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Overview
Rockschool Ukulele Grade 8 (2020) is the highest graded level in the Rockschool 2020 Ukulele syllabus, designed for advanced players who have developed strong technical fluency, musical understanding and stylistic control.
The book combines six contemporary performance pieces, advanced technical exercises, Quick Study Pieces, Ear Tests and General Musicianship Questions. At this level, students are expected to demonstrate confident performance, sophisticated musical interpretation and strong individual expression across contrasting styles.
Key Features
Official Rockschool Ukulele 2020 Grade 8 syllabus
Six benchmarked contemporary performance pieces
Repertoire covering rock, metal, jazz, pop and specialist ukulele styles
Professionally recorded backing tracks and full recordings
Band and artist Fact Files with recommended listening
In-depth Track Walkthroughs
Advanced technical work covering Scales, Arpeggios, Chords and Stylistic Studies
Quick Study Pieces
Melodic and harmonic Ear Tests
General Musicianship Questions
Complete preparation material for the Grade 8 examination
Featured Repertoire
The six Grade 8 performance pieces are:
Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen / arrangement associated with Jake Shimabukuro
Fire – Taimane Gardner
Cinema Paradiso (Love Theme) – Pat Metheny
Holier Than Thou – Metallica
Rather Be – Clean Bandit
Spain – Chick Corea
The repertoire spans very different musical approaches, from rock and metal to jazz, contemporary pop, film music and specialist ukulele performance. This gives advanced players opportunities to demonstrate both technical command and stylistic interpretation.
What Students Will Develop
Students will develop:
Advanced technical fluency across the fingerboard
Complex rhythmic coordination
Extended chord and harmonic vocabulary
Advanced scale and arpeggio knowledge
Altered-chord awareness
Campanella technique and positional control
Playing in sixths
Greater control of tone, articulation and dynamics
Advanced stylistic interpretation
Melodic and harmonic aural recognition
Independent musical expression
Confidence performing demanding contemporary repertoire
At Grade 8, the syllabus describes the expected playing as highly developed, with strong individuality and a high level of musical communication.
Technical Exercises
Grade 8 technical work is divided into four groups.
Group A – Scales
Advanced material includes:
Altered scale material
Chromatic scale on one string
E Phrygian mode in campanella style
C Major in sixths on strings 3 and 4
Major, natural minor, melodic minor and harmonic minor linear scales
Campanella versions of selected scales from previous grades
The Grade 8 exercises are performed at 100 bpm, generally using eighth-note rhythms.
Group B – Arpeggios
Students work on advanced harmonic structures including:
Dominant 7♯5
Dominant 7♭5
Dominant 7♭9
Minor/Major 9
E minor 6
G minor 7
Several exercises require preparation from multiple root notes and across the four strings.
Group C – Chords
The Grade 8 chord section focuses on altered dominant harmony, including:
F dominant 7♯5
F dominant 7♭5
C dominant 7♯9
C dominant 7♭9
Students must demonstrate accurate voicing, chord changes and rhythmic control according to the syllabus requirements.
Group D – Stylistic Studies
Students select and prepare a stylistic study from the designated style groups and perform it with the backing track. The selected style also determines the style of the Quick Study Piece, linking technical preparation directly to stylistic performance.
Product Details
Brand: Rockschool / RSL Awards
Series: Rockschool Ukulele
Instrument: Ukulele
Level: Advanced
Book: Grade 8
Syllabus: 2020
Publisher: Rockschool / RSL Awards
Publication Year: 2020
Pages: 76
Includes: Performance pieces, technical exercises and supporting tests
Audio: Online / downloadable audio and backing tracks
Overview
Rockschool Ukulele Grade 8 (2020) is the highest graded level in the Rockschool 2020 Ukulele syllabus, designed for advanced players who have developed strong technical fluency, musical understanding and stylistic control.
The book combines six contemporary performance pieces, advanced technical exercises, Quick Study Pieces, Ear Tests and General Musicianship Questions. At this level, students are expected to demonstrate confident performance, sophisticated musical interpretation and strong individual expression across contrasting styles.
Key Features
Official Rockschool Ukulele 2020 Grade 8 syllabus
Six benchmarked contemporary performance pieces
Repertoire covering rock, metal, jazz, pop and specialist ukulele styles
Professionally recorded backing tracks and full recordings
Band and artist Fact Files with recommended listening
In-depth Track Walkthroughs
Advanced technical work covering Scales, Arpeggios, Chords and Stylistic Studies
Quick Study Pieces
Melodic and harmonic Ear Tests
General Musicianship Questions
Complete preparation material for the Grade 8 examination
Featured Repertoire
The six Grade 8 performance pieces are:
Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen / arrangement associated with Jake Shimabukuro
Fire – Taimane Gardner
Cinema Paradiso (Love Theme) – Pat Metheny
Holier Than Thou – Metallica
Rather Be – Clean Bandit
Spain – Chick Corea
The repertoire spans very different musical approaches, from rock and metal to jazz, contemporary pop, film music and specialist ukulele performance. This gives advanced players opportunities to demonstrate both technical command and stylistic interpretation.
What Students Will Develop
Students will develop:
Advanced technical fluency across the fingerboard
Complex rhythmic coordination
Extended chord and harmonic vocabulary
Advanced scale and arpeggio knowledge
Altered-chord awareness
Campanella technique and positional control
Playing in sixths
Greater control of tone, articulation and dynamics
Advanced stylistic interpretation
Melodic and harmonic aural recognition
Independent musical expression
Confidence performing demanding contemporary repertoire
At Grade 8, the syllabus describes the expected playing as highly developed, with strong individuality and a high level of musical communication.
Technical Exercises
Grade 8 technical work is divided into four groups.
Group A – Scales
Advanced material includes:
Altered scale material
Chromatic scale on one string
E Phrygian mode in campanella style
C Major in sixths on strings 3 and 4
Major, natural minor, melodic minor and harmonic minor linear scales
Campanella versions of selected scales from previous grades
The Grade 8 exercises are performed at 100 bpm, generally using eighth-note rhythms.
Group B – Arpeggios
Students work on advanced harmonic structures including:
Dominant 7♯5
Dominant 7♭5
Dominant 7♭9
Minor/Major 9
E minor 6
G minor 7
Several exercises require preparation from multiple root notes and across the four strings.
Group C – Chords
The Grade 8 chord section focuses on altered dominant harmony, including:
F dominant 7♯5
F dominant 7♭5
C dominant 7♯9
C dominant 7♭9
Students must demonstrate accurate voicing, chord changes and rhythmic control according to the syllabus requirements.
Group D – Stylistic Studies
Students select and prepare a stylistic study from the designated style groups and perform it with the backing track. The selected style also determines the style of the Quick Study Piece, linking technical preparation directly to stylistic performance.
Product Details
Brand: Rockschool / RSL Awards
Series: Rockschool Ukulele
Instrument: Ukulele
Level: Advanced
Book: Grade 8
Syllabus: 2020
Publisher: Rockschool / RSL Awards
Publication Year: 2020
Pages: 76
Includes: Performance pieces, technical exercises and supporting tests
Audio: Online / downloadable audio and backing tracks
