First Songs — Level 5
A, E, or E♭ major, or G minor
written notes stay the same — sounding as b♭ clarinet
High Window
A major up in the clarion, where the clarinet is brightest — three sharps and a line that keeps returning to the top of the staff.
A Major · 4/4 · A4–A5 · whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, paired eighths
Foundry
E♭ major, three flats, with the little fingers working both hands — take the arpeggio in bar five slowly first and let the pinkies find their keys.
E♭ Major · 4/4 · E♭4–E♭5 · whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, paired eighths
Nightjar
Your first minor tune, a G minor waltz — the lowered third and sixth change the colour completely, and the clarinet is the instrument people write this mood for.
G Minor · 3/4 · F4–E♭5 · dotted half notes, quarter notes
Tall Grass
E major, four sharps, sitting right across the break — every phrase steps through B4, so the crossing has to be clean rather than lucky.
E Major · 4/4 · E4–E5 · whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, paired eighths
Far Shore
The last one, and the highest — A major climbing to B5 in the upper clarion, where the air has to stay fast and the embouchure has to stay still.
A Major · 4/4 · A4–B5 · whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, paired eighths