Just out of interest are there any students who play the recorder? If so tell me what it is like, is it hard and how much effort do you put into it? I'm just curious, so that when I do grade 7 and 8 ( years and years to come!) I know what to expect!
Please reply back!
Louise

I'm sitting Grade 7 on the 17th June this year. It is quite hard like all Grade 6+ exams but it's worth it in the end I put quite a bit of practise into recorder, especially since I travel 40 odd miles to lessons and love the instrument, and considering studying it at Uni

hi IL! Nice to see you back again!!!

Hi there!

Try taking a look in the Viva Woodwind forum there are lots of recorder players around and must are there! Plus many an interesting thread on recorders!

Hope this helps!

Jen

I'm having a go at grade 8 in July. I'll be doing the Trinity syllabus, playing two pieces on treble and one on descant. It's not my first instrument at all, so I have not made as much of a musical 'journey' on it as I have my other instruments: perhaps first study recorderists might be better placed to advise you of the highs and lows of recorder grades. I've found listening to lots of recordings of general recorder music quite helpful.

Just got to get my scales and sight-reading up to scratch now...

Well I can share my inspiration: Piers Adams! You should really find some recordings, unless you already know of him.

I've been playing since I was about 4 and have always loved the instrument. I remember someone on here (possibly barry-clari? or someone else) saying that the recorder is easy to learn to difficult to master and that pretty much sums up the art of recorder playing. It is a great instrument and sounds fantastic when played well. Obviously as you progress you will learn many new techniques you can use for different styles of playing and a lot about the instrument itself and the music written for it.

How much effort to put in is up to the individual - it separates the players from the play-arounders. Also it depends on natural flair as to how rapidly you will progress and improve. Work hard and it will definitely be worth it. My dreams have come true by being asked by Piers to perform with him, in july for the second time! So am really looking forward to that. Where are you from and how old are you? Who teaches you?

I've only done grades 7 and 8 on recorder, not all the build-up, so can't compare with the grades which lead up to them. You'll be getting a more solid basis to your playing than I've had - I was self-taught for a long time before starting lessons three years ago. I'm very glad to see there's another recorder enthusiast out there. The more, the better chance it has of not being sidelined as a "not serious" instrument.
Piers' playing is astounding, and he does workshops round the country too. There are plenty of others for inspiration too - Dan Laurin, Pamela Thorby, the Amsterdam Loecki Stardust Quartet, Marion Verbruggen, Frans Brüggen all spring to mind, and I'm sure others can add to the list.

I have done all the ABRSM grades on recorder, and they are not to bad, I have found, if you just take your time on them. I remember Grade 8 taking alot out of me, but the relief when I had done it, and passed it was amazing.
Dan Laurin is a good guy...have met him a few times, and been invited to his place in Switzerland (if that is where he is living) for a weekend of lessons and generaly relaxing...not a bad guy. Susanna Laurin is also an amazing recorder player..I have got her recording of the Zahnhausen pieces.....jsut amazing!!!!!!

I'm from South London and I'm 12 years old. I started playing when I was 9 and I took grade 2 ( my first grade) when I was 10. My teacher is called Emily and she recently graduated from the RCM, next year she will be doing a Masters at the Royal Academy of Music. I love playing the recorder and it's nice to know people are replying saying how high they are on their grades, I'm the only one in my school grading at the recorder! It gets a bit lonely sometimes....
Thanks for all of your replies!