Session 23: Grade 1 Exam Preparation

Duration: 50 minutes

This session prepares you for the practical reality of a grade exam. Whether you choose Trinity Rock & Pop Grade 1 or RockSchool Grade 1, the exam has a clear structure: you perform prepared pieces, play technical exercises (scales and chords), do a sight-reading exercise, and demonstrate ear skills. Today you run through the entire mock exam format, identify any weak areas, and build confidence for the real thing. This is not a teaching session — it is a rehearsal.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

1. Perform three prepared pieces (your exam repertoire) at performance tempo
2. Play the C major scale and Am pentatonic scale at Grade 1 tempo requirements
3. Play all required open chords cleanly on demand
4. Sight-read a simple TAB passage at a slow tempo
5. Identify basic intervals and rhythms by ear

Materials Needed

• Your Saga SF-600C-BK guitar
• A guitar pick
• A clip-on tuner or phone tuner app
• A metronome
• Reference: Final Assessment (Grade 1 Readiness Assessment)
• Reference: Chord Chart (for quick chord reference)

---

Segment 1 — Warm-Up and Stretch (5 minutes)

Finger Stretches

1. Finger spread — 3 times, hold 5 seconds each.
2. Wrist circles — 5 each direction per wrist.
3. Spider crawl — Frets 1-2-3-4, all six strings, up and down.

Tune Your Guitar

Tune all six strings (EADGBE). In an exam, you will be expected to tune your own guitar. Practice tuning quickly and accurately.

Quick Warm-Up

Play each open chord once (Em, Am, E, D, A, G, C, F simplified), one strum per chord, at 70 BPM. Then play the C major scale ascending and descending at 60 BPM. This is your pre-exam warm-up routine — quick, comprehensive, and effective.

---

Segment 2 — Technique Focus: Technical Exercises at Exam Tempo (10 minutes)

Scale Requirements

Grade 1 guitar exams typically require the C major scale (one octave) and sometimes the Am pentatonic scale, played ascending and descending with even rhythm.

Target tempo: 60 BPM, eighth notes (two notes per beat). This means 8 notes per 4 beats, which gives you the full ascending scale in one measure.

C Major Scale — Exam Run

C Major Scale — Ascending and Descending

e|---------------------0---1---|---1---0---------------------|
B|-----------------0---1-------|-------1---0-----------------|
G|-------------0---2-----------|-----------2---0-------------|
D|---------0---2---3-----------|-----------3---2---0---------|
A|---3-----|-------------------|----------------------3------|
E|---------|-------------------|---------------------------- |
     C D   E F G A B C           C B A G F E D C

Tempo: 60 BPM, eighth notes (two notes per beat)
Alternate picking: D U D U throughout

Play this 3 times without stopping. The scale should be smooth, even, and automatic — no hesitation on any note.

Am Pentatonic Scale — Exam Run

Am Pentatonic — Ascending and Descending

e|-------------------------------0---3---|---3---0-------------------------------|
B|-------------------------0---3---------|-------3---0---------------------------|
G|-------------------0---2---------------|-----------2---0----------------------|
D|-------------0---2---------------------|-------------------2---0--------------|
A|-------0---3---------------------------|-------------------------3---0--------|
E|---0---3-------------------------------|-----------------------------3---0----|

Tempo: 60 BPM, eighth notes

Play 3 times. Smooth, even, no pauses.

Chord Accuracy Test

An examiner may ask you to play specific chords on demand. Practice:

1. Examiner says: “G major.” You play G (strum once, all strings ring).
2. “A minor.” You play Am.
3. “F major.” You play F (simplified).
4. “E major.” You play E.

Drill: Have someone call out chord names randomly, or write chord names on cards and shuffle them. Play each chord within 2 seconds of hearing the name. Every string must ring clearly.

Self-drill version: Close your eyes. Think of a chord name. Form it. Strum. Open eyes and check. Repeat 10 times.

Chord Transition at Tempo

Examiners assess your ability to change chords smoothly within songs. At 70 BPM, play:

| G | Em | C | D | G | Em | C | D |
  (one measure per chord, D/U strumming)

All transitions must be clean. No pauses, no buzzing, no missed beats.

---

Segment 3 — New Learning: Sight-Reading and Ear Skills (15 minutes)

Sight-Reading Practice

In a Grade 1 exam, you may be given a short TAB passage to play at sight (no preparation). The passage will use notes in the open position (frets 0–3) on 2–3 strings, with simple rhythms.

How to sight-read:

1. Look at the TAB before playing. Identify the highest and lowest notes. Are they in a range you know?
2. Count the beats. Identify the time signature. Tap the rhythm before playing.
3. Play slowly. A slow, accurate sight-reading is better than a fast, messy one.
4. Keep going. If you make a mistake, do not stop — continue to the next note.

Practice Sight-Reading Passage 1

Pretend you have never seen this before. Study it for 15 seconds, then play at 50 BPM:

Sight-Reading Exercise 1 (4/4 time):

e|---0---1---3---1---0-----------|
B|---------------------1---0-----|
G|--------------------------0----|
D|-------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------|
     1   2   3   4   1   2   3

Practice Sight-Reading Passage 2

Study for 15 seconds, then play at 50 BPM:

Sight-Reading Exercise 2 (4/4 time):

e|-------------------------------|
B|---0---1---3---1---0-----------|
G|---------------------0---2----|
D|--------------------------0----|
A|-------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------|
     1   2   3   4   1   2   3

Practice Sight-Reading Passage 3 (with rhythm)

Sight-Reading Exercise 3 (4/4 time):

e|---3-------0---1---3---|
B|-----------------------|
G|-----------------------|
D|-----------------------|
A|-----------------------|
E|-----------------------|
     1   2   3   &   4

Note: The "3" on fret 3 is held for 2 beats (half note).
Then frets 0, 1, 3 are quarter notes and eighth note.

Ear Skills

Grade 1 ear tests typically include:

1. Echo test: The examiner plays a short phrase (3–4 notes). You play it back.
2. Rhythm clapping: The examiner claps a rhythm. You clap it back.
3. Major vs minor recognition: The examiner plays a chord. You identify it as major or minor.

Ear Skill Practice

Echo practice: Play the following phrase. Then close your eyes and play it from memory:

e|---0---3---0---|
B|-----------1---|
     1   2   3   4

Four notes. Can you reproduce them without looking at the TAB?

Rhythm clapping: Tap this rhythm on a table:

Tap: X X . X . X X .

Beat: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

 

X = tap, . = silence

Now try to reproduce it from memory.

Major vs minor: Play these chords one at a time. After each, say “major” or “minor” before checking:

1. E major → bright, happy = major
2. Am → dark, sad = minor
3. G major → full, bright = major
4. Em → dark, moody = minor
5. C major → warm, bright = major

In the exam, the chords will not be ones you necessarily recognise by name — you need to hear the quality (bright = major, dark = minor).

---

Segment 4 — Song Workshop: Exam Repertoire Run-Through (15 minutes)

Choosing Your Three Exam Pieces

Grade 1 exams require you to perform three pieces. Choose from your course repertoire:

Recommended selection for maximum range:

Piece	Type	Key Skills Demonstrated
”Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Session 20)	Rock — power chords	Moveable power chords, dynamics, rhythm
”Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen” (Session 21) — melody + chords	Ballad — melody and accompaniment	Single-note melody, expression, chord accompaniment
”Fear of the Dark” intro (Session 15)	Fingerpicking	Arpeggios, p-i-m-a technique, chord changes

Alternative choices (substitute any of the above):

• “About a Girl” by Nirvana — open chord strumming
• “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” by Bob Dylan — gentle strumming, three chords
• “12-Bar in A” — blues form, A/D/E chords
• “Wasted Years” arrangement (Session 19) — melody and chords

Performance Run-Through

Piece 1 — “Smells Like Teen Spirit”: Play the full arrangement (intro riff → verse → chorus) at 70 BPM. Time yourself — aim for 2–3 minutes.

Piece 2 — “Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen”: Play the full arrangement (melody intro → chord verse → instrumental → chord verse → ending) at 65 BPM. Time yourself.

Piece 3 — “Fear of the Dark” intro: Play the full 16-measure fingerpicked arrangement at 55–60 BPM.

Performance Tips for the Exam

1. Tune before each piece. Check your tuning between pieces — the physical exertion of playing can pull strings slightly sharp.
2. Count yourself in. Tap your foot for 4 beats before starting. This sets the tempo in your body.
3. Start strong. The first 4 bars set the examiner’s impression. Make them clean and confident.
4. Do not stop. If you make a mistake, keep playing. Examiners expect mistakes from Grade 1 candidates — they deduct more for stopping than for wrong notes.
5. End clearly. Your final note or chord should be deliberate, not fading into uncertainty. Let the last chord ring and look up — that signals “I am done.”
6. Show contrast. If your pieces include both loud and soft sections, exaggerate the difference. Examiners reward dynamic control.

---

Segment 5 — Review and Practice Plan (5 minutes)

What You Covered Today

• Technical exercises at exam tempo (C major scale, Am pentatonic, chord accuracy)
• Sight-reading technique and practice passages
• Ear skills: echo, rhythm, major/minor recognition
• Exam repertoire run-through with three pieces
• Performance tips and exam strategy

Common Mistakes

1. Not practising the technical exercises — Many students focus on songs and neglect scales and chord accuracy. The technical section is worth marks — practise it.
2. Sight-reading panic — Take the full 15 seconds to study the passage before playing. Look for patterns (ascending scales, repeated notes). The slower you play, the more accurate you will be.
3. Rushing in the exam — Nerves make you play faster. Set a deliberate tempo before starting each piece. Use the count-in to lock in the speed.
4. Choosing three similar pieces — If all three pieces are strummed open-chord songs, you show limited range. Choose pieces that demonstrate different skills (power chords, melody, fingerpicking).
5. Not practising the ending — Many students practise the beginning of songs but not the ending. The last impression matters. Practise your endings until they are clean and confident.

Self-Check Questions

1. Can you play the C major scale and Am pentatonic at 60 BPM in eighth notes without hesitation?
2. Can you form any open chord (Em, Am, E, D, A, G, C, F simplified) within 2 seconds when its name is called?
3. Can you sight-read a simple TAB passage at 50 BPM?
4. Can you distinguish major from minor chords by ear?
5. Can you perform all three exam pieces from memory without stopping?

Practice Plan (Daily, 30 minutes — Exam Prep Block)

Block	Time	Activity
Warm-Up	3 min	Finger stretches + quick chord cycle + tune
Scales	4 min	C major (3 reps) + Am pentatonic (3 reps) at 60 BPM, eighth notes
Chord Accuracy	3 min	Random chord name drill — form and strum each chord within 2 seconds. 10 chords
Sight-Reading	3 min	Find a simple TAB passage you have not played before (from a reference sheet or online). Study 15 seconds, play at 50 BPM
Ear Skills	3 min	Play random chords, eyes closed, identify major/minor. Tap rhythms and repeat them
Piece 1	4 min	Full run-through at performance tempo
Piece 2	4 min	Full run-through at performance tempo
Piece 3	4 min	Full run-through at performance tempo
Review	2 min	Identify the weakest moment in today’s practice. Drill it for 2 minutes

Guitar Tip — Saga SF-600C-BK

In a real exam, you bring your own guitar. Your Saga SF-600C-BK is a perfectly appropriate exam instrument — dreadnought acoustics are common in Grade 1 exams. Make sure your guitar is in good condition for the exam: fresh strings (changed at least a week before to let them settle), clean fretboard, stable tuning. If you have not had a professional setup, consider getting one — a properly set-up guitar makes everything easier, from barre chords to scale playing. The examiner will not judge your guitar, but a well-maintained instrument helps you play your best.