Help choosing a piece for my Grade 8 exam

[anonymous278347457]

Hey guys,

I'm doing a grade 8 bass exam in about 2 weeks and I need a solo piece to play: I'm thinking of one of the following:

Run For Cover - Marcus Miller
Teen Town
D-Code - Alain Caron
Pow - Larry Graham/Graham Central Station


Other possibilities:

Runaway - Jamiroquai

I know Runaway is more of a song than a bass solo piece, but I think I could mess around with the groove a little and develop it a bit. I know bits of all the pieces I've mentioned so it'd be an equal starting point I guess, but bear in mind I only have ~2 weeks to learn and perfect it.

Also, I don't think I'd be playing Run for Cover or D-code in their entirety - I'd just be messing around with the various riffs from both songs.

 

[EADG mx]

What grading system?

 

[TheBasicBassist]

i vote teen town, you cant really go wrong

 

[suckyplayer]

i vote teen town, you cant really go wrong

absolutely this.

what is the full list you can choose from, however? i would say havona, if you can manage it, would blow people away as well.

 

[anonymous278347457]

It's the RGT system, if you've ever heard of it.

They don't actually give guidelines for what I should play, just that it has to showcase fingerstyle, pick, slap or fretless playing.

 

[soong]

Teen Town? Go Jaco's Donna Lee instead.

 

[Grayson C.]

This might be a slightly OT question but what is RGT? Well I looked them up, but is it a respected school?

 

[EADG mx]

This might be a slightly OT question but what is RGT? Well I looked them up, but is it a respected school?

According to Google:

Invalid Link Removed

The syllabus is on there as well.

Teen Town? Go Jaco's Donna Lee instead.

I would say Davis/Parker's Donna Lee, if anything.


The requirement is a solo piece in one of the following styles: fretless, slap, fingerstyle, pick. Do you only have to do one? Eliminate the style you don't want to do first.

What are you doing for the sightreading component?

 

[jaconut]

Speaking of grades, does anyone have any idea what sort of grade jacos portrait of tracy is? Im not sure if i can use it for my GSCE solo performance (which should be about grade 3-4, 5 if you want a high mark) any help will be much appreciated.

 

[Richenbacher]

Speaking of grades, does anyone have any idea what sort of grade jacos portrait of tracy is? Im not sure if i can use it for my GSCE solo performance (which should be about grade 3-4, 5 if you want a high mark) any help will be much appreciated.

I'm doing Jaco's Blackbird for GCSE, which isn't too difficult... My tutor tells me that so long as you have lots of devices (vibrato, harmonics, slap etc.) and the piece is melodical, you should be grand. If you find the piece you do is quite sparse in terms of devices, you can alter parts to add in devices.
To the OP, if you are doing run for cover, make sure you're definately tight with the rhythm... My friend's rendition of the piece fell apart when he attempted the descending double thump motif.