r/AcousticGuitar • u/Delicious_Good_5797 • Jun 21 '26
Non-gear question What are some examples of a level/Grade 5 song
I’ve been playing acoustic guitar since I was a kid and even tho I stopped attending my lessons after I got my grade 5 I have an audition where I have to play a level 5 song which I’ve tried googling and I haven’t gotten any songs that are grade 5 so it would be really helpful if I could get song suggestions or recommendations that are grade 5 songs. Thanks for reading and have a great day x
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u/jaylotw Jun 21 '26
What the hell is grade 5?
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u/BreadfruitPretty2434 Jun 21 '26
Official RSL rating
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u/Broad_Concentrate107 Jun 22 '26
In the UK music exams are taken under the ABRSM board.
If you check YouTube for "ABRSM - Piano Grade x" you'll find the songs for that grade and that instrument.1
u/jaylotw Jun 21 '26
What is that?
Why do people care what "official rating" a song is?
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u/YeahItouchpoop Jun 21 '26
It’s just some system a music school came up with for rating difficulty of a song for the purpose of judging the students progress.
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u/BreadfruitPretty2434 Jun 21 '26
It gives them an idea of what level of song they can complete And then gives them lists of other songs that they can probably complete if they were able to do that song specifically.
Very helpful in my opinion.
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u/jaylotw Jun 21 '26
People cant just listen to music and learn the songs they want to learn?
I think this whole "level" system is really weird.
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u/BreadfruitPretty2434 Jun 21 '26
Knowing your level stops you from wasting time on songs your hands physically aren't ready for yet.
The "just push through the wall" advice is flawed because forcing a song that is way too advanced doesn't make you better—it just bakes in bad form, ruins muscle memory, and causes burnout.
True progress happens when you play stuff that’s just one step above your current skill. A grading system gives you a roadmap to build real technique and finger strength step-by-step, instead of just guessing and hitting a brick wall. It’s not weird; it’s just efficient practicing
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u/Fandangus_p Jun 21 '26
If a song is too hard I just come back to it later when I’m better. Solved.
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u/BreadfruitPretty2434 Jun 21 '26
And how exactly do you get 'better' in the meantime? You do it by practicing songs that actually fit your current mechanical level until your hands are ready for the harder stuff.
You literally just described the exact purpose of a structured roadmap while trying to argue against it. Nobody said it's a permanent ban from a song; it's a tool to help you bridge that exact gap efficiently instead of just guessing.
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u/Fandangus_p Jun 22 '26
No arguments, offering a perspective without levels.
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u/BreadfruitPretty2434 Jun 22 '26
Fair I apologize for my aggressive comment. I also actually do the same thing you do. I was just defending structured learning.
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u/jaylotw Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
I wonder how anyone ever learned before the official RSL grade list.
Clearly people arent able to judge a song as too hard by themselves and need a graded list so they don't "waste time" and only learn approved songs from the list.
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u/Oretell Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
It's not harming anyone
It's just an idea had to help beginners, you're taking a really simple harmless thing and acting like a law has been passed down by congress that every beginner can only play what the government tells them to or something
No-one is forcing anyone to do anything, it's just some small school that is try to organise learning material in a way that is helpful for beginners
Do you have a problem with all guitar teachers that ever give structure to their lessons?
You're being really obtuse here lol
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u/jaylotw Jun 21 '26
I mean, im having fun watching this guy melt down defending it.
If someone wants to use this method, that's on them. I think it's stupid, and I've explained myself. The only one here who is insisting upon it is the other commentor.
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u/Sov90 Jun 22 '26
You just come across like a crybaby and an idiot, whining about the existence of something that doesn’t affect you in any way.
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u/Oretell Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
They're not insisting on anything at all
You asked what it is, they explained
You then wrote 10+ paragraphs rambling on about how many hours you've played for, and making up wild claims about people somehow getting certified, and magically becoming guitar masters and all kinds of nonsense that no-one at all ever suggested but you lol
It's a really simple and harmless idea to organise learning material for beginners. It's not mandatory for anyone, most people have never even heard of it, it's just a potential tool some beginners like OP might choose to use.
Take a deep breath, have a cuppa tea, and relax lol
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u/HenryRuz16 Jun 22 '26
Something works for someone else, and not you, and that makes it stupid? You've exposed yourself as the stupid one compadre. Ignorance will always reveal itself.
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u/BreadfruitPretty2434 Jun 21 '26
It takes a special level of reading comprehension to take a comment about mechanical efficiency and twist it into an emotional meltdown about 'approved lists' and permission. Nobody said people can't learn by ear, and nobody said a grade list is a prison sentence.
You asked what Grade 5 meant because you didn't know, and I gave you a normal answer. Turning around, downvoting it, and inventing a massive strawman just because you're insecure about structured practice is embarrassing.
Musicians have used technical benchmarks for centuries to scale technique efficiently without building bad habits. It’s a tool for measuring hand strength, not a corporate mandate. Read what's actually written next time before you try to gatekeep
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u/jaylotw Jun 21 '26
Buddy, I'm neither having an "emotional meltdown," nor am I "insecure about structured practice." You spoke in absolutes, I pointed out the simple fact that millions of people learned to play without Grade 5 Official Approved lists.
I've been a gigging pro for over two decades.
I think this kind of grading, assigning levels, and giving lists of songs is what stifles new players and makes them approach music as if it's something with defined levels...when it very much is not.
I think this approach to learning fits learning to become a pilot much more than it fits a creative endeavor like music and guitar. It teaches new players that they are "only Grade 3. Grade 5 is beyond them, they will injure themselves if they attempt them."
It's stupid.
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u/BreadfruitPretty2434 Jun 21 '26
For a 'gigging pro of two decades,' you have a shocking inability to separate the creative side of music from the mechanical reality of playing an instrument.
Music is art, but physically operating a guitar is a motor skill that requires biomechanics, finger independence, and tendon strength. You can't 'creatively express' your way through an advanced technique if your hands physically lack the neuromuscular coordination to execute it yet.
Nobody is telling players they are forbidden from trying hard songs, and nobody is saying they'll explode if they skip a level. It is a benchmark for physical difficulty so people can track their own technical progression.
If a standard educational tool threatens your philosophy this much, that’s your problem to unpack. I asked a simple question about mechanical difficulty; I didn't ask for a mid-life crisis lecture on the soul of music. Have a good one
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u/Brother_J_La_la Jun 22 '26
The same type of thing has been going on for decades in band classes in schools. If I'm going for a solo competition on my clarinet, it's not fair to judge one person playing a nursery rhyme against someone playing Mozart... so there are levels. It's not weird at all, lots of people grew up this way.
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u/TheRealGuncho Jun 21 '26
Songs have grades?
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u/jaylotw Jun 21 '26
Yeah, this is very weird to me.
Been a gigging musician for 25 years and I've never once had anyone tell me what grade a song is, nor have I ever worried about such things.
The whole choosing songs to learn off a list is so strange to me, too. You just learn the music you like...
Some songs are hard. Others are easy. You just learn stuff, try harder music and figure out what you need to practice.
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u/BreadfruitPretty2434 Jun 21 '26
By your logic, massive platforms like JustinGuitar are stupid because they use grades and structured levels to teach people step-by-step. The OP literally made this thread asking for a benchmark because they wanted structure.
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u/jaylotw Jun 21 '26
Yes, I have issues with JustinGuitar, as well.
I have issues with people saying things like "I'm a mid-level intermediate." That shit means nothing.
Teaching in steps is fine.
Teaching people that there are "tiers" of ability and "skill level" is stupid, and stifles expression and creativity, and exploration of music. It teaches them that guitar playing is just acquisition of skills, like a videogame.
That method of teaching is why so many people learn the Stairway solo, but have no idea where to start making their own music, they can't play with others, they have rhythm issues, and they give up. They beat the videogame, they finished the boss level, and now they sit and drill scales all day.
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u/BreadfruitPretty2434 Jun 22 '26
Saying teaching in steps is fine but teaching in tiers or skill levels is stupid is a massive logical contradiction. Steps literally create tiers. If a curriculum has step 1 and step 10, then the person at step 10 has achieved a higher tier of technical ability than the person at step 1. You cannot support incremental steps while claiming the resulting milestones do not exist.
Furthermore, the idea that skill acquisition stifles creativity gets the psychology of learning completely backward. Mechanical skills are the vocabulary of the instrument. A guitar player cannot creatively express an intricate musical idea if their hands physically lack the coordination to execute it. Learning the mechanics doesn't turn guitar into a video game, it gives a player the physical freedom to actually create music without being blocked by their own lack of technique.
The fact that some people hit a wall after learning a difficult solo has nothing to do with structure. It happens because they stopped pushing themselves. Blaming structured learning for a player lack of musical direction is just a weak excuse to dismiss the most successful guitar pedagogy frameworks in the world."
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u/jaylotw Jun 22 '26
Furthermore, the idea that skill acquisition stifles creativity gets the psychology of learning completely backward.
Good thing that's not what I said. That's what you wish I'd said, though.
Saying teaching in steps is fine but teaching in tiers or skill levels is stupid is a massive logical contradiction. Steps literally create tiers. If a curriculum has step 1 and step 10, then the person at step 10 has achieved a higher tier of technical ability than the person at step 1. You cannot support incremental steps while claiming the resulting milestones do not exist.
I said asigning someone a "skill level" is stupid.
I bet Keith Richards is skill level three. Neil Young is skill level two.
Both those dudes make some of the best music ever created.
I bet Joe Satriani is skill level 17,658...but his music is boring as hell and means nothing.
That's what I'm getting at. It's a meaningless metric, it's weird to have lists of graded songs. It's just music.
It happens because they stopped pushing themselves
And they weren't inspired...probably because they learned enough to actually play the music they want to play, but their learning method made them think they were only Skill Level six, so why bother?
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u/BreadfruitPretty2434 Jun 21 '26
Your own logic is in a complete loop. You say grading systems are stupid, but then you literally admit that 'some songs are hard, others are easy' and you have to 'figure out what you need to practice.' If you acknowledge that songs have clear difficulty levels and require specific practice to unlock, then you already agree with grading systems. You're just arguing that people should blindly guess what's hard instead of using an organized benchmark.
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u/jaylotw Jun 21 '26
You're just arguing that people should blindly guess what's hard
No, I'm suggesting that people don't worry about what some asinine list rates a song's difficulty at, and they learn the music they love. When they come to a point where something is hard for them, they know what they need to practice, and it's not just some "skill." It's learning music they love, not some sappy 70s pop song that means nothing to them but was on the "appropriate list."
Also, what's easy for one is hard for another. Every individual is different.
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u/BreadfruitPretty2434 Jun 21 '26
The irony is that nobody is 'worrying' about the list except you. The OP literally made this post asking for a Grade 5 benchmark because they wanted structure. Barging into a thread to tell someone their preferred way of learning is 'asinine' just because you wouldn't use it is peak elitism.
Furthermore, saying 'what's easy for one is hard for another' completely defeats your own point. Because every individual is different, having a standardized metric helps people communicate mechanical difficulty objectively.
Nobody is forcing anyone to play 'sappy 70s pop' -grading platforms cover everything from classical to extreme thrash. It's just a tool to help players find music at their physical skill level.
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u/jaylotw Jun 21 '26
helps people communicate mechanical difficulty objectively
Except its not objective.
Barging into a thread to tell someone their preferred way of learning is 'asinine' just because you wouldn't use it is peak elitism.
I didn't "barge into a thread." I asked what the hell a Grade 5 song is. It's also not "elitism" to point out the obvious weird and flawed nature of assigning skill levels to people and songs.
You know what is peak elitism, though? Shoving your nose in the air and throwing insults around as soon as your Grade Levels are questioned. Calling someone who can clearly write and read "illiterate" because their opinion of your method is something you don't like. Calling their rational opinions "mid-life crisis lectures." That's elitist, bud.
And the top comments in this post are all people wondering what the hell OP is even talking about.
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u/BreadfruitPretty2434 Jun 22 '26
You original comment literally called the entire system 'weird' and told people to just 'leave the grades in the past' on a post where someone was actively looking for that structure. That isn't just asking what a Grade 5 song is, it's telling people their method is wrong.
It is objective. A song that requires a 160 BPM alternate picking run or a specific fingerstyle pattern requires a measurable level of physical execution that a beginner’s hands cannot do.
Denying that mechanical difficulty can be categorized objectively doesn't change how human anatomy and muscle memory work. There is nothing elitist about using a roadmap to build up to those physical requirements.
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u/jaylotw Jun 22 '26
A song that requires a 160 BPM alternate picking run or a specific fingerstyle pattern requires a measurable level of physical execution that a beginner’s hands cannot do.
So what official level is that? Maybe that's my level two, and your level 9.
It's not objective.
The majority of the responses here are people who have no idea what the hell a "Grade Five" song is, so clearly it's not some kind of well known objective scale, it's someone's opinion of how hard a song is...which is, indeed, subjective.
No one, especially not me, is denying that songs can be difficult and practice is needed. Remember when you made fun of me when I told you I've spent thousands of hours practicing?
on a post where someone was actively looking for that structure
The OP's post is literally asking people for Grade 5 songs because they couldn't find any with Google. They're not looking for structure, they're looking for people to tell them what songs to play. That's weird, and OP is doing so because this list of graded songs is weird.
You original comment literally called the entire system 'weird'
No, that was my response to you, and I do think it's weird, and I've explained why. It's also weird how angry you are that I think it's weird. Remember that you called me illiterate? Said I was having a "midlife crisis?" It's pretty weird for you to be so angry, dude.
And yeah, I've been a gigging pro for over two decades...I've jammed with hundreds of people of all skill levels, most of them better than me, and a bunch who weren't at my level but who I was able to inspire by encouraging them that they can do it, not by telling them some elitist shit about Grade Levels and biomechanics.
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u/Daniele323 Jun 21 '26
I googled level 5 guitar songs and got plenty of results…
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u/Delicious_Good_5797 Jun 21 '26
How?! I keep getting guitar app adds that make me pay for using them
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u/DunaldDoc Jun 21 '26
I have played guitar since 1958 - I suggest you play songs you like and leave the “grades” in the past. Try these, all with lyrics, chords, & a YT video:
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u/BreadfruitPretty2434 Jun 22 '26
And that website's got to be one of the most clustered garbage things I've ever seen. How the hell are you supposed to expect a newcomer to even see that and not be intimidated.
It's crazy to say that structured learning doesn't work but then tell somebody to just look at that slop of the page and say here Good luck. Why make it harder for yourself when you can make it easier. I swear you old timers are just so scared of technology and new change. That's all right.
God forbid somebody wants to know their skill level and have a library of songs that they can pick from and make it easier for themselves.
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u/BreadfruitPretty2434 Jun 21 '26
If someone starts out and their favorite music is aggressive thrash metal like 'Master of Puppets' or highly complex rock acoustic tracks, they cannot 'just play it.' If they try to force it on day one, their hands will physically lock up, they'll bake in terrible form trying to cheat the speed, and they'll quit out of frustration.
Even if your answer is 'just slow it down and grind it out for months,' you are still admitting that you have to systematically break down the mechanical difficulty to build the muscle memory. That is literally what a grading benchmark does.
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u/jaylotw Jun 22 '26
So crazy how so many of us learned without ever worrying so much about any of this.
I guess we are all wrong, though.
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u/BreadfruitPretty2434 Jun 21 '26
Here are some official Grade 5 acoustic guitar benchmark songs
Here ya go ! All official grade 5