Classical Guitar Playing Compiled by Tony Skinner, Raymond Burley and Amanda Cook on behalf of GT Registry of Guitar TutorsTECHNICAL WORK he examiner will select some of the scales, » arpeggios and chords shown below and ask th Gandidate to play them from memory. Scales and arpeggios should be played ascending anv descending, i. from the lowest note to the highest and back again, without a pause an pithout repeating the top note. Chords should be played ascending only, and sounded strin, by string, starting with the lowest (root) note. To achieve a legato (i.e. smooth and overringing sound, the whole chord shape should be fretted and kept on during playing. Chords and arpeggio: should be played tirando, ie. using free strokes. To allow for flexibility in teaching approaches, the fin, and alternative systematic fingerings, that are musi are for general guidance only; slight the tempo is evenly maintained. \gering suggestions given below are not compulsory ically effective, will be accepted. Suggested tempos 'y slower or faster performances will be acceptable, providing tha! Overall, the examiner will be listening for accurate, ever n and clear playing. A maximum of 15 marks may be awarded in this section of the examination, Recommended right hand fingering and tempo Seales alternating im or m i apoyando (rest stroke) tempo j= 120 Arpesgios: — pimamip: tirando (free stroke) tempo J 108 Chords Ponall bass strings, ima on the treble strings; tirando tempo J=192 © major seate - 1 octave harmonic minor seate - 2 octave Cmalor amegglo-1 octave G major arpegasio- 1 octave A minor arpesgio - 1 octave E minor arpeggio ~ 4 octave padery T } 6 0 ® © ® ene malar core Amioocebr E minor chor 9 —— ae -—y ' : ) jod fe wy Joded# Th Geter ven ®wre re eee ee ee eee vers PERFORMANCE andidates should play one melody from Group A and two contrasting pieces from Group B. A maximum of 60 marks may be awarded in this section of the examination « Le, up to 2 marks for each performance. Fingering and tempo markings are for general guidance ovr and do not need to be adhered to strictly. All repeat markings should be followed, Performance Tips Melodies: * The Beethoven and Brahms melodies are notated here in the key of G maj jor, the Schubert melody is notated in C major and the Tchaikovsky m ‘elody is notated in the key of E minor. Apart from some accidentals which occasionally appear, the notes contained in the melodies are {taken mainly from the G and C major and E harmonic minor seales shown in the Technical Work section of this handbook. Practice of these scales would therefore provide very helpful preparation before you begin to learn the melodies, The examiner will be listening for the demonstration of str fuctured melodic shaping within each Performance, so ensure that you identify and bring out the pt hrasing within each melody, Gigu This piece in j time is in the key of C major, + Itis important that the lower voice notes are sustained for their full value and care needs to be taken that these are not cut short. AS with Greensleeves, the piece features a dotted rhythm in many bars, Greensleeves: This piece in j time is essentially in the key of A minor. * The piece features a dotted rhythm in many ¥y bars, which adds a sense of movement and lilt to the piece. * Cate needs to be taken to observe rhythmic changes, such as between bars 12 and 13 - where one bar is dotted and the following bar is straight, Poco Allegretto: * This piece, in 3 time, is in the key of C major. The C major chord often appears 1, 3, 5 and 8; in these bars you should keep the ch Same applies in bars 17, 18, 21, 22 and 24 whe ~ for example in bars ‘ord tones fretted for the full duration of the bar. The Nan A minor chord occurs. The piece consists of three 8-bar sections, ea that you should then play again from the begi Need to be repeated on this second playing. ch Of which is repeated. The sign D.C. al Fine indicates nning until the end of bar 16; each 8-bar section doesn't The dynamic markings in brackets indicate the 4; ‘ynamic level that should be used on the first repeat of each section, 5Andante: * This piece, in time, is inthe key of © major. * Although often written as single notes, the piece features the major chord quite regularly; ¢ ‘wherever possible, keep your fingers on to form the chord. * Examples of this can be seen in bars 1. and 2, and in bars 15 and 16, where ail the notes comprise C major chord. Allegretto: * This piece in § time is essentially in the key of C major. * Iti important that the bass notes, which are mainly minims, are held for their full value whilst th treble notes are played, * In bars § and 21, playing the note of C with the second finger enables a smooth change to the low Rote that opens the following bar. Ecossaise: * This piece in 3 time is essentially in the key of A minor. * The title means 'Scottish/Country Dance’, * The words D.C. af Fine, that appear at the end of the piece, indicate that it should be played again from the beginning and should end at the end of bar & ‘Scared Of The Dark: * This piece in time isin the key of E minor. To capture the mood of the piece, the tempo must be well Controlled and the dynamic markings accurately followed note occurs, “In bars 10 to 13, each treble note should be played directly after each Ebass Note, giving a 1&2&3&4& effect. The repetitious left-hand fingering in these bars is designed to give a continuity of tone. Farewell Lady D * This piece, in 3 time, is in the key of A minor. The minor key helps to ‘emphasize the mournful and reflective mood of the piece. * Notice how the dynamic marking changes to /(meaning play loudly) from bar 17 when the second section of the piece begins. * AMter bar 32 the D.C. af Fine sign indicates that you should play again from the beginning until the Fine (end) sign at the end of bar 16, 6(PHOTOCOPY: ve) rns ust | Ninth Symphony Theme (Ode To Joy) LEG [Group A] Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) d= 126 — — + —h— = ete SS SS SS ng ——— SSS ee +S S| § a Dp yy a . ott gp SS SS SSS op a SSS SS] © Copyright 2002 by Registry Publications Rosamunde (Entr'acte No 3) [Group A] Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828) SSE "Copyright 2008 by Repistty PublicationswusiorsnteGal Lullaby Op.49 No.4 [Group A] Johannes Brahms Jeas (1833 - 1897) © Copyright 2002 by Registry Publications No.1 Scéne from Swan Lake [Group A] Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893) J=e8 Sh SS =Ssos opie Fars as S| ws ©Copyright 1997 hy Revistry PublicationsOTOCOPYING THIS) (sie ) Gigue {Group 6] Johann Anton Logy (1850 - 1724) J=138 © Copynipht 2002 hy Registry Publications(enorocopmxe Ta) luusters niece Greensleeves [Group B) Anonymous ; (16th Century = 132 © Copyright 1997 by Registry Publications (Group B] Poco Allegretto Op. 246 d ma mim (1770 ~ 1841) =104 imi mi al mj i ne esas a: oe e a Ferdinando Carulli if (Pp) i up| ub 200 by Registry Publications 0(puroroe terest Andante Op.31 No.1 [Group B] Fernando Sor (4778 - 1839) d= 108 * Copyright 2002 by Registry Publications:pnoTocopriNa TH} (esters mepGaL Allegretto Op.39 No.4 {Group B] Anton Diabelli (1781 - 1858) «=92 = ma aie ‘mi aia emai ee als sae © Copyright 1997 by Registry Publications Ecossaise Op.33 No.10 Mauro Giuliani (4781 - 1829) © Copyright 2002 hy Rewistey Purarecen 8) (MUSIC IS JLLE [Group B] . Tony Skinner =76 (1960 -) rrr rorTOCOPTING TT (ius Si NeAL Farewell Lady D [Group B] Oleg Kiselev (1964 -) D.C. al Fine Hl f © Copyright 2008 by Repisiry PublicationsVIVA VOCE 1 this section of the examination candidates will be engaged in a short discussion to enable the examiner to assess the candidate's understanding of musical rudiments and their responses to the pieces played. A maximum of 7 marks may be awarded. At Grade One candidates should be able to: * name, and explain the meaning of, all basic notational elements in the music performed in the Performance component of the exam including stave, bars and bar-lines, clef, pitches of individual notes, rhythmic values of notes and rests (including dotted notes), key and time signatures, and (only if they occur in the performed music) accidentals, dynamics, articulation markings and any additional markings. + explain which is their favourite piece and why. * assign simple descriptive words to describe the mood of the pieces (e.g. happy, sad, gentle, lively). Below are some examples of the type of questions that the examiner may ask at Grade One. Note that these are examples only; the list is by no means exhaustive and candidates should not simply learn these answers by rote. The wording and phrasing of the questions may vary even when the same topic is involved Question: What is the name of this sign? (Examiner points to the treble clef.) Answer. The treble clef (or G clef) Question: What is the pitch of this note? (Examiner points to a note on the stave.) Answer. G Question: What is the time signature of this piece? Answer: 3 time, two crotchet beats per bar. Question: What type of note is this, and how many beats does it last for? (Examiner points to a dotted minim.) Answer: — Itis a dotted minim (or dotted half note) and it lasts for three crotchet (or quarter) beats. Question: What does this sign mean? (Examiner points to a crescendo mark.) Answer: tis a crescendo mark, which means ‘get louder’. Question: What is this and what does it mean? (Examiner points to the key signature.) Answer: itis the key signature; it means that the piece is in the key of G major and it indicates that all the F notes should be played as Fi, Question: Which of the three pieces that you played today is your favourite, and why? Answer. — Gigue, because it's lively and fun to play.Some useful information relating to this section of the examination is provided below. The clef and stave The notes on the lines (E G B D F) can be Femembered by making up an unusual phrase such as: Enormous Guitarists Break Dainty Eootstools. The notes in the spaces between the lines form the word FACE, The treble clef is also known as the G clef - since ity dravn looped around the G line, Treble Clef Bar lines A bar is a way of dividing music into manageable portions. It makes music easier to read and makes \reasier to discover where the main beat lies. The end of cach bar is indicated by a vertical line called a bar line. The space between each pair of bar lines, where the notes are written, is called a bar (or doubie ne, At the end of a piece, or section, of musie there are twe vertical lines; these are called a double bar line. Notes and rests The table below shows the names of the notes and rests, and their values. Traditional name Modern name Note Rest | Value in erotchet beats semibreve whole note o ~ 4 |__doued minim | doueahatrnane 2 | minim half note d a A dotted erotehet | dotted quarter noe 3) b 1h | crotcher quarter note J 2 | 1 7 Ee quaver eighth note ay , | 4 Dots and ties tna is Own length plus that of the following tied nate. The tied note re the example below lasts for the equivalent of 3 quavers, dotted erotchet double dotted minim tie 16Key signature G Major or A Minor G Major or E Minor Where there is one sharp at the beginning of each stave of a piece of music, this indicates that the key is elther G major or E minor. Where one sharp occurs it will always be on the top F line, and indicates that all F notes should be played as F#. Where there is no visible key signature the key wil be C major or A minor. A sharp, flat or natural that appears during a piece of music, rather than as part of the key signature, is called an accidental. It has the effect of sharpening or flattening just that one note, and any others at the same pitch within the same bar. It does not affect notes in the remaining bars, as bar lines cancel all accidentals. Time signature The numbers that appear at the beginning of a piece of music are called the time signature. The top Pumber shows the number of beats per bar, whilst the bottom number indicates the value of each beat. For example, means four crotchet beats (i.e. four quarter notes) per bar. Terms and signs Candidates should be able to identity any basic terms and signs that appear in the music performed. ‘Some exampies are given below. > accent Rall. (rallentando) becoming gradually slower Rit. (ritenuto) held back a tempo in time, i.e. return to previous speed D.C. al Fine repeat from the beginning up to the point marked Fine (the end) += 126 Metronome tempo - 126 crochet beats per minute i Repeat sign. (Play rom the previous 2 vertical dots, or, in their absence, from the beginning.) Dynamics Pp P mp mf St ie pianissimo piano mezzo-piano mezzo-forte forte fortissimo: very soft soft medium soft medium loud loud very loud crescendo ~ getting louder — decrescendo / diminuendo ~ getting softer vSIGHT READING. ‘Length Ke Time signatures Note values] Fingerboard posions “bars Major: C, G 23 1s Minor: AE 44 210 Sight Reading Tips 1. Always check the key and time signature BEFORE you start to play. Fact will generally be easier to play the sight reading if you use the ‘same fingering as you have used for playing the scale. 3. Before you start to play, quickly scan through the piece and check any notes or rhythms that you are unsure of, 4. Note the tempo or style marking, but be careful only to Play at a tempo at which you can maintain accuracy throughout. ence You start to play. try and keep your eyes on the music. Avoid the temptation to keep looking at the fingerboard - that's a sure way to lose your place in the mush 6. you do make an error, try not to let it affect your confidence for the rest of the piece. It is better to. Keep going and capture the overall shape of the piece, rather then stopping and going back to correct errors, The following examples show the type of pieces that will be presented in the examination. (i). Moderato (i) Andante(ii), Moderato é é yy, (iv) Andante (v) Moderato eo wa ol am a i : oe Al a eee Zz -l (vii) Moderato + = (viii) AllegrettoAURAL TESTS maximum of 8 marks may be awarded In this section of the examination. The tests will be played by the examiner on either guitar or piano, at the examiner's discretion. The examples below are shown in guitar notation and give a broad indication of the type of tests that will be given during the examination. Candidates wishing to view sample tests in plano notation should obtain the current LCM Exams Specimen Aural Tests booklet. Rhythm tests 4a, After the examiner has played a short harmonised piece of music, similar to one of the examples below, the candidate will be asked to identify the time signature as 2 or 3 time. 1b. The examiner will play the piece again and the candidate should clap or tap along in time on each pulse beat, accenting the first beat of each bar. Candidates may request that tests 1a and 1b are conducted in reverse order. This request must be made to the examiner in advance of the tests being conducted. Con spirito Andante 20Allegretto Moderato Pitch tests 2a. The examiner will play two notes consecutively, similar to the examples below. The candidate will be asked to identify, as “first” or “second”, which one was the lower or higher note. 2b, The candidate will then be asked to sing back one of the two notes as requested by the examiner. The examiner will play the notes again and say "sing the first/second note | played” OR "sing the lower/higher of the two notes | played" 212e. the examiner will play @ short melody in a major key, but will not play the final closing note. The candidate should sing the missing final note, which will be the tonic note of the key. (The examiner will select a suitable key and octave according to the gender and age of the candidate.) The tonic chord will be sounded first.