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wreckfan1 
Forum Groupie
Joined: May 04 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 45
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 Topic: Rockschool sold out?
Posted: October 02 2009 at 15:16 |
Me and my guitar teacher were looking over the grade 8 rockschool books from now and also looking at the old ones from a few years back.
It occured to me that the old books were far harder to play than these newer ones, I asked the teacher why this was so,
It turns out that Rockschool assessed the statistics of people entering for each of the grades and saw that fewer people were applying for grade 8 (as you would expect?). They realised that this must be because it was "too hard".
So rockschool decided to make a new syllabus were all the grades were easier, so that more people will take the exams and therefore they will get more money. So they've reduced the level of proficiency you actually need to be to be a grade 8 guitarist!
For most instruments you have to have played and practiced your instrument for at least five years or more to become grade 8, and because of that if you are grade 8 you can "play almost anything", whereas I know quite a few guitarists (myself included) who could easily pass the rockschool grade 8, yet struggle to play Yes or Dream Theater.
Your thoughts?
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Henry Plainview
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 26 2008
Location: Declined
Status: Offline
Points: 16715
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Posted: October 02 2009 at 17:25 |
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I have no idea what that is, but I don't see why it really matters. If you're better, go on to more advanced material...
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if you own a sodastream i hate you
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Repner
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 16 2007
Location: Scotland
Status: Offline
Points: 203
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Posted: October 05 2009 at 23:37 |
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I thought the exact same thing. Before I started it my guitar teacher photocopied a song from grade 8 guitar. I enjoyed it due to the need to practice some of the arpeggios required for that song.
Then the new books came out, and when I got them, I found there to be absolutely no challenge whatsoever. (not trying to be big headed or anything. Just found them dissapointing)
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Repner
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 16 2007
Location: Scotland
Status: Offline
Points: 203
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Posted: October 05 2009 at 23:38 |
 Henry Plainview wrote:
I have no idea what that is, but I don't see why it really matters. If you're better, go on to more advanced material... |
Grade 8 is the most advanced exam in Rockschool. After that you're looking at degrees
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Henry Plainview
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 26 2008
Location: Declined
Status: Offline
Points: 16715
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Posted: October 05 2009 at 23:53 |
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My point was to stop doing whatever it is Rockschool is and move on to something that doesn't have a stupid name.
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if you own a sodastream i hate you
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Repner
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 16 2007
Location: Scotland
Status: Offline
Points: 203
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Posted: October 06 2009 at 00:55 |
You're basing the seriousness on the name?  I'm not even going to start
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Petrovsk Mizinski
Prog Reviewer
Joined: December 24 2007
Location: Ukraine
Status: Offline
Points: 25210
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Posted: October 06 2009 at 01:01 |
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Henry, I like your posts 95 per cent of the time.
You're just being a dick now, stop it.
It's not like the OP has come in and started a thread asking "HOW DO FIND DREAM THEATER SHOES" or something similarly retarded.
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Henry Plainview
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 26 2008
Location: Declined
Status: Offline
Points: 16715
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Posted: October 06 2009 at 01:09 |
Repner wrote:
You're basing the seriousness on the name?  I'm not even going to start |
You're the one who said it wasn't serious enough.
Harry, maybe I am, but I still wonder why one would complain about something not being challenging enough when there is a nearly infinite amount of challenging music one could be playing besides that. Also, I am disappointed that googling Dream Theater shoes turned up nothing interesting.
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if you own a sodastream i hate you
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Repner
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 16 2007
Location: Scotland
Status: Offline
Points: 203
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Posted: October 06 2009 at 01:18 |
Henry Plainview wrote:
Repner wrote:
You're basing the seriousness on the name? I'm not even going to start |
You're the one who said it wasn't serious enough.
Harry, maybe I am, but I still wonder why one would complain about something not being challenging enough when there is a nearly infinite amount of challenging music one could be playing besides that. Also, I am disappointed that googling Dream Theater shoes turned up nothing interesting. |
When exactly? I said they're becoming far easier than before. But of course that doesn't matter. The qualifications don't count. The name is too silly
Edited by Repner - October 06 2009 at 01:18
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Henry Plainview
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 26 2008
Location: Declined
Status: Offline
Points: 16715
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Posted: October 06 2009 at 01:38 |
Repner wrote:
Henry Plainview wrote:
Repner wrote:
You're basing the seriousness on the name? I'm not even going to start |
You're the one who said it wasn't serious enough.
Harry, maybe I am, but I still wonder why one would complain about something not being challenging enough when there is a nearly infinite amount of challenging music one could be playing besides that. Also, I am disappointed that googling Dream Theater shoes turned up nothing interesting. |
When exactly? I said they're becoming far easier than before. But of course that doesn't matter. The qualifications don't count. The name is too silly
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Ok.
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if you own a sodastream i hate you
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wreckfan1
Forum Groupie
Joined: May 04 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 45
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Posted: October 07 2009 at 11:07 |
I didnt really mean that there too easy for me as such, I just find quite a few guitarists boasting about how they're grade 8 at guitar which "means they can play anything" when they would be more like grade 6 if they had done it a few years ago.
and to think that it was for money reasons makes it even worse, its like if a university made all their courses easier just so that more people apply, when all you really get is a lack of truly intellegent people
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The Pessimist
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 13 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 3834
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Posted: October 07 2009 at 11:52 |
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To be honest, it has NEVER been the case that if you are grade 8 in an instrument you can play almost anything. I'm about 3rd diploma standard classical piano (don't mean to brag or nothing but that is the highest, just for the sake of a point though) and I still wouldn't even dream of attempting Liszt's La Campanella Prelude Variations (possibly one of the hardest pieces ever written). I gave up on grades a long time ago for this very reason: they are simply a pastime that rewards you with a piece of paper. You can develop way more as a musician if you play things you think you are weakest at, not what "Rockschool" thinks you should play.
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"Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value."
Arnold Schoenberg
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sealchan
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 12 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 179
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Posted: October 07 2009 at 13:27 |
For those of us who are aliens living in a wormhole...
What is this...Rockschool?
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Rockschool sold out?
