Red Sky In The Morning Sailor's Warning

The title of this tune comes from weather folklore that states that the color of the sky at various times of day can warn of impending storms. A red sky in the morning is viewed as a forebear of band things. A red sunrise means that good weather has already passed, and that a low pressure system is making it’s way in, warning us of bad weather approaching.

The melody for the tune is taken directly from Red Sky At Night Sailor’s Delight, it’s partner song. This time the melody is moved up to C Dorian, making the tune sound more like a pirate theme and less like a calming lullaby.

The entire song uses only the first six notes of the Concert B-flat scale, making it a perfect song for beginning bands looking to branch out from method books and into more serious band literature. All wind players have the opportunity to play the melody at some point throughout the song. The song uses 10 unique percussion parts, but is playable with as little as 6 of these parts, as the optional parts add to the song but don’t significantly detract from the overall performance if they can’t be performed.