Grade 6

At Grade 6, you can learn how to feather the bass drum and improvise a solo. You’ll perform three songs and build on your Grade 5 Session skills.

Choose your songs from our song list, including one of the Technical focus songs that develop particular skills. There’s an option for you to play your own cover version of a song or, if you’re a songwriter, one of your own songs.

You’ll find more information about how the exam works in the syllabus. 

Grade 6 Drums song list

The Grade 6 Drums songbook includes everything you need for the exam – sheet music for six songs, performance tips, technical support and guidance on Session skills, together with a CD of demo and backing tracks.

• Funky Drummer (Technical focus) James Brown
• Pencil Full Of Lead (Technical focus) Paolo Nutini
• Run To The Hills Iron Maiden
• Scratch Your Name The Noisettes
• Use Somebody Kings Of Leon
• Won't Get Fooled Again The Who

Session skills

Players choose Playback or Improvising.

Playback

You’ll perform some music you haven’t seen or heard – you can sight-read from a song chart or play by ear from an audio track, or both.

Improvising

You’ll be given a song chart with chord symbols and song style and will improvise over a backing track.

Songs:    Funky Drummer, Pencil Full Of Lead, Run To The Hills, Scratch Your Name, Use Somebody, Won't Get Fooled Again

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