# Royal Conservatory of Music levels?



## SnowfaLL

Im curious, and maybe this only applies to Canadians (not sure if its the same in US) but I might apply to a classical university in the future which pretty much requires at least a grade 6-8 classical guitar RCM level..

Anyone who took the levels so far, can you explain a bit of the syllabus to me? Like what is needed to accomplish the levels. I am probably going to go buy the grade 6 book sometime, but I dont plan on being near any music shops within the next week or so, so I figured id see if anyone around here had an idea of the requirements for the grades.

Thanks.


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## zak

basically grades 1-4 are developing and implementing basic technique within pieces (obviously getting more progressive as the grades go on). Grade 5 is a bit of a step up from some grade 4 material.

Grade 6 is really where the standard repertoire kicks in. Harder then grade 5 (obviously! haha)

Grade 7-8 is where the stuff gets interesting and requires a lot of work. 9-10 is even funner, but you have to get through the other stuff first!

So basically, the groups are 1-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10


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## Trespass

Zak is correct. I'm doing my Gr. 10 piano, and it features some full on concert repertoire. I can't speak for guitar, but for violin and piano, if you JUST have your Gr. 8, that will be enough to get in, and enough for a general BA in music. Generally you are expected to be stronger than that. A violinist friend of mine is doing 3 Gr. 10 pieces for his audition, I'm preparing a few Gr. 10 pieces for mine, to get into a honors piano performance degree (or something similar) at Western or University of Toronto.

But if your serious, you will be competing against some of the most jaw dropping talents you'll see. It's the dumping ground of the private schools, youth orchestras, prodigies, "that one immensely talented guy you knew in highschool" etc.


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## zak

I find there is a difference between the grades for piano and guitar. With piano, you are not dealing with the hardest solo repertoire written for the instrument, as with guitar you are.

Many schools will look for piano students to have a grade 10 or even their AR certificate before accepting them, whereas guitar is usually around a 8 (which is probably equal to a piano grade 10 in technical demands on the instrument). 

With that in mind, the Bach Chaconne is rated AR, but so are some lute suite movements. That to me is silly, as the Chaconne in many regards could be the pinnacle of guitar repertoire. And the piece I find most mislabeled is the Innvocation and Danza. This piece scares almost everyone that comes across it, and when someone does take it up, you can tell they are putting everything into it (Barrueco and Russell for example)

Anywho, the person asking the question didn't need to hear my rant. But what you should know is that all the levels are only really relevant to where you're at. The people auditioning you would much rather you play a grade 6 or 7 piece very well, then listening to you struggle on a grade 8 piece.


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## SnowfaLL

Its a shame that the cheapest university and probably the best place to get my bach of Education in music in Canada, at Memorial in NFLD, is classical =[ I am finishing a 2 year jazz diplomia in Nova Scotia right now, so my theory and everything is pretty good, its just based on playing, I have little to no classical guitar experience, and because of that I either have to learn classical before going there, or pay 5 times the money to goto StFX and extra years for my bach of education.. Not fun.


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## Trespass

zak said:


> Many schools will look for piano students to have a grade 10 or even their AR certificate before accepting them, whereas guitar is usually around a 8 (which is probably equal to a piano grade 10 in technical demands on the instrument).



I don't mean to sound like a pedantic ass, BUT! Gr. 10 level material does have a large margin of concert repertoire, and _some_ of the hardest in the traditional sense pieces can be found there.

I say hardest in the traditional sense, since some contemporary pieces put absurd demands on the performer. And pianists, being the lonely, self-serving bunch they are, will be willing to spend excessive amounts of time to perfect these pieces


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## zak

Trespass said:


> I don't mean to sound like a pedantic ass, BUT! Gr. 10 level material does have a large margin of concert repertoire, and _some_ of the hardest in the traditional sense pieces can be found there.
> 
> I say hardest in the traditional sense, since some contemporary pieces put absurd demands on the performer. And pianists, being the lonely, self-serving bunch they are, will be willing to spend excessive amounts of time to perfect these pieces



[[/I]

I'm just coming from the point of view that many of Liszt's hardest pieces are not labeled as gr.10 or AR. But the Invocation and Danza by Rodrigo is a grade 10 guitar piece.


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