Rockschool Ukulele Grade 7 – (2020)

Overview

Rockschool Ukulele Grade 7 (2020) is the official Grade 7 examination book from RSL Awards, designed for late-intermediate ukulele players progressing towards advanced study.

The book combines six contemporary performance pieces with a demanding technical programme and supporting examination material. At this level, students are expected to demonstrate greater fluency, stylistic awareness, musical expression and independent interpretation, while handling more advanced harmonic and technical concepts.

Key Features

• Official Rockschool Ukulele 2020 Grade 7 syllabus

• Six benchmarked contemporary performance pieces

• Repertoire covering pop, jazz, soul, rock and specialist ukulele styles

• Professional backing tracks and downloadable audio

• Fact Files and Track Walkthroughs

• Four groups of technical work: Scales, Arpeggios, Chords and Stylistic Studies

• Quick Study Piece as the unseen performance test

• Ear Tests developing melodic and harmonic recall

• General Musicianship Questions

• Suitable for Grade Exam and Performance Certificate preparation

Featured Repertoire

The six Grade 7 performance pieces are:

• If I Ain't Got You – Alicia Keys

• Satin Doll – Lyle Ritz

• Atlantis – Taimane Gardner

• What Is Hip? – Tower of Power

• Toxicity – System of a Down

• Desafinado – Antônio Carlos Jobim

The repertoire spans contrasting musical approaches, from jazz and Brazilian music to funk, rock and contemporary pop. Grade 7 pieces are also longer, typically up to around three minutes, giving students greater scope to demonstrate musical interpretation and performance control.

What Students Will Develop

Students will develop:

• Advanced rhythmic coordination and control

• Greater fluency across the fingerboard

• Extended chord and harmonic vocabulary

• Modal and scale knowledge

• Advanced arpeggio technique

• Campanella playing

• More sophisticated strumming and picking

• Stylistic awareness across contrasting genres

• Greater control of tone, dynamics and articulation

• Individual musical interpretation

• Melodic and harmonic aural recognition

• Confidence performing technically demanding contemporary repertoire

Technical Exercises

Grade 7 technical work is divided into four groups:

Group A – Scales

The syllabus introduces advanced modal and positional work, including:

• Lydian

• Phrygian

• Phrygian dominant

• B♭ major in 6ths

• B♭ natural minor in 6ths

• E Dorian in campanella style

• E natural minor in campanella style

• Melodic minor on one string

• Chromatic scale on one string

The required technical work is performed at the specified 100 bpm, using eighth-note rhythms.

Group B – Arpeggios

Grade 7 expands harmonic vocabulary with:

• Major 9

• Minor 9

• Dominant 9

• D diminished 7

• D minor 7♭5

• C dominant 7 add 4

• E dominant 7 add 4

Several exercises require multiple positions or playing across all four strings.

Group C – Chords

Students work with extended chord types including:

• Dominant 9

• Minor 9

• Major 9

• Harmonised F major scale using extended chord voicings

The chord work develops both harmonic understanding and practical fingerboard knowledge.

Group D – Stylistic Studies

Students select and prepare a stylistic study from one of three areas:

• Rock and Pop

• Soul, Jazz and Blues

• Ukulele Specialist

This section requires students to demonstrate technique within an appropriate musical style rather than treating technical exercises as isolated patterns.

Product Details

• Brand: Rockschool / RSL Awards

• Series: Rockschool Ukulele

• Instrument: Ukulele

• Level: Late Intermediate

• Book: Grade 7

• Syllabus: 2020

• Publisher: Rockschool / RSL Awards

• Publication Year: 2020

• Pages: 68

• Includes: Performance pieces, technical exercises and supporting tests

• Audio: Digital / downloadable audio and backing tracks