TCL Grade 5 Snare Drum
General Info
1. Candidates must provide their own sticks, which should be suitable for the repertoire being performed.
2. Damping dusters may be used if appropriate for the drum or the music.
Pieces / Studies
Candidates can express their musical identity by choosing pieces and studies from our varied repertoire lists. Drum kit candidates choose two pieces with backing tracks and one unaccompanied piece, from a wide range of authentic styles including jazz, funk, show tunes, film, TV, Latin, reggae and swing. Percussionists choose from a varied selection of tuned percussion, timpani and snare drum pieces with accompanied and unaccompanied options. Candidates can further personalize their program by including an own composition.
Song List
| Item | Works | Composer | Publications | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Demo' for Doubles! | Keith Bartlett | 50 More Short Pieces for Snare Drum | United Music Publishing |
| 2 | Ruff-ly Britannia! | Keith Bartlett | 50 More Short Pieces for Snare Drum | United Music Publishing |
| 3 | Semis-Detached | Keith Bartlett | Percussion World: Snare Drum | Trinity College London Press |
| 4 | Slow-Fast | John Beck | 10 Intermediate Snare Drum Solos | Kendor Music |
| 5 | Eight-Parade | Gert Bomhof | 21 Solos for Snare Drum | De Haske |
| 6 | Playing Scotch | Gert Bomhof | 21 Solos for Snare Drum | De Haske |
| 7 | Even and Odd | Gert Bomhof | On Stage | De Haske |
| 8 | No. 12 | Keith Larson | Artistic Studies for Snare Drum | C. Alan |
| 9 | Latin Paradiddle | Michael Skinner | Percussion Exam Pieces & Studies Snare Drum Book 1: Grades 1-5 | Trinity College London Press |
| 10 | Scottish March | Michael Skinner | Percussion Exam Pieces & Studies Snare Drum Book 1: Grades 1-5 | Trinity College London Press |
Study List
| Item | Works | Composer | Instrument | Publications | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Twos and Threes | Lorne Pearcey | Snare Drum | Snare Drum Studies | Mark Aldous |
| 2 | Grade 5 Rudimental Study | Michael Skinner | Snare Drum | Percussion Exam Pieces & Studies Snare Drum Book 1: Grades 1-5 | Trinity College London Press |
Technical Works
This section of the exam supports the development of technical skills by assessing candidates’ performance in a range of technical work requirements. Drum kit candidates play specially-composed exercises focusing on the new rudiments introduced for the grade. A range of instrument-specific technical work features in our percussion exams, including exercises, scales & arpeggios, orchestral figures and orchestral extracts.
About the Test
Candidates prepare both sections. All requirements are in Percussion Exam Pieces & Studies Snare Drum Book 1: Grades 1-5.
1. Orchestral Figures
2. Multiple Bounce Roll Study
Sight reading
This test assesses candidates’ ability to perform a previously unseen musical extract, at a level approximately two grades lower than the exam being taken.
About the Test
After 30 seconds’ preparation time, candidates perform a previously unseen musical extract at a level lower than the exam being taken. Candidates choose whether to perform the test on keyboard percussion, snare drum or timpani.
Supporting Publications
For practice purposes, sample Sight-reading tests are published by Trinity College London Press in Graded Percussion Sight-Reading, Grades 1-8. Purchasing the book is not a requirement.
Aural
This test supports the development of candidates’ abilities in musical perception and understanding by requiring them to recognize musical features by ear (for example meter and pulse, pitch, performance characteristics). All questions are based on a single musical example played at the piano by the examiner.
Candidates are asked to describe various features of the music such as dynamics, articulation, texture and style. Candidates are not required to sing.
1. Listen to the melody twice times, clap the pulse on the second playing and stressing the strong beat, identify the time signature after clapping.
2. Listen to the melody twice, identify the changing tonality and the final cadence (Perfect, Plagal, Imperfect or Interrupted)
3. Listen to two notes from the melody line played consecutively and identify the interval
4. Study a copy of the piece and listen to it once as written and once with a change of rhythm and a change of pitch (both changes in the melody line)
Improvisation
This test assesses candidates’ ability to improvise fluently, coherently and creatively in response to a musical stimulus.
Musical Knowledge
This test encourages learners to understand the wider musical context of the pieces they play, as well as their knowledge of notation and their instrument. Examiners ask carefully graded questions based on candidates’ chosen pieces. Questions refer to the solo line only, and not the accompaniment. In the exam, candidates choose which piece they would like to be asked about first. Examiners then choose a second piece for the remaining questions. Candidates’ musical scores should be free of annotations which might aid their responses. Examiners usually point to the relevant part of the score when asking questions. Candidates can use American terms (eighth note, half note, etc) as an alternative to English terms (quaver, minim, etc).