Hi there,

I'm thinking about taking my Grade 7 Clarinet next year and can't decide what pieces to play. I've been playing the Saint Saens (sp?) that I quite like but can't decide on anything else - any pointers?????????

I did the Tartini and Lutoslawski for my grade 7 which I really liked. The study was No. 65 out of the 80 graded studies book and wasn't too bad.

The Brahms, Pierne and Weber are all nice from list A and have a look at the James Rae studies because they're often good too.

List A -
Tartini is nice as is the Brahms

List B -
Lutoslawski or the Lyons

List C -
I quite like the Fantasy piece

I've got mine on 5th december and am playing the Brahms (great piece just needs a very good pianist) lutoslawski (great fun to play) for my study i'm doing the derek Bougouis Number 1 ( not easy but well worth having a go at for a change)

I've got mine on 5th december and am playing the Brahms (great piece just needs a very good pianist) lutoslawski (great fun to play) for my study i'm doing the derek Bougouis Number 1 ( not easy but well worth having a go at for a change)

list c - number 5 from visions by paul harris i think. it's ace.

I did Brahms, Lyons and one of the studies from the green book, but have played Lutowslawski and am doing sait-saens as part of my first year performance!

There's some quite good pieces for G7 really, isn't there?

Just looked on the Clarinet Syllabus for Grade 7, For List A, the Weber Concerto No.2 in E flat is a super piece to go for! But after hearing recordings, it hits a top G#, Isn't that just a spot too high for a clarinetist?

IrisH - LoonY

A clarinet can reach top G#..and I'd be surprised if a grade 7 piece went that high.

Oh it does! The first movement hits a top B I think...I mean a REALLY top B!

IrisH - LoonY

Well the I'm not talking about the piece, I'm on about the GRADE 7 MOVEMENT which is what this topic is about.

You have to play Gs at grade 7 but not G#s. And the grade 8 pieces I've got, the highest I've seen is a G#.

Only some pieces have G's in at grade 7, the actual range for grade 7 is up to F. Grade 8 is G, but has pieces with A's in.

The Brahms is simply beautiful. I would also recommend Hard Rock Blues in ListC for James Rae - it sounds awsome, but has those strange modern technique things on the top notes whereby you have to bring out the undertone. It sounds very strange, but interesting. If you listen to a recording you will see what I mean. I am probably doing my grade7 in June next year, but have music tour to Europe (I'm in aus) on at the same time!

I did the Brahms and the Lutoslowski and found them ok, managed to get a merit with them ! You're right about the piano part for the Brahms, you really do have to have a good pianist !!

When I did Grade 7 last century, I did Krommer (1st movement of concerto), and Cooke (1st movement of sonata), neither of which are on the syllabus any more <feels old>.

If I was doing it now, I'd probably do the Saint-Saens and Hindemith, and take pot luck with a study (carefully avoiding multiphonics!). That said, they're all good pieces on the syllabus (yes Nat, even the Poulenc!), so see if you can listen to or borrow the music if you're not sure which ones to go for. Also, play to your strengths - for example, the Weber has a top Ab, so is best avoided if you have problems with very high notes. (By the way, the first movement goes up to a top Bb (not for the faint-hearted!), which is still at least a tone lower than any text book will tell you a clarinet can play ).

Poulenc ..that is shocking Deborah

So I was right about the 2nd movement of the Weber Concerto No.2 going upto a top G#?

IrisH - LoonY

hiya!

im doing my grade 7 on the 12th december, and im playin the tartinin, lyons and hard rock blues out of one of the study books (im not sure which one tho, ive only got a copy of it!)

i like the lyons and the tartini, but i think the hard rock blues is hard, im too much of a clasical player!

Yes, Lyons! Rock on! The Blues things is cool, but it has a weird time signature and I could never count it!

Isn't it in 7/8 or something

Yeah, and I always did 8 beats in a bar

I also did the Krommer, and the Scherzo from Hurlstone's Four Characteristic Pieces. That was in 1994 though!

Incidentally, I played a piece with top As in for Grade 6 - Maruntelul from Bartok's Six Romanian Folk Dances. In 1993!

Top A's at grade 6?

Yuck