by Dr. Matt Warnock
As classical guitarists and guitar pedagogues, we have become used to lugging around a mountain of books with us everywhere we go. There is a book for scales, a book for arpeggios, a book for right hand technique and a book for the left. There are countless collections of pieces by Sor, Carcassi, Bach and others that we shuffle through every time we progress onto a new piece or etude.
But what if we didn’t need to have all of our practice material separated into this messy array of books? What if we could have all of the pieces and etudes we needed in one book, and all of the technical material in another? It turns out that we can have all this, and more, with the Royal Conservatory of Music’s classical guitar series published by Frederick Harris Music.
Most guitarists who grew up outside of Canada or Britain were probably not exposed to the Royal Conservatory of Music as youngsters studying the instrument. For those who are unfamiliar with the RCM, it is a conservatory based out of Toronto (which is in turn based on the Royal College of Music in London), that has branch campuses in medium to large cities all over Canada. The RCM, and its branches, provide instruction on every conceivable instrument and students progress through grades, Introductory through ARCT (Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto, the conservatory’s highest certificate), by passing written, performance and aural exams.
The RCM guitar series consists of three different types of books, the Repertoire and Studies series, the Guitar Technique book and the Guitar Syllabus. While many guitarists will never take a RCM exam, this series can still be a valued resource for any student or teacher of classical guitar. Within these books one will find a vast number of pieces, etudes, scale and arpeggio fingerings, as well as technical exercises, all organized and grouped together according to their level of difficulty.
Repertoire and Studies
The Repertoire and Studies series contains nine volumes, one for each grade from Introductory through Grade 8. Repertoire for Grade 9 and above must be purchased by the student separately, though suggested editions and a list of anthologies are given in the Guitar Syllabus. Each book contains two sections, Repertoire (listing the pieces required for each grade) and the Studies section (which contains the studies required for each grade). The Repertoire section of each book is then broken down into eras from which the student must choose one piece to perform on their exam. An example of this is the Grade 8 Repertoire section which is divided into four eras, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Romantic, and 20th Century and Contemporary Music. The student then chooses one piece from each section to perform on their exam.
All of the volumes in the series provide a wide variety of pieces to choose from in each section. The pieces contained in each volume were penned by many of the great composers for guitar such as Villa-Lobos, Carcassi, Sor and Giuliani, as well as pieces that have been transcribed from other instruments such as the Lute, Harpsichord and Piano. While each volume in the series provides a wide selection of pieces to choose from, the student or teacher may select different repertoire by referring to the Guitar Syllabus, which contains a list of alternate pieces that can be used for each section on the graded exams.
The Studies section of each book contains pieces representing a diverse selection of right and left-hand techniques. As students much choose two studies to perform for each exam, it is recommended that they perform etudes of a contrasting nature. With such a wide range of pieces offered in this section, teachers will be able to select etudes that can be used to address specific technical challenges for each student. Far from being solely technical exercises, these studies have been chosen because they also contain a high level of expression and musicality. This will provide a unique challenge to students as they work on developing their technique, while at the same time expressing themselves musically through the studies.
Guitar Technique
Whereas the Repertoire and Studies series contains the relevant repertoire for each level of exams, the Guitar Technique book contains all corresponding technical requirements for each exam. The book is divided into three sections, Accent and Fingering Patterns, Technical Requirements by Grade and a Technical Supplement.
The Accent and Fingering section contains all of the possible right hand fingering patterns and accents for playing scales in eighth notes, triplets, sixteenth notes, quintuplets and sextuplets. The fingerings are written above a C major scale for easy comprehension, and the grade(s) requiring specific fingerings are written alongside the scales. This section acts as a reference tool for teachers and students alike, to be referred to when studying each of the scales that are presented in the next section, Technical Requirements by Grade.
The second section is broken up into each of the different grades, from Introductory through ARCT. Each grade is organized into several sections that present the scales (diatonic, chromatic, slur, compound and tremelando) and arpeggios (mostly drawn from Giuliani’s Right Hand Studies) required for each exam. As well as giving left hand fingering suggestions for each scale and arpeggio, the book also indicates the minimum metronome marking that each exercise must be played in order to pass each exam. As each grade progresses the keys for each scale become more difficult, and the scales extend from one to two and finally three octaves. Also, when a major scale is required for an exam, so is its relative harmonic minor and melodic minor scale. This helps to teach major/minor key relationships along side building technical ability.
The final section of the book is a technical supplement that can be used as a reference for further study. Though the techniques presented in this section are not required for RCM examinations, they are considered required learning for any classical guitar student of merit. This section provides fingerings for chromatic scales, compound slur scales, trill exercises and other technical exercises of similar nature.
Guitar Syllabus
The RCM guitar series also publishes a thorough and easy to understand guitar syllabus outlining all of the requirements for their exams, Introductory through the ARCT. The syllabus is broken down into five sections, General Information, Examination Requirements, Practical Examinations, Theory Examinations and Bibliography.
The General Information section provides information on the application procedures, examination schedules, certificates and diplomas and other relevant administrative topics. This section will be a valuable tool for teachers and students who are using the series to take the graded examinations, as the wealth of information provided will answer any questions one may have with regard to the administrative side of the RCM guitar area.
While the first section provides the teacher and student with administrative information, the Examination Requirements section provides detailed information regarding the exams themselves. There is a detailed section on how exams are graded and what the student needs to do in order to achieve a certain grade on each exam. Technical information such as Da Capo’s and repeats are discussed in this section, as well as information on substituting repertoire and etudes that were not included in the written requirements for each exam.
The bulk of the information contained within this volume can be found in the Practical Examinations section. The technical requirements, repertoire and musicianship (ear training and sight reading) requirements for each grade are laid out in a clear and concise fashion, allowing for easy reference by both teacher and student. While many of the pieces required for each grade can be found in the Repertoire and Studies series, there are also many optional pieces listed here that may be substituted on any of the performance exams.
The final two sections, Theory Examinations and Bibliography, present a detailed outline of the requirements for the theory exams that accompany each performance exam, as well as a list of books that can be used to study for these exams. The bibliography contains lists of ear training books, guitar anthologies and editions that will help students and teachers find pieces that are required for the grades 9 through ARCT exams, for which there are no Repertoire and Studies books available.
While the RCM Guitar Series was originally designed for students who are preparing to take their exams, it can be a valuable resource for any guitar student or pedagogue. The organizational nature of the series, matching appropriate repertoire with technical requirements, and the quick access to a variety of pieces and etudes can be an aid to any student or teacher when studying the instrument. As a classical guitar resource this series stands out for its clear and concise presentation, variety of music and techniques, and the manner in which each grade has been organized. This series would make a welcome addition to any classical guitar teacher, or students, pedagogical resources.
Links
www.rcmexaminations.org
Royal Conservatory Guitar Scales and Arpeggios
Royal Conservatory Guitar Syllabus
