A nine-year-old guitarist from Greater Manchester is aiming to become the youngest person in the world to pass a grade 8 electric guitar exam. Adrian Abraham, from Middleton, Rochdale, has set his sights on the record before his birthday on November 18.
A young rock prodigy
Adrian, who goes by @adrian_jaams on social media, recently showcased his skills in a Britain's Got Talent audition. He is already a master of solo and riff techniques that adults take years to grasp.
"How it started was first I saw my dad play the guitar. I really enjoyed hearing him play, so I decided to pick up the guitar for myself," Adrian told the Manchester Evening News. "The first time I got the acoustic was just a few months ago, and I played it and I played it, so eventually got my electric guitar. Then I completely nearly busted the guitar."
Chasing the world record
Adrian has been practicing an hour every day, citing Iron Maiden's 'Wasted Years' and 'The Trooper' as some of his favourite songs to play. His current goal is passing his grade 8 electric guitar exam, which would make him the youngest person in the world to do so.
The standard exam process for musicians involves starting at beginner 'grade 1,' taking years to level up skills such as music theory, performance, and technical proficiency to reach the advanced grade 8. These certifications are graded by boards such as ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) and Trinity College London.
The current world record holder for youngest guitarist to pass Rockschool's Grade 8 electric guitar exam is Alexander Hargraves from Colne in Lancashire, who achieved the milestone at 11 years and 7 months.
"I have to get it before my birthday on November 18 to have a chance of beating the world record," Adrian said. "We're still working on it, we're practicing our hardest to get to that level where we're going to do it. So what I'm going to do is try my best!"
Support from dad
Behind Adrian every step of the way is his dad, Abraham Joseph, who works in the NHS's paediatric phlebotomy sector. "Initially it started off with me being in the school choir in India," Abraham explained. "I picked guitar up in graduation, and just in my circle people used to listen to a lot of rock and metal, which stayed with me."
"When Adrian was born I wasn't sure if he would like it, but one day I played it during a drive. He showed interest, I thought why not give it a shot? This is something I wanted to do, but since I couldn't, I thought I'd give him that opportunity."
The family had been living in Rochdale for the past six years, and most recently, the father-son duo embarked on a Britain's Got Talent audition adventure. "What inspired us was Olly (Pearson). He was an 11/12 year old child that was on Britain's Got Talent, and he was a golden buzzer winner," Abraham said. "I showed him to Adrian. Adrian's 9, so when we were approached, we thought there's nothing better than that."
Abraham finds most inspiring about his son the message he sends about 'music being brought to everybody, not only older kids.' He notes that playing an instrument has been brilliant for Adrian's confidence, seconded by the boy himself, who expressed how much fun he had watching the audience light up with joy and cheer for him at the talent audition.
Adrian's advice to musicians (or anyone with an aspiring hobby) is: "Don't give up and keep going, and trust in yourself."
