INTRODUCTION his publication is part of a progressive series of ten handbooks, primarily intended for candidates considering taking the London College Of Music examinations in classical guitar playing. However, given each handbook’s wide content of musical repertoire and associated educational ‘material, the series provides a solid foundation of musical education for any classical guitar student - whether intending to take an examination or not. Whilst the handbooks can be used for independent study, they are ideally intended as a supplement to individual or group tuition. Examination entry An examination entry form is provided at the rear of each handbook. This is the only valid entry form for the London College Of Music classical guitar examinations. Please note that ifthe entry form is detached and lost, it will not be replaced under any circumstances and the candidate will be required to obtain a replacement handbook to obtain another entry form. For candidates making online entries for classical guitar examinations, the handbook entry form must still be completed and must be submitted by post before the entry deadline to: UK and Ireland entries: LCM Exams, University of West London, St Mary's Road, Ealing, London, W5 SRF, UK. Entries not from the UK and Ireland: the completed entry form should be sent to your local LCM Exams Representative. Editorial information Examination performances must be from this handbook edition. All performance pieces should be played in full, including all repeats shown; the pieces have been edited specifically for examination use, with all non-tequired repeat markings omitted. ‘Tempos, fingering and dynamic markings are for general guidance only and need not be rigidly adhered to, providing an effective musical result is achieved. Pick-hand fingering is normally shown on the stem side of the notes p= thumb; i= index finger; m = middle finger; a = third finger. Frethand fingering is shown with the numbers 12 3 4, normally to the left of the notehead. O indicates an open string. String numbers are shown in a circle, normally below the note. For example, © = 6th string.TECHNICAL WORK he examiner will select some of the scales and chords shown below and ask the candidate to play them from memory. To allow for flexibility in teaching approaches, the fingering suggestions given below are not compulsory and alternative systematic fingerings, that are musically effective, will be accepted. Suggested tempos are for general guidance only; slightly slower or faster performances will be acceptable, providing that the tempo is evenly maintained. ‘Amaximum of 25 marks may be awarded in this section of the examination. Overall, the examiner will be listening for accurate, even and clear playing. Scales Scales should be played ascending and descending, i.e. from the lowest note to the highest and back again, without a pause and without repeating the top note. Suggested fret-hand fingering Is provided with the notation below. It is recommended that scales are picked using alternating i and m fingering. Either tirando (free stroke) or apoyando (rest stroke) can be used. At this level, scales should be played at an appropriate tempo of 112 beats per minute. € major scale - 1 octave G major scale - 1 octave 6 t —F Tp ; = o—] oa se ef j | ea | = t bene > 3 °o oe zs ® A harmonic minor scale - 1 octave E harmonic minor scale - 1 octave ® ; i ° ® yee? @ ov ® - ® Chords Chords should be played ascending only, and sounded string by stri note. To achieve a legato (i.e. smooth and over-ringing) sound, the whole chord shape should be fretted and kept on during playing. Chords should be played tirando, i.e. using free strokes. The recommended pick-hand fingering is p (thumb) for all bass strings, followed by /m a on the treble strings. Chords should be played at an appropriate tempo of 152 beats per minute. € major chord G major chord Aminor chord E minor chord 6 og? eer Lag ie oe 3 o wOZeDO « ® $200 s ® ere oll,PERFORMANCE andidates should play any two melodies from Group A, plus any one piece from Group B. A maximum of 60 marks may be awarded in this section of the examination - ie. up to 20 marks for each performance. Tempo markings are for general guidance only and do not need to be adhered to strictly. All repeat markings should be followed. Performance Tips Melodies: The melodies are all in the key of G major. This means that the notes contained in the melodies will all be taken from the G major scale, shown in the Technical Work section of this handbook; the only ‘exceptions being some notes that, whilst still within the key, are just beyond the range of the one ‘octave scale. It would be helpful preparation to thoroughly study the G major scale before starting to play any of these melodies. ‘+ Suggestions for fingering are given in the first few bars of each melody and after that only where necessary. + The first three melodies all include first and second time endings: the bars with a number 4 bracket above them should be omitted on the repeat playing and replaced with those starting below the number 2 bracket. ‘+ Spring should be performed with a confident approach to evoke the bright mood of the music. The Bach Minuet has a dance-like character that requires an even tempo. La Ci Darem La Mano is an arrangement of a vocal duet from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni and the melody can be played in a lyrical way. The William Tell theme needs to be played at a brisk tempo in order to capture the lively spirit of the piece. Malaguefa: + Don't be put off by the difficult-looking chords in the first two bars: both chords require only two fretted notes. Once you have learnt the chord shapes, they'll prove very useful - particularly as the first chord shape (E major) occurs many times throughout the piece as a ‘spread chord’, such as in bars 5 and 15. + Be careful not to rush the first few bars, or you'll find it very difficult to maintain the tempo once the quaver (eighth note) section begins from bar 15. ‘+ Inbars 15 to 22, the melody lies in the bass and should be played throughout with the thumb. The repeated open high E string is there just to give a sense of movement and contrast; it should not be played too loudly. + The key signature is A minor, although in this typical Spanish style the harmonic emphasis is on the dominant chord (E major).The Chase: + Throughout this piece the melody Is played on the bass strings with the thumb. The open high E string notes that occur are included purely for rhythmic effect and to add to the sense of movement within the piece. + The key signature is A minor. + The first 46 bars are marked to be played first loudly and then softly when they are repeated. ‘+ Atthe end of bar 32 the D.C. al Fine sign indicates that you should repeat from the beginning until the Fine (ending) sign at the end of bar 16. There is no need to repeat the first 16 bars again. In A Rush: ‘+ This piece should be performed at a fluent and regular tempo to capture its sense of momentum and excitement. + Observe the changes in dynamics, including the accented notes in bars 7 and 8, and the crescendo (gradual increase in volume) in bar 14. + Repeat dots show that the first 8 bars should be repeated. + The key signature is € major. Tension In The Air: + This piece begins with a slow bassline played over a repeated treble-string pattern consisting of alternation between the top two open strings. The first four bars should be repeated. + As the title suggests, the music should portray a sense of anxiety and foreboding. Use dynamic variation to try to emphasize this. + The accents on the chords in bars 5, 6 and 7 indicate that these should be played strongly to create a striking contrast against the quieter bass notes in those bars. ‘+ The key signature is E minor, although notes outside the key - F natural and B flat ~ are used to extend the harmonic range.(MUSIC IS ILLEGAL Spring [Group A] Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741) © Copyright 1997 by Registry Publications Minuet [Group A] (1685 - 1750) © Copyright 1997 by Registry PublicationsLa Ci Darem La Mano Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart [Group A] (1756 - 1791) «= 100 e © Copyright 2002 by Registry Publications William Tell Overture [Group A] Gioacchino Rossini (1792 - 1868) «= 152 . f © Copyright 1997 by Registry PublicationsMUS) (uerocorrine THs Malaguena [Group B] Traditional Spanish J=112 © Copyright 2002 by Registry Publications(aerocopmne ras (MUSIC IS ILLEGAL The Chase [Group B] Raymond Burley (1948 -) a Fine SUI Fu aI S SH) all FU! all all D.C. al Fine © Copyright 2006 by Raymond Burley. Reproduced by permission of the composer. 0(phorocopriNe rms) (aero orn In A Rush Franz Biederman (1958 -) s~9) © Copyright 2008 by Registry PublicationsTension In The Air [Group B] Tony Skinner (1960 -) +588 omy © Copyright 2008 by Registry PublicationsVIVA VOCE he examiner will ask questions, based on the music performed, to test the candidate's knowledge of the stave, bar lines, notes and rests, key and time signatures, accidentals and dynamics. The information below provides a summary of the information that is required. A maximum of 15 marks may be awarded in this section of the examination, The stave ‘The notes on the lines (E G B D F) can be remembered by making up an unusual phrase such as: Enormous Guitarists Break Dainty Footstools ‘The notes in the spaces between the lines form the word FACE. a A bar is a way of dividing music into manageable portions. it makes music easier to read and makes it easier to discover where the main beat lies. The end of each bar is indicated by a vertical line called a bar line. The space between each pair of bar lines, where the notes are written, is called a bar (also known as a measure). At the end of the last bar, or a section, of a plece of music there are two vertical lines. These are called a double bar lin« Bar lines . bar J bartine double bar ine Notes and rests ‘The table below shows the names of the notes and rests, and their values. (You can use either the traditional or modem terminology when identifying notes). Traditional name Modern name Note Rest Value in erotchet beats semibreve whole note ° = 4 dotted minim dotted half note d = 3 minim half note d = 2 erotchet quarter note z 1 quaver eighth note 7 Time signatures The numbers that appear at the beginning of a piece of music are called the time signature. The top ‘number shows the number of beats per bar, whilst the bottom number indicates the value of each beat. For example, { means four crotchet beats (i.e. four quarter notes) per bar, whilst j means three crotchet beats per bar. CG semertnensrrmr (GF eters prKey signatures € major or A minor e Where there is one sharp at the beginning of each stave of a piece of music, this indicates that the key is either G major or E minor. Where there is no visible key signature the key will be C major or A minor. G major or E minor You can sometimes establish whether the key is major or minor by looking at the first and final notes of the piece. For example, in a piece with a key signature of one sharp, if the first and last note is G (as in Spring ) then it is likely that the piece is in the key of G major, rather than E minor. ‘+ When one sharp occurs in a key signature it will always be on the top F line, and indicates that all F notes throughout the piece should be played as Fi. A sharp or flat that occurs during a piece of music, rather than as part of the key signature, is called an accidental. It has the effect of sharpening or flattening that note and any others at the same pitch within the same bar. It does not affect notes in the following bar. In the final bars of Tension In The Air a Bflat accidental note occurs. In the same piece a natural sign occurs in bar 6. The function of a natural sign is to cancel any preceding sharps or flats applied to that note. In this instance, the natural sign is. used to cancel the F sharp that appears in the key signature and consequently the F note in bar 6 should be played as F natural. Dynamic markings Dynamic markings indicate how softly or strongly to play: is short for piano - meaning''soft' (quiet). J is short for forte ~ meaning ‘strong’ (loud). ‘m is short for ‘mezzo’ (je. half) ~ meaning ‘moderately’. m does not occur on its own, but can be combined with f orp: mf means ‘moderately strong’, mp means ‘moderately soft’. This sign —————___ means crescendo (get louder). This sign ———— means diminuendo (get quieter). This sign > above a note or chord is an accent sign, which means the note(s) should be stressed.