Ltd. ©2010 Rock School Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
 Learn Grade 1 Guitar with rockschool
rockschool is committed to making music examinations and qualifications
practical, flexible and fun, so join us in this step by step introduction to Grade 1
Guitar. Each lesson covers an important part of the exam and helps you
develop the key skills, styles and techniques you need to play the music you love.

Play the music you love AND get a recognised qualification

rockschool grades are accredited by the Office of Qualifications and
Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) and can be found on the Qualifications and
Credits Framework (QCF). When you take a rockschool exam you can be
assured that you are getting a recognised qualification and a true measure of
your achievements.

INSIDE: 9 lessons introducing rockschool Grade 1 Guitar.

ONLINE: Audio,TAB, and video lessons are available at www.rockschool.co.uk/guitarnation