Songs By Grade

This Monday stream was about song grades - what makes a song debut grade versus grade four or grade eight. I started by explaining how the new courses work: levels 1-3 are debut grade, 4-6 are grade one, 7-9 are grade two. This continues into intermediate where levels 1-3 are grade three, 4-6 are grade four, and 7-9 are grade five.

I demonstrated with Ain't No Sunshine using A minor pentatonic with one extra note - the major second - which creates the natural minor scale. I showed how the melody uses different pentatonic shapes across the neck and those bar chord reggae/soul strumming patterns.

"Candy" by Paolo Nutini came up as a grade four song - I showed how learning the root notes first with one finger makes power chord riffs much easier before adding the full power chords. The chorus changes from F# minor to A major, which gives it a lift without strictly changing key because they share the same three sharps.

I explained that songs are retrofitted to fit grades - Sweet Child O' Mine has grade two rhythm parts with power chords and open chords, but the solos are grade seven or eight. You don't need to be grade eight to be professional - look at Bonehead from Oasis who's basically a bar chord player but sold out stadiums.

I covered Changing Man (grade four), Purple Haze, Back in Black (grade five), and demonstrated fast picking technique on "Knights of Cydonia" by Muse. The trick isn't all about picking speed - it's hammer-ons and pull-offs. Pick one note, hammer on the next. Your right hand just does down-up-down-up while your left hand does the fast work.

Finished with "Stairway to Heaven" - the forbidden riff - showing how even though parts are easy, putting the whole song together makes it grade five or higher.