I have just started soprano recorder. I have played keyboard instruments for almost a year now and have a soft spot for old music. So is there some great arrangement or easy piece?
I can read sheet music
Plastic looks best for me.
I want one not too loud, for general playing classical era into late Renaissance era like John Dowland, and even some modern music perhaps.
There's so many models to look at and I don't know too much to select, quite like look if the Yamaha ecodear but that has 2 different models itself
On the recorder of course
My alto was an pretty inexpensive (£38) wooden student quality item.
I'm gradually learning the fingering for the various notes now. But I've dropped it a few times (keeping it clumsily stored).
Trying the B yesterday, it sounded quite awful. The barest breath and it screeches, if it doesn't screech it sounds utterly flat and lifeless.
Is this the fault of the recorder? Is this me dropping it? I'm thinking I should have been more careful in my choice of purchase and should order a better one, though the Amazon reviews were generally positive.
Just learned high A. It’s easier if I take my thumb off rather than “pinch” the thumb hole. Is this a bad thing to do?
I would like to know if you have recommendation for online recorder teachers. I have been playing for almost 30 years, on and off, but a lot of my teachers were more on the creative side than the technique side. I would love a teacher that is focused on early music, technique and would be comprehensive that I do not have expensive instruments.
Do you know anyone or a platform that I can look for that?
Quick question to anyone with non impregnated wooden recorders: when oiling, do you find that the labium craves much more oil than the rest of the wooden recorder, or is it just my olivewood alto? I am thinking that because the wood grain cuts parallel to the recorder, the labium being at an angle it is normal that it would absorb more oil.
So possibly it is a silly question, but because I haven't seen this mentioned at all, I thought I'd ask. I oil my recorder in the evening, and the morning after, every time I have to touch up the labium with extra oil (with a very soft brush of course), as it looks completely dry while the rest of the recorder is shiny (before I buff it down).
Thanks for your thoughts!
I recently dabbled into improv and by God is it fun There's no right or wrong no proper technique just jamming out and having fun You should all try it if you haven't that has been your PSA
With an alto recorder head and tenor sax body
So i have been practicing on a baroque piece that was originally written for oboe, im playing alto recorder. Everything goes smoothly until there is this D6 (which is the highest note in the piece) when i close half of the thumb hole and close the first two holes on top. it sounds awful, i saw Sarah Jeffery doing it on one of her videos. She has a 3K$ handmade recorder, while my recorder is 200$ so I'm wondering if it has any relevance - i could also ASK AI for the answer but i want to know what you guys think.
Hello everyone!
I work at a Canadian elementary school and we're clearing out the music classrooms. Our school has been around for over 70 years and we're finding treasures in every cabinet.
Our latest find is several bins of what appear to be 1980s Aulos and Yamaha recorders. We've got close to 90 that we're not sure what to do with. We have no need for these as we already have another 120 recorders.
Are these worth anything? Most look unused and mint. Is there a place other than eBay we could sell these.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Edit:
Thanks for all the responses. We figured they were from the 80s/90s due to receipts found and numbers pressed on cases/recorders.
All schools in our province have recorders for students. There is no shortage within the province.
We were hoping to sell to support our music budget as there have been cuts to funding for certain programs we do that benefit our population. Students do not have to pay for recorders.
Recently came across this Moeck Rottenburgh. Doing some research online I've come to find out this is an Alto based on length. Also figured out it was baroque style finder play. Can't find another with the white mouthpiece. Also having a hard time determining the correct color. Any help would be appreciated. TIA!
Pinging u/KitsouNere, as I started replying to her/his original post, but it was becoming so lengthy that I thought I'd make a separate post - and that original post is the reason for me getting this book
I ordered the book from a high street retailer thinking they had stock available, but I have the strong suspicion that the book is produced on demand, so if I had to order again, I would do so from Cittern Press directly. In fact the latter might have been slightly quicker (by cutting one intermediary/step) - in the end it took about seven weeks, but it is finally with me!
In terms of the book presentation, at first I was disappointed at the choice of A5 page size, which makes the book quite thick, and because the binding does not seem sewn, I worried it might just crack. But in fact the binding, and the book in general, is of very good quality, or at least I am opening it with glee, and no problem at all. In the introduction the author explains that he wanted it to be portable, and that he has put much care so that most pieces will require no page turning at all.
In terms of structure, the book consist of 102 pieces, and it has been put together with very evident thoughtfulness, great care and much love, which shows immediately in how the book is organised. The index is followed by an additional index indicating the keys of each piece, and a suggested drone to accompany the playing.
The pieces are organised in five chapters, as follows: "Trouvieres, troubadours and minnesingers"; "Instrumental dance tunes"; "Early English language songs"; "Sacred and secular"; and "Cantigas de Santa Maria". Each of the various sections is prefaced by a brief but insightful introduction by the author of the characters of the pieces that follow: again no page turning here, as each such preface takes only two pages. The last few pages of the book consist of various scales in the keys of the pieces, a baroque fingering chart, with several additional blank fingering charts (with space for the name of the instrument) for readers to fill in depending on the particularities of their own instrument, and then some additional staff paper for any musical notes the reader might wish to take. A list of sources follows at the end
The level is aimed at beginners and intermediate players, so I am bound to get a lot of fun from this book. The book is for Alto (treble) recorder, so the lowest note for each piece is F, and the author also explains that he tried to avoid pieces getting into the third octave, which therefore makes the book very accessible. A series for soprano is planned too, and that will be fun as well. I think I'll also check how well the pieces in the book will go with a basset. The pieces are meant for soloist, though if a drone is desired, the author suggest the relevant tonic or dominant/fifth for each piece.
The book is peppered with beautiful illustrations in the style of linotype prints. I have only had a go at the first couple of pieces, but this book will keep me busy for a while, and if all the books of the series are like this, I think I am bound to get them all! Again many thanks to u/KitsouNere for highlighting this beautiful book!
ETA: Sarah Jefferey has also a brief review of this book here.
When I was still in conservatory, François Lazarevitch came to give a masterclass. During the Q&A, I asked what I thought was a fairly basic question about articulation length in Bach.
His response was, "Have you read Quantz?" When I said no, he asked why not. I explained that I was a modern flutist covering a very broad repertoire and that Baroque performance practice wasn't my main focus at the time.
He then asked how old I was. When I told him I was 21, he replied something along the lines of, "You're 21 years old, you've been playing the flute for 8 years, and you still haven't read Quantz, what the hell are you doing?" He then rattled off a list of treatises that he felt that people have to read and then shushed me off, refusing to anything I asked afterwards and telling me how "you don't read" and then started to complain how insufferable it is to talk to people like me all in front of the entire audience
What bothered me wasn't being told to read Quantz. That's perfectly reasonable advice. What bothered me was the tone. It felt a lot like he was publicly shaming me for not already knowing what he considered essential. The irony is that I wasn't even arguing against the importance of historical sources.
The whole interaction left such a bad impression on me that it did more to turn me away from the HIP world than any aesthetic disagreement ever could.
Hi! I have this recorder at my home for about 3 years now, but I've never been able to actually study and practice because of my thumbs.
For those who don't know, people with hitchhiker's thumbs can bend the distal phalanx of the thumbs up to a 90⁰ angle (perhaps even more, but I only found information about it going up to 90⁰). In my case, my right thumb bends up to 90⁰, forming something like an L shape, and my left thumb, for whatever reason, can bend even further, forming something like a V or check signal (✓, with the smaller bit being the tip of the finger, the distal phalanx). Long story short, it shouldn't normally hurt, but I'm unable to hold a recorder for more than a few seconds without hurting my left thumb a lot. Since the left thumb is used to cover the thumb hole, I need to hold it still for most notes, and it gets literally impossible to do a simple exercise without having to stop quickly because of the pain.
I want to know if anyone here has a similar problem and, if so, how can I play the recorder without hurting my finger so much? Bear in my that I've already tried to not bend the thumb, but I don't have stability on my left hand fingers unless I bend it in the back of the recorder.
I'm looking to buy my first wooden alto recorder at the entry level. I'm open to suggestions based on my specifications of what I'd like to see. Boxwood is my favorite wood. Pearwood is fine. It's not as sweet as maple, which is good. It lacks a bit of the complexity and crisp of boxwood, which is bad. However, the only boxwood instrument in my price range is the Yamaha YRA-61, which sounds quite polished (boring?). Anything more expensive than that is out of the question.
The Moeck Rottenburg or Moeck Flauto Rondo sound the best to me on the Thomann audio samples (prefer them in pearwood). They sound quite similar to me (the Rondo sounds more balanced, whereas the Rottenburg sounds like it has more nuance).
The things that are a must:
- 2.2 octave range.
- Double holes for the lowest notes.
- A price of less than around 400 euros.
The things that are a big plus:
- Ease of "molding the sound" of the first two registers.
- As much ease of play and as little volume as possible for the third register and upwards, especially the third octave F.
- A bright sound with mojo.
Things that I don't like:
- Keys, E-foots or other frills.
- Smooth/mellow/sweet/uncomplicated sounding recorder that's too balanced and lacking imperfections and surprises.
- Used instruments from non-reputable vendors or private individuals.
A guy sent me a 3D printed stand for my Sigo tenor, and in with it was this 3D printed recorder! Its an exact copy of his 45 year old Hopf soprano in pearwood. He even ct scanned the interior with all it its blemishes
"...a consummate artist..." - Ian Anderson.
Full album is OUT today in spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/0rgpM1oRTkyjUe8Y3ZdgAZ
I'm Sarig Sela, recorder player/composer behind Underground Recorder Garden.
I've spent the last few years trying to push the recorder into a progressive rock setting, with the wind instrument carrying the lead voice.
I was genuinely surprised when Ian Anderson heard the music and kindly allowed me to quote his words:
"How great it is to see the instrument being played in the hands of a consummate artist."
I'm not trying to imitate Jethro Tull, but I think Tull listeners will immediately understand the spirit behind it: breath, rock energy and old-world melody.
Here's a short live clip from "Kingdoms Fall":
https://youtube.com/shorts/klisQ4RRwbo
The album The Last Breath comes out June 26.
Curious what fellow Tull and prog fans make of the direction.