Grade 2

At Grade 2, you can learn about playing a riff and about up-strokes and down-strokes. You’ll perform three songs and build on your Grade 1 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 2 Guitar song list

The Grade 2 Guitar 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. If you want to buy individual songs, choose them from the list below.

• 2, 4, 6, 8 Motorway Tom Robinson Band
• I Love Rock 'N' Roll Joan Jett And The Blackhearts
• Mean Jumper Blues (Technical focus) Blind Lemon Jefferson
• The Modern Age (Technical focus) The Strokes
• Pretty Vacant Sex Pistols
• Rock Around The Clock Bill Haley & His Comets

Grade 2 Guitar demo video

Session Skills

Players choose Playback or Improvising.

Playback

You’ll perform some music you haven’t seen or heard before – 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:  2, 4, 6, 8 Motorway, I Love Rock 'N' Roll, Mean Jumper Blues, The Modern Age, Pretty Vacant, Rock Around The Clock

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