Selections from Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time: Instrumental Solos, Volume 2: Clarinet Book & CD

Opening these arrangements feels like stepping into a curated concert of rock, pop, and soul classics. Each song carries the melodic DNA of the original while speaking clearly through the clarinet, creating a satisfying blend of familiarity and fresh musical context.

Intermediate clarinet students who are ready for recognizable repertoire with real musical substance. This collection works for players in grades 5-8 or adult learners who want to move beyond method-book songs and into pieces with genuine cultural resonance.

• Listen to the demo track first to internalize the melody and its phrasing before working with the accompaniment. The recorded performance gives you the authentic voice of each song.
• Treat the accompaniment as a real ensemble partner, not background noise. Balance your tone so the rhythm section and harmony voices stay present.
• Pay attention to style cues embedded in each arrangement. Hotel California needs restraint; I Got You demands funkiness. Let the song's DNA guide your articulation and dynamics.
• Mark your music with the specific spots where the arrangement diverges from the original recording. These moments often hold the arrangers' most interesting choices.

Build a "Rolling Stone Revue" concert featuring your clarinet soloists in rotation, or combine compatible arrangements with your flute and saxophone players for a chamber-style program showcasing the same iconic material. These also work well as recital material for students who want solos that generate real audience recognition.

• Phrasing longer melodies across multiple phrases with consistent tone quality
• Playing stylistically appropriate articulation (legato vs. crisp) within individual songs
• Balancing melodic prominence against recorded ensemble textures
• Reading notation in varied meters and keys across a single collection