Don't fret! ABRSM's new Guitar syllabus

Saturday, September 1, 2018

Look out for the new ABRSM Guitar syllabus, available from 6 September. The syllabus, which comes into effect in 2019, offers a range of inspiring music for guitarists.

Pieces on the new syllabus include:

Classical favourites
New arrangements and specially commissioned pieces
Some of the most popular choices from the old syllabus

To accompany the new syllabus we are publishing Guitar Exam Pieces at Grades 1 to 5 for the first time. Each book contains a selection of syllabus pieces drawn from a wide range of styles, together with a CD recording of all the pieces for the grade. These easy-to-use books are convenient for both student and teacher and are great value for money.

In this edition of Music Teacher we are giving away a free copy of the piece ‘Vltava’ by Smetana, which features in our Guitar Exam Pieces book at Grade 4. It is a new arrangement by ABRSM guitar consultant Gary Ryan. Here are Gary's thoughts on the arrangement and some of his top tips for playing it:

‘The piece should be played smoothly and with fluidity to evoke the flow of a river (the Vltava is a river that runs through Smetana's home country of the Czech Republic). The arrangement will help students to develop their right-hand arpeggio technique so that the notes ring over each other clearly. They should also aim to project the melody from within the accompanying texture.

‘The harmony sits nicely under the fingers in the key of A minor with the root notes of the tonic, dominant and subdominant chords being open strings. Interestingly the piece is from the Romantic era with a nationalistic feel, but technically on the guitar it is not dissimilar to textures one might find in Classical studies by Giuliani or Sor.’

To watch Gary playing ‘Vltava’ and other pieces from the new syllabus visit our YouTube channel at youtube.com/abrsm

Supporting young learners

Guitar Star, also out 6 September, offers beginner guitarists a refreshing and inspirational selection of repertoire to help them develop their playing, including.

Engaging pieces from beginner level to Prep Test and beyond
Solo pieces, with some optional teacher duet parts
Play-along CD of creative backing tracks

Guitar Prep Test

The Prep Test is an ideal introduction to the ABRSM exam experience. It gives students a goal to work towards and a certificate on the day – something to be really proud of.

The Guitar Prep Test book has been completely refreshed for use from January 2019 onwards now. We have worked carefully with syllabus selectors to ensure that Guitar Prep Test is a perfect stepping-stone from beginner to Grade 1 standard.

The Guitar syllabus from 2019 – what you need to know

The syllabus comes into effect on 1 January 2019. Repertoire lists for all grades have been updated, but there are no changes to the scales, sight-reading or aural test requirements.

Candidates in the UK and Ireland who would like to play pieces from the previous syllabus can do so until 31 May 2019. Candidates in all other countries can use pieces from the previous syllabus until 31 December 2019.

Find out more and download the new syllabus from 6 September at gb.abrsm.org/en

Bedřich Smetana's Má vlast (My Fatherland) is a cycle of six symphonic poems for orchestra devoted to different aspects of the landscape, history and legends of the composer's native Bohemia. The second and most popular of the six, composed in 1874, traces the course of the country's principal river, the Vltava (in German, the Moldau), from its source and across the countryside until it flows majestically through the city of Prague. The river is represented throughout the work by a single theme, which appears here in an arrangement for solo guitar.