Grade 4 Performance Pieces, Technical Exercises and In-Depth Guidance for Rockschool Examinations
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Introductions & Information Title Page Female Vocals Grade 4 Performance pieces, technical exercises and in-depth guidance for Rockschool examinations www.rslawards.com Acknowledgements Acknowledgements Published by Rockschool Ltd. © 2014 under license from Music Sales Ltd. Catalogue Number RSK091404R ISBN: 978-1-912352-26-5 This edition published July 2017 | Errata details can be found at www.rslawards.com AUDIO Backing tracks produced by Music Sales Limited Supporting test backing tracks recorded by Jon Musgrave, Jon Bishop and Duncan Jordan Supporting test vocals recorded by Duncan Jordan Supporting tests mixed at Langlei Studios by Duncan Jordan Mastered by Duncan Jordan MUSICIANS Neal Andrews, Lucie Burns (Lazy Hammock), Jodie Davies,Tenisha Edwards, Noam Lederman, Beth Loates-Taylor, Dave Marks, Salena Mastroianni, Paul Miro, Ryan Moore, Jon Musgrave, Chris Smart, Ross Stanley, T-Jay, Stacy Taylor, Daniel Walker PUBLISHING Compiled and edited by James Uings, Simon Troup, Stephen Lawson and Stuart Slater Internal design and layout by Simon and Jennie Troup, Digital Music Art Cover designed by Philip Millard, Philip Millard Design Fact Files written by Stephen Lawson, Owen Bailey and Michael Leonard Additional proofing by Chris Bird, Ronan Macdonald, Jonathan Preiss and Becky Baldwin Cover photography © Jason Squires / WireImage / Getty Images Full transcriptions by Music Sales Ltd. SYLLABUS Vocal specialists: Martin Hibbert and Eva Brandt Additional Consultation: Emily Nash, Stuart Slater and Sarah Page Supporting Tests Composition: Martin Hibbert, James Uings, Jon Musgrave, Jodie Davies, Ryan Moore, Chris Hawkins, Jonathan Preiss DISTRIBUTION Exclusive Distributors: Music Sales Ltd. CONTACTING ROCKSCHOOL www.rslawards.com Telephone: +44 (0)845 460 4747 Email: [email protected] RSL-121359032617 / 1 Louise Metcalfe [email protected] Female Vocals Grade 4 Grade Vocals Female 2 Table of Contents Table of Contents Introductions & Information 1 Title Page 2 Acknowledgements 3 Table of Contents 4 Welcome to Rockschool Female Vocals Grade 4 Rockschool Grade Pieces 5 Katie Melua ............................. ‘The Closest Thing To Crazy’ 11 Beyoncé .................................................................‘If I Were A Boy’ 19 Moulin Rouge! ................................... ‘One Day I’ll Fly Away’ 25 Adele ............................................................ ‘Rolling In The Deep’ 35 Birdy .............................................................................. ‘Skinny Love’ 43 Duffy ....................................................................‘Warwick Avenue’ Technical Exercises 50 Scales, Arpeggios, Intervals, Melodic Study and Backing Vocals Supporting Tests 52 Sight Reading 53 Improvisation & Interpretation 54 Ear Tests 55 General Musicianship Questions Additional Information 56 Entering Exams, Exam Procedure & Marking Schemes 57 Musical Interpretation & Free Choice Pieces 58 Copyright Information 59 Rockschool Digital Downloads 60 Rockschool Popular Music Theory RSL-121359032617 / 1 Louise Metcalfe [email protected] Female Vocals Grade 4 Grade Vocals Female 3 Welcome to Rockschool Female Vocals Grade 4 Welcome to Rockschool Female Vocals Grade 4 Welcome to the Rockschool Female Vocals Grade 4 pack. This book and accompanying audio contain everything you need to sing at this grade. Vocals Exams At each grade you have the option of taking one of two different types of examination: ■ Grade Exam: a Grade Exam is a mixture of music performances, technical work and tests. You prepare three pieces (two of which may be Free Choice Pieces) and the contents of the Technical Exercise section. This accounts for 75% of the exam marks. The other 25% consists of: either a Sight Reading or an Improvisation & Interpretation test (10%), two Ear Tests (10%), and finally you will be asked five General Musicianship Questions (5%). The pass mark is 60%. ■ Performance Certificate: in a Performance Certificate you sing five pieces. Up to three of these can be Free Choice Pieces. Each song is marked out of 20 and the pass mark is 60%. Book Contents The book is divided into a number of sections. These are: ■ Exam Pieces: in this book you will find six well-known pieces of Grade 4 standard. Each song is preceded by a Fact File detailing information about the original recording, the artist who sang on it and some recommended listening if you wish to research the artist further. ■ Piano and guitar notation: every exam piece is printed with a piano part and guitar chords. Both are a representation of the overall band arrangement. These have been included to assist you with your practice should you wish to use a piano and/or guitar for accompaniment. In your exam you must perform to the backing tracks provided. ■ Vocal score: in addition to the piano/vocal/guitar arrangement there is also a separate vocal-only score to allow you to view the vocal part on a single sheet of paper. ■ Technical Exercises: there are a range of technical exercises in this grade. Some are notated in full, and some give a range of starting notes. ■ Supporting Tests and General Musicianship Questions: in Vocals Grade 4 there are three supporting tests – either a Sight Reading or an Improvisation & Interpretation test and two Ear Tests – and a set of General Musicianship Questions (GMQs) asked at the end of each exam. Examples of the types of tests likely to appear in the exam are printed in this book. ■ General Information: finally, you will find information on exam procedures, including online examination entry, marking schemes, information on Free Choice Pieces and improvisation requirements for each grade. Audio Each song in Vocals Grade 4 has an audio track which has been provided for you. This is a backing track with the vocal taken off so you can sing along with the band. The backing tracks should be used in examinations. There are also audio examples of the supporting tests printed in the book. The audio files are supplied in MP3 format. All candidates should read the accompanying syllabus guide when using this grade book. This can be downloaded from the RSL website: www.rslawards.com RSL-121359032617 / 1 Louise Metcalfe [email protected] Female Vocals Grade 4 Grade Vocals Female 4 Rockschool Grade Pieces Katie Melua ‘The Closest Thing To Crazy’ KatieThe MeluaClosest Thing To Crazy SONG TITLE: THE CLOSEST THING TO CRAZY ALBUM: CALL OFF THE SEARCH q = 64 F C F/A B¨6 B¨ RELEASED: 2003 LABEL: DRAMATICO GENRE: POP PERSONNEL: KATIE MELUA (VOX) UK CHART PEAK: 10 US CHART PEAK: N/A F C F C/G F/A F BACKGROUND INFO recent releases, 2012’s Secret Symphony and 2013’s This regret-tinged tear-jerker from Katie Melua’s Ketevan, feature orchestral arrangements by Batt. debut album, Call Off The Search, helped her become 1. How can I think I’m stand-ing strong yet one of the most successful artists of the 2000s. NOTES 2. How canyou make me fall a - part then THE BIGGER PICTURE ‘The Closest Thing To Crazy’ was written by Mike Batt as part of the war musical Men Who March Away Georgian-born Ketevan ‘Katie’ Melua moved . It appeared on one of his earlier albums and to Northern Ireland aged eight, before settling in Melua read the lyrics off the sleeve as the pair were England aged 14 and enrolling in the BRIT School in auditioning one of Batt’s other songs. “It blew me London. During a talent showcase event, she came away,” Melua said. “It was an instant classic.” The song became a huge hit, but there was a lot riding on its to the attention of producer-composer Mike Batt (writer of two British pop culture classics in ‘Bright success – Mike Batt had remortgaged his house to put the record out on his own indie label, Dramatico. Eyes’ from Watership Down and the theme tune Speculatively,B¨6 he gave a recording of it to a B¨producer F from The Wombles). Batt was looking for someone to perform his material in the style of late singer on the Terry Wogan Show on Radio 2. Wogan played Eva Cassidy, who could handle both jazz and blues it on air and the touchpaper was lit. “Someone said songs. The pair bonded over their music taste, and when it came on the radio, they had to stop the car,” Melua recalled. “Someone else said they started built up a collection of songs (many of them Batt’s own compositions) that would become 19-year-old crying. Then our website was inundated with fans RSL-121359032617 / 1 / Louise Metcalfe / [email protected] Melua’s debut album, askingfeel where thethey couldair buy the song.be - Weneath hadn’t evenmy feet? Call Off The Search. A winning blend of radio-friendly pop, jazz and blues, it became plannedbreak to putmy out afall single. Suddenly,with thatlov changed.”- ing lies? 2004’s biggest-selling album in the UK. Two more albums with Batt followed, until 2010’s The House RECOMMENDED LISTENING saw electronic producer William Orbit take the helm and Melua spread her wings slightly, into artier pop territory, while still playing to her strengths. Her For an introduction to all things Melua, listen to Live At The O2 Arena (2009). Female Vocals Grade 4 5 The Closest Thing To Crazy Katie Melua Words & Music by Mike Batt The Closest Thing To Crazy q = 64 F C F/A B¨6 B¨ F C F C/G F/A F 1. How can I think I’m stand-ing strong yet 2. How canyou make me fall a - part then B¨6 B¨ F RSL-121359032617 / 1 Louise Metcalfe [email protected] feel the air be - neath my feet? break my fall with lov - ing lies? Female Vocals Grade 4 Grade Vocals Female 6 © Copyright 1992 Dramatico Music Publishing Limited. Sony/ATV Music Publishing. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. Dm D‹7/C B¨ How can hap - pi -ness feel so wrong? It’s so ea - sy to break a heart. Am C9 F C7 How can mi - se -ry feel so sweet? It’s so ea - sy to close your eyes.