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#1
04-01-2007, 04:52 PM
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| Grading System Can anybody give me an idea of how the grading system for music works? Even after years of composing, I still don't know what makes a grade 3 different from a 2, or a 6 different from a 5.  |
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#2
04-01-2007, 04:59 PM
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| Amount of skill required to play?  I honestly don't know for sure |
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#3
04-01-2007, 05:03 PM
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| In the UK we have a grading system which runs from 1-8. 1 being the easiest, 8 being the hardest. 1-3 is beginner, 4-6 intermediate, and 7-8 advanced. So you get a good idea of how good someone is by what grade they are. |
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#4
04-01-2007, 05:17 PM
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| Well, I meant more for the pieces themselves. Like piece A is a Grade 5 piece, or piece B is a Grade 2. What scale is used to determine what Grade a piece of work is? I guess there's a different standard of grading for America then. |
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#5
04-01-2007, 05:25 PM
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| I believe the exam boards (ABRSM, LCM etc) every so often tweak the pieces for each level. I'm not entirly sure how they are chosen. I suppose its based on the difficulty of the piece in context of the instrument etc, but more than just performance is tested in exams. Sight reading, music literacy and aural are also tested. |
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#6
04-01-2007, 05:54 PM
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| For example - in piano (and referring to a small pile of piano exam piece books here)... & just based on what I have to hand, so not set in stone... Grade 1 uses scales with up to one flat. Time signatures of 2/4, 4/4, 3/4, 6/8. No notes shorter than semiquavers. Mostly single notes per hand and very (very) occaionally one note held while others are played. Grade 2 uses scales with up to one sharp or one flat. Key signatures as before but with 3/8 too. Ped. More notes played together - mostly two in one hand and on in the other, occasionally a left hand chord. Some staccato. The odd crotchet triplet. Some easier pieces but played quite fast. Grade 3 three sharps, two flats. 7/8, 3/2, 12/8, added. Mostly two notes for LH - often played and held in sequence. Changes in tempo. Dotted timing. Semiquaver rests. pp. mordents. tricky rhytms. Grade 4 looks much the same as Grade 3. Perhaps someone else can add to this list? |
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#7
05-01-2007, 07:11 AM
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I investigated this once because I had thought about writing some pieces for Band or Orchestra for High School players. I found there were grade levels for these things but there was so much variability in what I saw (not a lot mind you) that it wasn't too helpful. Instead, I decided to write the piece, then let someone with experience in those fields tell me who they though this would be appropriate for. The main thing is, you don't want to write something in alternating 11/16 and 7/8 and only use C major. You kind of want to keep the difficulty level consistent (like I hate playing through a piece that's stupid easy then suddenly you get this one impossible passage - it prevents anyone who could play 99% of the piece from being able to play the whole piece! Not very effective if you want to get your pieces played!!!). Steve |
