RGT Answers Exam Queries
Here you can read RGT’s response to questions teachers have asked about RGT exams.
If you are an RGT teacher you are invited to submit your own exam questions. All questions will receive a reply from the RGT Exams Team and a selection of these will be published in this archive.
- Exam Centre locations and dates
- Rhythm Playing Electric Guitar
- When to use pentatonic?
- Preparing students for RGT acoustic exams
- Eire exam dates
- Recording a lesson for teaching diploma
- Using inversions
- How can I apply to be an examiner?
- No fingernails
- Recommended right hand fingering
- Exam pass mark
- Teaching Diploma handbooks
- Exam venues
Exam centre locations and dates |
from Grazza | |||||||||||
| Q: | My first student will be doing his acoustic guitar preliminary exam in June. Is there any way of finding out the locations of exam centers - we're near Cambridge? Also do we get notice as to when the exam will be? | |||||||||||
| A: | The summer exams are held throughout June and July in the UK. The nearest exam venue that will be operating is dependent upon the entries in that session, as within an area candidates are always assigned to a venue closest to the majority of the entrants in order to minimise the travelling distance for most candidates. This information won't be known until all the entries are received and collated. The entry deadline isn't until May 1st and then, as you can no doubt imagine, it does take at least few weeks to process all the UK's entries and collate them geographically in order to assign them to the closest exam venue. Exam appointments are then emailed out as soon as this process is complete, ensuring candidates get a minimum of 10 days notice. back to top |
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Rhythm Playing Electric Guitar |
from Mahock | |||||||||||
| Q: | During the rhythm playing section of the electric guitar exam, is the candidate allowed to ‘try out’ some of the chords in the time given to prepare for the performance? | |||||||||||
| A: | Yes. The candidate is permitted to try out some of the chords, but should not practice playing the whole progression. We suggest the preparation time is best used to look over the chart as a whole and in particular note the time signature, form (e.g. the location of any repeats etc), and tempo or style marking, and check any chords they are unsure of. They might also like to think about what sort of rhythm pattern to use. Just to clarify: there is no exact definition of how candidates can use the preparation time (as part of the test can be assumed to be to know how to use this time effectively), except that candidates should not actually play the whole chart (this is partly for their own benefit and partly to avoid confusion - i.e. the examiner might think that they've actually started and either assess the practice run or assume that they are playing a retake if they play it all and then start again). back to top |
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When to use pentatonic |
from Labargos | |||||||||||
| Q: | Improvising over the grade 3 chord progressions given in the exam, what actually determines the difference between using a pentatonic scale rather than a natural scale? | |||||||||||
| A: | In simple terms either scale type will work - the pentatonic is certainly easier to use, the natural minor will create more interesting harmonic options. back to top |
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Preparing students for RGT acoustic exams |
from Robert | |||||||||||
| Q: | I'm just beginning to prepare students for the new rgt acoustic exam syllabus & have a couple of questions: 1. set pieces - are these to be performed from memory or can the book tab be used in the exam performance 2. playing a chord chart - I assume that the student is presented with a previously-unseen chart, like in the electric exams, but I note that the charts in the grade 1 book have a suggested strum pattern annotated. Will the chart used in the exam test have a suggested strum or will student have to devise one? |
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| A: | The set pieces do not have to be played from memory so the book can be used for this part of the exam without any penalty being incurred. The candidate selects one of the rhythm studies from the handbook and performs this during the exam. The prescribed rhythm should be followed accurately although some variation in the rhythm will be expected at certain grades during the repeat. Check the handbook carefully as you did not mention which grades you are referring to. The accompaniment section of the exam is where the candidate will be presented with a chord chart that is previously unseen. So there is a prepared chord chart as well as an unseen chord chart during the exam. back to top |
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Eire exam dates |
from Charlo | |||||||||||
| Q: | Can you please tell me the date to enter for exams here in Dublin, Ireland? | |||||||||||
| A: | Exam entry deadlines in Eire are the same as UK: 1st February; 1st May; 1st October. back to top |
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Recording a lesson for teaching diploma |
from Dave | |||||||||||
| Q: | I've arranged with a student to record a lesson for the teaching dip. Basically, I'm giving him his usual lesson, and then an extra lesson which will be video recorded to submit for the teaching dip. What formats are acceptable for the video file? | |||||||||||
| A: | Any format that will play on a standard DVD player will be fine. Just test the disc on a DVD player before you submit it. 2 copies are required. back to top |
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Using inversions |
from Damien Redmond | |||||||||||
| Q: | If a student was to use inversions for chords how would this effect the marking in an exam? | |||||||||||
| A: | In the 'Chord' section of the exams the chords should be presented in root position, i.e. not as inversions. The only exception is the Bm chord in Grade 2, where to avoid including a barre chord at such an early stage a simplified (2nd inv) version of the chord shape is shown in the handbook. In the 'Rhythm Playing' section of the exam the use of some inversions or partial chords in order to aid the overall musical effect would be perfectly acceptable, providing of course this wasn't done just to simplify the technical challenge of the root position chords. back to top |
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How can I apply to be an examiner? |
from Charlo | |||||||||||
| Q: | How can I apply to be an examiner? | |||||||||||
| A: | As a first step, you should send a letter of interest with CV to the RGT office. This will then be stored until the next examiner training course (these are held approx. every 2 years) at which point all letters of interest will be reviewed and formal application forms sent out to appropriate applicants. (Applicants need to be highly experienced and capable musicians, preferably with teaching experience and professional qualification, as well as having good communication skills (both aural and written). back to top |
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No fingernails |
from Adrian | |||||||||||
| Q: | I have a student who is taking a classical guitar exam, grade 1, and finds it difficult to grow his fingernails so plays without them. Will this affect his mark? | |||||||||||
| A: | LCM is known to pride itself on judging "the musical result" not technically how that was achieved, so providing the volume (projection remains reasonably strong) and tone (the student doesn't end up 'plucking' the strings and getting fretbuzz bounce) are not adversely affected there should be no adverse effect on the marks awarded. back to top |
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Recommended right hand fingering |
from Adrian | |||||||||||
| Q: | As regards the recommended right hand fingering, if a pupil decides to use their thumb for playing scales during the exam, would this be acceptable? | |||||||||||
| A: | You don't state which exam type or grade you are referring to, but assuming it is classical or acoustic guitar, the examiner's assessment (as in all RGT exams) will be based on the musical result achieved and experience suggests that if using only the thumb to pick the strings the likelihood is that some marks may be lost due to either lack of fluency and/or loss of clarity, tone and projection. back to top |
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Exam pass mark |
from Peter | |||||||||||
| Q: | What’s the pass mark in the acoustic exam? | |||||||||||
| A: | The full breakdown is:
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Teaching Diploma handbooks |
from Harvey | |||||||||||
| Q: | Is there a handbook for the RGT teaching Diploams or is it just that you extract the relevant information from the syllabus? | |||||||||||
| A: | There is no handbook for the new RGT teaching diplomas; it is anticipated that candidates study the syllabus and exam information booklet and then research whichever study materials suit their particular learning needs. There is however a 'reading list' which can be found at http://www.rgt.org/exams/diploma-reading-list.php but the list is not compulsory; candidates should decide which of these titles might be most helpful to them given their prior experience of teaching. In the FAQs page of the Teaching Diplomas Exam Information Booklet the first question is: "Is There A Recommended Reading List?" The answer given is: "The RGT website includes a list of useful reading materials for teaching diplomas. However, none of these are compulsory ‘set reading’ and candidates are encouraged to conduct their own research into other resources available." back to top |
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Exam venues |
from Dan Myers | |||||||||||
| Q: | Where I can find a list of RGT exam venues in North London? | |||||||||||
| A: | RGT doesn't actually publish lists of exam venues as these might change from session to session dependent upon the number of entrants in any particular area; our main aim is to operate venues as near as possible to the majority of candidates in each area. We always have several exam venues in North London so your students shouldn't have to travel too far. If you have lots of your own students entering it might even be possible to hold the exams at your own venue. Contact the RGT office if you wish to discuss that possibility further. back to top |
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