You’ve heard all about our Rock & Pop diplomas (if not, check out our previous blog to get the lowdown) and now you’re thinking about how you put together your own set list. Read on to get some pointers for how best to do this.
Getting prepped
There are a few bits of information that you’re going to need to have collected before you can start planning your set list:
Required performance duration
The required performance time – i.e. the length of time you are expected to play for, excluding any time before, after or between pieces – differs depending on the level of diploma you are taking:
ATCL: 32-38 minutes
LTCL: 37-43 minutes
FTCL: 42-48 minutes
It is imperative that your performance complies with these requirements as failure to do so can impact your final mark.
The set list parameters for your instrument and level
For each instrument and level of diploma, there is a list of parameters. These parameters provide an expectation of the different features we expect to see across the whole programme including:
- Range and register
- Tone and technique
- Articulation and effects
- Musical attributes
Indicative song lists
In the syllabus you will find a short indicative song list for each instrument. Each song on this list has a descriptor to help you understand how each song meets the parameters and why it is suitable for the level. You will also find a longer list of songs on our website.
Set list and planning requirements
There are four marks available to be awarded for your set list and planning. When assessing this part, examiners will consider:
- whether the set list is well balanced and includes a diverse range of musical and technical content
- whether the order of the set is musically effective and delivers an artistically coherent performance.
How and where set lists are assessed
Before you start planning your set list, you need to understand how the choices you make here may impact your assessment.
There are two ways in which the examiner watching your performance is going to be reviewing your song choices:
Technical difficulty
In Classical performance diplomas, the technical appropriacy of a programme is determined ahead of the exam, either by the candidate selecting pieces from the repertoire lists or by submitting a programme containing any own choice repertoire for approval in advance. However, to reflect the flexible nature of contemporary music, our Rock & Pop diplomas take a different approach.
In a Rock & Pop diploma, you will still need to provide a score, lead sheet with lyrics and chords, or TAB for the examiner to follow outlining the structure of each song, but the assessment is based on what is performed. This means that, if you decide to add some extra fills or runs to your interpretation, that’s fine – it all contributes to the overall technical difficulty of the performance.
Set list and planning
There are four marks awarded for the chosen set list and how it is structured. The awarding of these marks reflects the balance of programme demonstrating a wide range of musical and technical content, and whether they are ordered in a way that is musically effective.
Our top tips
How you go about compiling your set list is entirely up to you. However, there are some key points to keep in mind:
- Songs arrangements from Trinity’s Rock & Pop graded exams cannot be used for diploma exams - nor can lower-level pieces from the Classical Performance Drum Kit diploma repertoire lists - so make sure to avoid these.
- The parameters for the chosen instrument and level are the key to making sure your performance meets the required level of technical and musical challenge. The indicative song lists will also provide guidance and inspiration for how you can do this.
- Consider variety within your set list. Not only will performing a wide range of different styles, moods and tempi support the marks awarded for Set list and planning, it will also help you showcase a wide range of different techniques while managing your stamina throughout the performance.
Want to find out more about Trinity’s new Rock & Pop diplomas? Join us for our webinar on Wednesday 3 February at 12:30pm by registering here.
You can also get a 20% discount code (valid until 31 March 2026) for our new Theory for Rock & Pop Musicians (ebook versions) via this page.
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