Rockschool: Band Based Keys - Grade 5

The Band Based Keys series is designed for players who want to be a part of a band. The repertoire in these books at Grade 3, 4 and 5 is drawn from Rockschool's highly successful Guitar, Bass and Drum syllabuses.

The Rockschool packs have standard notation plus a CD. We encourage everyone to be creative with the Rockschool tunes so feel free to improvise and adapt them to suit your playing style and musical approach.

Each book includes a CD with full stereo mixes of each tune with spoken two bar count ins for each piece.

Rockschool grade books have everything you need to prepare for Grade exams (for players who want to develop performance and technical skills) and Performance certificates (for players who want to perform in a range of styles)

Grade 5

This pack contains the tunes from Grade 5 in Level 2. This is for those who are confident in all the key skills on Band Based Keys and who are stepping up to more advanced skills and stylistic expression.

Pieces will be up to three minutes long and will be made up of structures that require a competent understanding of shape and phrasing. Players will demonstrate a good grasp of performance and communication through extended solo and improvised work and understanding of balance within a band context.

There will be considerable rhythmic development and a greater expectation of independence between the hands and the definition of more than one part in one hand. Chords will often consist of extensions and Players will demonstrate a musical understanding of balance and voicing. Stylistic awareness will be shown through good understanding of instrumental techniques and the understanding of playing techniques associated with them.

Patch changes will often be required in a short space of time and the player will demonstrate the ability to move between the technical demands with increasing confidence and security.

You will need: A keyboard with 61 keys with the following patches: acoustic piano, electric piano, organ, strings and synth. You will also need a sustain pedal.

Grade 5 BBK fits in with Rockschool's Guitar, Bass and Drums Syllabuses

Genres covered: Rockabilly, Funk, Pop, Brit Pop, Hard Rock, Blues