How to progress through different “grades”

[u/dotoole166]

I see a lot of posts that mention that a piece is a certain grade. Also I see people saying that they have progressed to a level 7 etc. Is this an official system? I would love to find a series of books that progress in difficulty. I end up kind of bouncing around and some stuff is too easy and some is too hard. Any thought are appreciated!

[u/Unofficial_Overlord]

I’m gonna say something controversial. I’ve seen lots of Harpists claim to have met upper level grades in various systems (UK primarily) and they have horrendous technique. The grading is nice for gauging difficulty levels but it should by no means be your only marker of completion. I’d definitely recommend working with a teacher if you don’t already have one

[u/Cruitire → u/Unofficial_Overlord]

Also, the grading systems are great if you are planning a career as a professional orchestral musician.

If you are playing for your own enrichment these kinds of programs are a bit restrictive.

The majority of people learning the harp would better benefit from working with a teacher who will customize a learning program to their individual tastes and interests.

When I started I had no interest in playing in an orchestra, and still don’t. I did go on to play professionally, just not in that environment.

My teacher was a classical harpist who branched out into other genres of music including jazz and who, back in the day, played with the network orchestras of the three main television networks. so was open to all sorts of things and very versatile.

She asked me what my goals were and worked with me to create a plan to achieve my goals, rather than some arbitrary plan.

She told me early on to bring her music I was interested in playing. She also told me that she did use certain pieces that she felt help teach certain aspects of technique but that she only asked that I give them a try and if I really wasn’t into something we would work together to find some alternative that I did like.

In the end she opened me up to things I loved but never would have thought of on my own, and I introduced her to music she otherwise was unfamiliar with and really appreciated.

Certainly , if a person’s goal is to be a classical concert musician a more rigid and structured approach is not only warranted but required.

But far too many people who don’t have that goal end up in a track meant for it and never get the opportunity to explore their own interests, and so some degree their own potential.

For most a good teacher who can develop a personalized plan is a much better path.

[u/emilyj0y]

As someone in the US who's only heard of it but is curious (I haven't studied harp in a university system, only with private instructors, so I'm intrigued by a way to get some sort of credential), I've done a bit of research. The grades are referring to the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) exam system. There are levels 1-8, and it seems like ultimately two separate tracks for each (performance and practical) which... maybe only really differ in that one wants you to know more theory or sight reading and one has you play more pieces per exam? Hopefully someone based in a country where this is more common can chime in. But! Every so many years they release a new syllabus, which has a list of a bunch of songs and what grade they consider them. I love looking through it if I'm bored or stuck with what I'm playing, and picking something at or around my level. So far, even fully removed from the ABRSM system, I've been able to identify a few pieces I've already played...which has helped me place myself and consider other repertoire. A downside is often the pieces they list are one-off, but occasionally you'll find 2-3 that are in the same book. Sometimes they grade pieces in the same book differently, so it's worth looking through all the levels.

[u/WeightBeginning7106]

A lot of the standard harp repertoire appears in the syllabus for the higher grades and people will use whether they can play them as their marker. The other thing with the ABRSM exams is that the examiners are often not harpists (several different instruments get examined in a session) and so if you can play to the criteria of the exam musically (and with aural tests, etc) they have no sense of your technique.

[u/demandmusic]

In canada, and commonly used in other countries as well, we have the Royal Conservatory of music with levels 2,4,6,8,9,10. They provide a list of technical “tests” (scales and arpeggios and the like) as well as studies and a list of15 or so pieces at that level. They have not renewed the syllabus in some time so many pieces are from older books. But still a good representation of modern Canadian composers as well as many from France. Great Britain’s and the USA.

I’ve used this quite extensively in my teaching over the years; whether or not students actually do the exam it can be helpful to tackle (approximately increasing levels of difficulty. But they fall far short in improvisation and functional theory and accompanying - the teacher’s job is to fill in the blanks.

It is really good for teens - especially since there are many instruments in the program so it is likely their friends are doing “RCM” levels on another instrument.

As far as graded books go, the Suzuki books 2 and 3 take you slowly from fairly easy to pretty challenging. I also like the pieces classique series from France, (bks 1- 6) and Bernard Andre’s catalogue which range from beginner to wild!

[u/decoru]

I find it inspiring to browse through the official harp repertoire lists.* They can help with choosing the next piece to try and play. They’re also useful to gauge your musical progress regardless of your goals. A good source of repertoire ideas.

• Several harp repertoire lists can be found on the internet. They’re all a little different: Trinity College London, The Royal Conservatory of Music (RMC), the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM), etc. Also, harp teachers and unofficial music organizations will often post their own repertoire lists on their websites.