Rockschool Guitar Grade 2 (2024)

Overview

Rockschool Guitar Grade 2 (2024) is a developing-level graded guitar resource for students who have established their basic playing skills and are ready to build stronger rhythm-guitar technique, scale knowledge, chord vocabulary and picking control.

The book contains nine performance pieces — six arrangements of well-known rock, pop and contemporary songs plus three Rockschool Originals — supported by technical exercises, sight reading or improvisation, ear tests and General Musicianship Questions. Downloadable audio provides practical support for learning, rehearsal and examination preparation.

RSL describes Grade 2 as suitable for players who have typically been learning for approximately one to eighteen months and have established the fundamental guitar skills from the earlier levels.

Key Features

• Official Rockschool Guitar 2024 Grade 2 resource

• 9 performance pieces

• 6 contemporary hit-tune arrangements

• 3 Rockschool Original compositions

• Major and natural minor scales

• Major and minor pentatonic scales

• Major 7th and minor 7th chords

• Power chords

• Arpeggiated chords

• Palm muting

• Alternate picking

• Pull-offs

• Shuffle feel

• Riff playing

• Playback and performance skills

• Band and artist Fact Files

• Recommended listening

• Downloadable audio

• Supporting tests for Grade 2 examination preparation

Featured Repertoire

Rockschool Guitar Hit Tunes

• Flowers – Miley Cyrus

• Keep On Running – The Spencer Davis Group

• Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson

• Go Your Own Way – Fleetwood Mac

• Bad Habits – Ed Sheeran

• Do I Wanna Know? – Arctic Monkeys

Rockschool Originals

• Headline Act

• Elevator Shoes

• Surfer Ticket

The repertoire spans contemporary pop, classic rock, blues-influenced material and alternative rock, giving students exposure to contrasting guitar sounds and playing approaches.

What Students Will Develop

Students will develop:

• Major and natural minor scale fluency

• Major and minor pentatonic vocabulary

• Power-chord technique

• Major and minor 7th chord vocabulary

• Arpeggiated chord playing

• Palm-muted rhythm guitar

• Alternate picking

• Pull-offs

• Shuffle rhythm feel

• Riff playing and transposition

• String-to-string coordination

• Rhythmic accuracy and synchronisation

• Playback and listening skills

• Basic improvisation

• Greater confidence playing with backing tracks

• Broader awareness of contemporary guitar styles

The Grade 2 material expands the student's playing beyond basic open chords and simple riffs by introducing more developed picking, chord and rhythm-guitar techniques.

Technical Exercises

Group A – Scales

At ♩ = 80 bpm, students prepare:

• C Major

• G Major

• A Natural Minor

• E Natural Minor

• C Minor Pentatonic

• G Minor Pentatonic

• C Major Pentatonic

• G Major Pentatonic

These exercises broaden the student's understanding of major, minor and pentatonic patterns across the fretboard.

Group B – Chords

Students prepare:

The chord work develops both movable power-chord technique and the ability to recognise and produce more developed chord qualities.

Group C – Riff

Students perform the Grade 2 riff with a backing track.

The riff introduced in the opening bars is repeated in the same shape against different root notes, developing basic riff transposition, fretboard awareness and rhythmic synchronisation.

Product Details

• Brand: Rockschool / RSL

• Series: Rockschool Guitar

• Instrument: Guitar

• Level: Grade 2

• Syllabus: 2024

• Publisher: Rockschool Ltd / RSL

• Publication Year: 2024

• Pages: 48

• Product Type: Graded Music Exam Book

• Format: Book & Audio Online

• Audio: Downloadable audio and supporting test material

• Language: English