Rockschool (RSL Awards) Electric Guitar
Rockschool Electric guitar grades
Rockschool exams are built around playing real music. There are two ways to take them: the Performance Certificate, where the whole exam is playing — and the full Graded exam, which adds technical work and supporting tests. I usually start students on the Performance route, because it keeps the focus on sounding great, then move up to Graded exams when they want the extra challenge.
Performance Certificate
Start hereAll playing, no supporting tests — the route I recommend first
The student performs five pieces, start to finish, along to backing tracks. There are no scales, ear tests or musicianship questions — it is judged purely on the performance, exactly like playing a short set.
Graded exam
The full syllabus — performance plus technical work
The classic Rockschool grade. Three pieces plus technical exercises, a supporting test and ear tests. Grades 6 to 8 carry UCAS points, and it builds the underlying technique fastest.
I run these as digital exams by default — recorded in the lesson and submitted to RSL — unless a student would rather sit an in-person exam, which I'm happy to arrange.
Rockschool ElectricDebut
The very first step — simple riffs, single notes and two-string power chords.
Set pieces(14)
- 101
- Ain't No Sunshine— Bill Withers Video
- Another Brick In The Wall— Pink Floyd Video
- Another Dime Video
- Beat The Mersey Video
- Cashville
- Fortunate Son— Creedence Clearwater Revival Video
- Helicopter
- Hello— Adele
- Hey Joe— Jimi Hendrix Video
- Hoochie Coochie Man— Muddy Waters
- Spike
- Stand By Me— Ben E King
- Stay With Me— Sam Smith
Rockschool ElectricGrade 1
Full power chords, simple open chord changes and a first taste of soloing.
Set pieces(12)
- Basket Case— Green Day
- Dakota— Stereophonics
- Fab Stomp
- Get Off
- Green Onions— Booker T & The MGs
- ICAUFO
- Just Don't Know
- Krauss Country
- My Girl— The Temptations
- Rolling In The Deep— Adele
- The Man Who Can't Be Moved
- Umbra Bella
Rockschool ElectricGrade 2
Barre chords appear, plus faster riffs and your first bends.
Set pieces(12)
- Bonecrusher
- Buzz Saw
- Cissy Strut— The Meters
- Cranked
- Domino— Jessie J
- Helter Skelter— The Beatles
- Hit It Harder
- Rock 'N' Roll Train
- Ska'd For Life
- Sweet Soul Music— Arthur Conley
- The Faith Divide
- What Makes You Beautiful— One Direction
Rockschool ElectricGrade 3
Moveable shapes across the neck and more expressive lead playing.
Set pieces(12)
- (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay— Otis Redding
- Fallout
- I Knew You Were Trouble— Taylor Swift
- Indecisive
- Maiden Voyage
- Old Bones Blues
- Overrated
- Proud Mary— Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Reggae Island
- Smells Like Teen Spirit— Nirvana
- Summer Of '69— Bryan Adams
- Thinking Out Loud— Ed Sheeran
Rockschool ElectricGrade 4
The first of the higher grades — stamina, accuracy and tone all count.
Set pieces(12)
- Base Jumper
- Carbon Footprint
- Circus Experience
- Crop Duster
- Dirt Wizard
- Funkometer
- I Need You— Lynyrd Skynyrd
- My Thang— James Brown
- Our Generation— John Legend and The Roots
- Shut Up And Dance— Walk The Moon
- The Thrill Is Gone— B B King
- Treasure— Bruno Mars
Rockschool ElectricGrade 5
A recognised milestone — worth UCAS points and a real sense of achievement.
Set pieces(12)
- Do Balanço
- Geek
- Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be— AC/DC
- Lay Down Sally— Eric Clapton
- Lose Yourself (Live)
- Love On Top— Beyoncé
- People Say— The Meters
- Pick Up The Pieces— Average White Band
- Rollin'
- Slam Dunk Funk
- Smack Talk
- Tiberius
Rockschool ElectricGrade 6
Performance-level playing with real interpretive freedom.
Set pieces(12)
- Blue Espresso
- Cramp Your Style— Breakestra
- Cranial Contraption
- Crossroads— Cream
- Favela
- Fell On Black Days— Soundgarden
- I Wanna be Your Lover— Prince
- If I Ain't Got You (Live)
- Mohair Mountain
- Striped Shirt
- That Sounds Like Noise
- The Real Thing/The Way (Live)
Rockschool ElectricGrade 7
Advanced technique combined with genuine musical maturity.
Set pieces(12)
- Are You Gonna Go My Way— Lenny Kravitz
- Broadway And 9th
- Cause We've Ended As Lovers— Jeff Beck
- Chaos Pad
- Natchez Trace
- Reunion— Lettuce
- Soma
- Sultans Of Swing— Dire Straits
- The Pants Era
- Times Square
- Umbrella— Rihanna
- Walk This Way— Run DMC
Rockschool ElectricGrade 8
The top grade — professional-level technique, tone and stagecraft.
Set pieces(12)
- Country Boy— Albert Lee
- Cry Me A River (Live iTunes Festival 2013)
- Dark Matter
- Die To Live— Steve Vai
- Freightshaker
- Kid Charlemagne— Steely Dan
- Lead Sheet
- Meet Darth Ear
- Mind The Gaps
- Native Sons— Snarky Puppy
- Nosso Samba
- Spanish Joint— D'Angelo