Any Recorder Players Here?

[Dair Ciúin]

Greetings,

Does anybody here play the recorder?

After becoming increasingly frustrated, I recently put the traditional wooden flute aside and returned to learning the recorder (the soprano version). So far, I am finding this quite an enjoyable instrument to play.

[Creirwy]

did a few years ago, when I was at school. I was part of a recorder group. There was only 9 of us, but it was a good group I have fond memories of it.
However I do realise that its not considered a 'proper' instrument. Having seen the Medieval babes use it though, I feel slightly better about it lol.

Its a lot of fun, can be quite challenging and theres lots of good folky type stuff to play! have fun!

Creirwy

[Dryadia2]

It was a dark and eerie night...

I tried learning the recorder, years ago on a backpacking trip in the Olympic Rainforest of Washington State, U.S.A. I thought my playing was terrible...then a couple of hours later...and all through the cold, foggy night...echos of high pitched, screechy, and 'rusty-hinge' noises surrounded our camp from all directions...getting closer and closer! It was so creepy, and scared me so much, that I insisted we hike out of that 'Enchanted Valley' (that's what the area was really called) the very next morning. Come to find out; it was the rutting season for Elk, and I must have made all the males in the area jealous, by 'advertising' my 'territory'. At the time tho, I didn't have a clue what that 'mockery' of my horrible music was. For all I knew, it was a tribe of BigFoot coming to get me!

Needless to say...I never learned to play the recorder...and high-pitch squeal sounds still give me the chills sometimes!

Peace and Blessings,
/|\

[Dair Ciúin]

I'm usually fine when playing the recorder alone, but in front of an audience: SCREEECH!

Good ol' Murphies Law.

[Dryadia2]

I'm usually fine when playing the recorder alone, but in front of an audience: SCREEECH!...

Just make sure your 'audience' aren't Elk!

/|\

[Cosmic Ash]

However I do realise that its not considered a 'proper' instrument.

I'm afraid I have to disagree. In the UK we have the Society of Recorder Players who are quietly encouraging people to play original music for the recorder in groups (known as recorder orchestras) to a high standard. To hear one of these orchestras is a real treat, and I'm pretty sure anyone who heard one would be impressed by the quality and variety of sounds that can be produced by this humble little instrument. The recorder can also be studied as your main instrument in most of our top music colleges. I think this would classify it as a 'proper' instrument...
I do accept though that it is widely associated with primary schools and awful screechy renditions of Christmas carols....

[Creirwy]

lol true Cosmic Ash, it has a bad rep.
When I was playing in bands and orchestras and you'd reel off what you could play funny faces used to be made at recorder of any kind lol. Treble would be greeted with looks of intrigue and then the groan when you mention recorder - or maybe I just hang around some very pretencious muscical groups. Also the idea of recorders being plastic doesn't help around the surly String sections lol.

I had a surprise gift from the faeries today - a bodhran! So you play a tune DC and I'll try and drum up a beat lol.

Love,
Creirwy

[Cosmic Ash]

Talking of surprise gifts...the last house I rented was still full of the previous tenants' rubbish and the landlady asked us to thow it away for her. Amongst all the junk was a wooden tenor recorder!! I haven't actually played it at all yet, because I'm not sure how to clean it without damaging it and considering it was amongst rubbish it's probably covered in germs.

[Dryadia2]

Greetings Cosmic Ash!

There was a mention in another Topic on this forum about how to get rid of 'nasties', and Silverlight suggested putting the item in a plastic ziplock then in the freezer to kill molds, and little bugs, etc...(the original post had to do with cleaning feathers).
http://www.druidry.org/board/viewtopic. ... g+feathers

Good Luck with cleaning the recorder...although I'm not sure if freezing gets rid of germs, and if freezing wood is a good idea or not (might split the wood).

Perhaps someone else will see your post, and have another idea.

Peace and Blessings,
/|\

[Lily]

To keep it gunk-free, you just clean it out with the brush that comes along with it after every session.

germ-wise, just don't share it. the bugs die on drying out anyway. Perhaps a little tea tree oil on the mouth piece but wipe it off well and don't get it on the varnished parts.

BTW alto recorders have a lot nicer sound. You should all try your hands at some renaissance or baroque music.

I played from age 5 to 11 - my mother has a teaching certificate and we have all sizes at my mum's house from bass to sopranino.

[Cosmic Ash]

Thanks for those suggestions. I think I'll try the tea tree oil, just on a tiny spot first. I was afraid any sort of disinfectant might damage the wood.
I was forutnate enough to be able to borrow a bass recorder once. Wow - that was an experience. You don't expect to get such deep mellow sounds from a recorder. I would say that the treble (or alto) recorder is definitely the most expressive one, though. You can get a real haunting melancholy tone from it.

[Claer]

My musical/recorder playing career ended at school. I learnt a very squeaky three blind mice, and was promptly chucked out the class. This was because my pet rat choose the time of my rendition to jump out my bag and run across the music room (and given my playing I didn't blame her!). Unfortunately, the teacher was scared silly.
A letter was sent home to my parents. My Mum was so greatful - that meant she didn't have to listen to the practices ever again!!
BB
Claer

[Skylark]

I've played a recorder since I was 9 or 10 - I was once part of a big inter-school orchestra that played at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton just a few days before White Snake played at the same venue! I was very chuffed about that.

The recorder is the easiest thing to play if you want to make up your own tunes or work out how to reproduce tunes you have heard and liked. Just learn the basic fingering, and off you go.

My cat absolutely loves it when the recorder is played - not normally sociable, she comes running, and wraps herself round your neck while you're playing, rubbing her chin along the recorder and stretching herself out up your front... it's hard to play for laughing. The first day I discovered it by accident was the best - SO funny. It's like charming a snake.

[Cradlehag]

Hello,
I played it for years, left it, went on to classical flute, then found a tenor for £4 at a folk festival, so I'm back to it again. I'm learning some baroque tunes on it at the moment, which is a little scary!

Ali

[pobble]

However I do realise that its not considered a 'proper' instrument.
Creirwy

It is most definitely a 'proper' instrument, and quite a lot of baroque music was written for it. It fell out of favour when the more modern type of flute (that you hold across the mouth and blow over the mouthpiece hole) was invented.

So anyone who comes out with that stuff just needs a gentle history lesson The trouble is that they give recorders to young children without teaching them not to blow too hard!

Apologies Dryadia - but chances are someone in your group was just blowing too hard all the time - that causes most of the horrible squeaking noises. You might want to try the treble recorder instead, rather than the descant/soprano one they usually give to schoolchildren. It sounds about an octave lower - not as squeaky, but still a good pitch for melody. And if you can get hold of a wooden one, I think the sound would probably be a little better.

Daniel

[Cradlehag]

Beware though, you can spend a fortune on them! They are beautiful though!

Ali

[Mike]

Greetings,

Does anybody here play the recorder?

No, but since becoming a Bard I have begun learning the Flageolet (Tin Whistle). It is a very Druidic instrument IMO - so very Irish and folky

Why learn it? Well I am not that poetic, as most on here seem to be, and I wanted to do something "Bardic" whilst I was going through the Bardic grade. A member of my grove plays the Flageolet, to a very high standard, and it sounds so wonderful that I thought - yep, thats the thing for me.

I am slowly getting there and am very much looking forward to the day that I am good enough to risk a tune during the Eistedfod part of one of our rituals. Til then my Grove has to suffer my appaling poems

[Lorraine]

(bumping up an old thread)

I have recently started learning the alto/treble recorder.  I took on board Pobble's suggestion that I might prefer the slightly lower pitch and I do.  I bought a plastic one with a curved airway as a first instrument and it doesn't sound too bad.  As I don't even remember having recorder lessons at school, unlike just about everybody else, I have a long way to go - I am still getting used to the fingering.  I would absolutely love to be able to play baroque/renaissance music on the instrument but that's just something to aspire to right now.

Lorraine

[Busker]

No, but since becoming a Bard I have begun learning the Flageolet (Tin Whistle). It is a very Druidic instrument IMO - so very Irish and folky

Mike,check this out. I bought the Tutor Handbook back in the days when it was still sold with a cassette tape.
I promise it will save you no end of grief and speed your progress enormously. (unless of course you are way ahead of me and have it already )
http://www.clarke-tin-whistle.com/products.html

[LadyCelt]

I have three recorders - a sopranino, soprano, and an alto.   I can't play the alto because my hands are small and the holes are too far apart! LOL