Performance Pieces

Candidates must prepare a total of three pieces for a Grade Exam and five pieces for a Performance Certificate.

The ten songs at grade 7 are:

Featured Repertoire:

• Chaka Khan – Ain’t Nobody
• Free – Alright Now
• Hamzaa – Sunday Morning
• Muse – Feeling Good
• Gregory Porter – Hey Laura
• Sarah Vaughan – Invitation
• Etta James – Something’s Got a Hold on Me
• Hozier – Movement
• Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love
• Jeff Buckley – Lover, You Should’ve Come Over

Technical Exercises

Please note: The following information relates to the new 2021 Vocals syllabus launched in September 2021. For exam information relating to the 2014 – 2021 Vocals syllabus, please download the syllabus specification at the base of this page!

There are five groups of technical exercises at this grade: Scales, Arpeggios, Intervals, Backing Vocals and Stylistic Studies. The scale, arpeggio and intervals are to be performed to a click track, the backing vocals and stylistic study to backing tracks. Unless specified otherwise, the exercises may be performed using any vocal sound except humming or whistling.

GROUP A – Scales

Candidates are to perform the following scale, as written in the grade book:

Scale: Harmonic minor scale
Starting note: Candidate’s choice
Range: 1 octave
Tempo: 100bpm
Accompaniment: Click track

The examiner will ask the candidate which starting note they have chosen (the examiner can play starting notes in the range A3–G#4, but candidates may sing in any octave). Candidates will hear the starting note, followed by a 1-bar count in, before performing the test to the metronome click.

Group B: Arpeggios

Candidates are to perform the following arpeggio, as written in the grade book:

Arpeggio: Augmented arpeggio
Starting note: Candidate’s choice
Range: 1 octave
Tempo: 100bpm
Accompaniment: Click track

The examiner will ask the candidate which starting note they have chosen (the examiner can play starting notes in the range A3–G#4, but candidates may sing in any octave). Candidates will hear the starting note, followed by a 1-bar count in, before performing the test to the metronome click.

Group C – Intervals

Candidates are to prepare both of the following interval sequences, as written in the grade book. The examiner will ask for one of them to be performed in the exam:

Major 3rds and major 2nds
Starting note: Candidate’s choice
Tempo: 90bpm
Accompaniment: Click track

Minor 3rds and minor 2nds
Starting note: Candidate’s choice
Tempo: 90bpm
Accompaniment: Click track

The examiner will ask the candidate which starting note they have chosen (the examiner can play starting notes in the range A3–G#4, but candidates may sing in any octave). Candidates will hear the starting note, followed by a 1-bar count in, before performing the test to the metronome click.

Group D – Backing Vocals

Candidates are to perform one of the two backing vocals exercises given in the grade book. Each exercise in the book has three notated vocal parts — candidates must prepare all of these for their chosen exercise. The examiner will ask which exercise the candidate has prepared, they will then select one of the vocal parts for the candidate to perform (the other two notated parts will be included on the backing track). Candidates will hear the root note, followed by a 4-beat count in, before performing the test to the backing track.

Group E – Stylistic Studies

Candidates are to perform one of the eight stylistic studies given in the grade book. The studies are divided into the four distinct genre groups below, with two options for each genre group:

• Pop and Musical Theatre
• Soul and Contemporary R&B
• Jazz and Blues
• Rock and Indie

The examiner will ask which genre group and which study the candidate has prepared (study 1 or study 2). Candidates may sing in any octave but the studies cannot be transposed to a different key. Candidates will hear the root note, followed by a 4-beat count in, before performing the test to the backing track. Note that the choice of genre group for this test will determine the style of the Quick Study Piece the examiner will select in the exam.

Supporting Tests

Please note: The following information relates to the new 2021 Vocals syllabus launched in September 2021. For exam information relating to the 2014 – 2021 Vocals syllabus, please download the syllabus specification at the base of this page!

Quick Study Piece

Requirements

Candidates will be given a short previously unseen piece to perform, the style of which will be one of the two from the genre group that candidates chose for their stylistic study. The piece will be 12 bars long, in any major or minor key up to four sharps/flats, covering a range of up to a 10th. In bars 1 to 4 candidates will sing the written melody and lyrics; in bars 5 to 8 candidates will improvise a variation on the first 4 bars, developing the melody and lyrics as they wish; in bars 9 to 12 candidates will improvise a melody using any vocal sound except humming or whistling. The tempo will be 70–160bpm.

Preparation

Candidates will be asked whether they would like a higher-pitched test or a lower-pitched test. Candidates will by played a full mix version of the track, including the notated parts. They will then be given 3 minutes to practise, after which they will perform the test. Before the practice time begins, candidates will be given the choice of a metronome click throughout or having a 4-beat count in at the beginning. Whichever option candidates choose, the practice time will start with the examiner playing the root note. The root note will be played again halfway through the practice time.

Performance

After the practice time, the backing track will be played twice more with the notated parts now absent. The first time is for candidates to rehearse and the second time to perform the final version for the exam. Only the performance over the final playthrough will be assessed. Each playthrough will begin with the root note and a 4-beat count in. The backing track is continuous throughout, so once the first playthrough has finished, the root note and count in of the second playthrough will start immediately.

Ear Tests

Candidates will be given both of the following ear tests, examples of which are included in the grade book:

• Test 1: Melodic Recall
• Test 2: Harmony Vocals

Test 1: Melodic Recall

• Requirements: The examiner will play a melody. Candidates will then sing back the melody to a drum backing, using any vocal sound except humming or whistling. The melody will be a 2-bar diatonic melody in the key of B major or E natural minor, starting on the root note or the 5th. Candidates may sing in any octave. The melody may contain half notes, dotted half notes, quarter notes, dotted quarter notes, eighth notes, dotted eighth notes and sixteenth notes and will contain rests. The tempo will be 90bpm.
• Process: The test will be played twice, each time preceded by a 4-beat count in. There will be a short gap after each playthrough. After the gap following the second playthrough candidates will be given a vocal count in, after which they should play the melody back to the drum backing.

Test 2: Harmony Vocals

• Requirements: The examiner will play a 4-bar melody. Candidates will be asked to harmonise the melody a diatonic 3rd or 4th above, using the same rhythm and lyrics. The melody will be based on diatonic chords. The tempo will be 90–130bpm.
• Process: Candidates will be asked whether they would like a higher-pitched test or a lower-pitched test. The higher-pitched test will be in A major or E minor (Option 1), the lower-pitched test in E major or B minor (Option 2). They will be given the lyrics for their test. The test will be played twice, each time preceded by the root note and a 4-beat count in. There will be a short gap after each playthrough. After the gap following the second playthrough candidates will be given a vocal count in, after which they should sing their harmony line. The length of time available after the second playthrough is pre-recorded on the audio track so the vocal count in may begin while the candidate is still practising.

General Musicianship Questions

Candidates will be asked five questions. Three of these will be music knowledge questions, based on any one of the pieces performed in the exam, the fourth will be about improvisation, and the fifth will be about knowledge of the candidate’s own voice or the microphone. Candidates can use brief demonstrations to support their verbal explanations.

Part 1: General Music Knowledge
There will be three music knowledge questions in relation to one of the pieces performed in the exam. Candidates will be asked which piece they would like to be asked about. If the candidate’s copy of the chosen piece contains extensive handwritten notes the examiner may either use their own version of the score as the basis for the questions or they may request that candidates select a different piece.

Candidates may be asked to identify:

• Identify and explain any two sections of notation
• Identify and explain any interval up to a octave between two adjacent notes (including stating major, minor or perfect)

Part 2: Improvisation
Candidates will be asked to briefly describe and demonstrate their approach to how they would improvise any part of the song, making reference to melody, rhythm, phrasing, dynamics and expression. Candidates can choose the part of the song.

Part 3: Knowledge of the Voice and the Microphone
There will be one question about the candidate’s knowledge of their voice or the microphone, chosen by the examiner from the list below. Candidates may be asked:

• What type of exercise might you use to practise ‘flipping between registers’, including the pitches you would use in the exercise for your voice?
• Can you give two examples of vocal effects that you might employ while singing in a rock style?
• Can you explain the difference between ‘warm-ups’ and ‘technical practice’, including one example of the type of exercise used for each?
• What equalization settings might you use to correct a singer with a very ‘nasal’ sound?