Snap!!

Funny you should say about the other examining bodies syllabi. U recently looked to see what peices were on the higher grades for talmopst the same reason. Without a Recorder specalist to guide you it sort of helps to see what other music is out there ar around the same standard.

I've tried the route of ordering from websites that try gauge the level of the materail but it doesn't always help. My daughter can generally tell from looking how challenging a piece is but that's not much use if the music's for Christmas.

going back a topic or 2 to the Dream recorders.......just to let you know that I've had a couple of issues with mine.

I was trying to use it for some inappropriate music (Bach!) as I was after it's strident tone. Whilst the tone cut through nicely I discovered how lazy my fingers have become and how sensitive it is to shading of the holes. Fingering a 2nd octave A and moving my little finger over the bottom hole had a huge effect on the pitch.

For Van Eyck though I'm still in love with it.

Re the plastic clogging recoders - stick a drop of washing up liquid into the water when you wash it, it can make a difference.

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one cross-checking! Next the spreadsheets will have to be coloured to mark which books I own (kidding!! My paper syllabus has Xs next to the pieces I've got, that's quite enough of that!)

I think part of the problem is that there are so few places you can go and browse. With the 'syllabus scrutiny' I've done over the last few days, it's clear to me that most music shops have plenty of the lower level stuff but the higher grade things aren't in stock. So you can't browse, so you have to rely on the syllabus (if it is on one) or the website rating. I'm fortunate to be near Cambridge, I can see another browse through Brian Jordan happening soon...


Randommoose, my plastic recorders were greatly improved by a wash in some nice bubbly water, after they had spent 15 years in the loft Dust, etc, will form a focal point for the condensation to form, so washing that out will reduce clogging; and the washing up liquid itself acts as an anti-condensant.

Ok, just got everything ready to wash the recorder - bowl, water (even boiled the kettle to have a bit of warmth to the water for my hands - we don't have hot water on), recorder. But... no washing up liquid left! Grrr.

So I am going to search through the hiking supplies and see if there is any washing up liquid in there.

Moose

I've lived in Cambridge all my life and only noticed this shop a couple of days ago!! (I've known about it for several months, but never been paying attention when i'm in that bit of town) It's like the leaky cauldron or something (sorry about the harry potter reference, couldn't think of a better way to put it) - I must have walked past it literally hundreds of times, but never even registered its existence. It was only when a portrait of bach (at least i think thats who it was) was staring me right in the face that i cottoned on Now i know its there, i will definitely venture in next time i'm there

Question 1) Y'know when you've got a lovely played in recorder...what's the absolute most time you should be playing it for? And how long do you have to leave it alone for until you can play again...
(I have time off work, with no husband in the house, and while I should be doing OU work, I'm getting distracted... sorting out the olive tree I got for Xmas, fixing my top that has unravelled a bit, finding MTIP5 to look at, drooling over music on eBay, making a sort-of music 'wishlist', sorting out all the music that I don't want anymore, etc, but none quite so distracting as 'ooh, there are my recorders')

Question 2) What's the best material to use on a clean-y thing? I've got cleaning mops, but they have two problems:
{1} they tend to shed fluff inside the recorder
{2} they don't - at the moment - have anywhere covered to live so have the opportunity to get dusty...
So what would be better is if I use my cleaning rods with some fabric on. Because {a} if I use the right fabric it won't shed fluff and {b} a bit of fabric could fold up and go inside my roll bag in a way that recorder mops won't...

It's fun reading this thread...I forgot about my recorder, I use to love playing it when I was little! I want to get out my recorder and play it now

My woodies are well played in and I play them for several hours at a time without any ill effects. I let them dry out in the open case or on a soft cloth overnight. I have played them for two or three sessions in a day many times and again they don't mind.

I never use recorder mops, not even the cotton ones, as they do shed fluff. I use cotton handkerchieves, man size ones, or silk pieces on a pull through to clean the body sections, and long goose feathers to clean the windways.

I don't keep the cleaning cloths in the recorder cases. I tend to stuff them into my music bag and put them through the washing machine every few days.

Ta, petrat! We are Shopping on Saturday, so I should be able to find some sale-bargain ideal-Xmas-pressie handkerchiefs
I did have a nice feather for windway cleaning, but I foolishly left it on a bookshelf 4ft off the ground and the cat stole it and now it is one of her favourite toys. I'm keeping my eyes open whenever I'm outdoors though

I must remember to bring a bunch of long feathers to the next forum event.

I used to play recorder with someone whose cleaning lady was called Mabel Parrot. Mabel Parrot had a parrot who kindly used to donate some of his feathers to the group for this purpose.

So we all used Mabel Parrot's parrot's lovely red feathers to clean our windways!

Sprog no. 2 has just chucked out a load of feathers of all sorts - and I've rescued them to use for recorders - just need to give them a bit of a wash first...

Something a bit worrying happened to me the other day - I've got a large case for my recorders, lined with a fake fur fabric, which is closed with a zip. Sometimes the zip catches a bit in the furry stuff, and when I was playing my tenor, it got a bit fugged up, so I sucked back hard....and very nearly inhaled a lump of black fluff from the lining - it must've been dislodged by the zip. So watch out folks, if your cases should happen to be similar (I'm afraid I still prefer sucking back as my main way of clearing the windway, after all it is only condensation in there - but I may look before playing from now on.)

For those of you who shop in Cambridge may I recommend Wood, Wind and Reed in Russell St. Knowledgable specialists and nice people as well as on site repairs.

oo, yes, and they have some very nice looking instruments. The only bad (well not that bad really) thing i couls say about it is the people are a bit too eager to help and find what you want, so its a bit hard to go in there just to browse

So do I (especially as you can do that in the middle of playing something if necessary). And, also, even if it were spit and not just condensation, it's my spit so that's not a problem.
But I am going to be checking for fluff now....

Going to talk CDs now...

On my wishlist there is the 9-CD box-set of Der Fluyten Lusthof (played by Dan Laurin). I have pledged to myself that if I ever go in to a shop that has it in stock, I will buy it (even though it's nigh-on £80). There's a one-disc selections from it that I nearly bought at the weekend (called 'Evergreens from the Pleasure Garden').
Then I happened across Erik Bosgraaf and his three-disc selections from Der Fluyten Lust-hof. So I went for that one on the highly sensible grounds of it being more discs for less money I've been listening to it this morning and it's good.

On the other hand, I have gambled before on a cheap, multi-disc set and been very disappointed. I bought an 8-CD box set of Baroque Recorder Sonatas played by Michael Schneider. Much of the music was new to me, although one of the CDs was of Handel's recorder sonatas. Now, I've got a copy of the Handel sonatas played by Philip Pickett (which was a very very cheap eBay purchase). It's probably my most played CD - not just my most played recorder CD, but my absolutely most played CD!
Anyway, I played the Handel CD out of the Schneider box set and I just couldn't listen to it! I couldn't really explain why it was so dreadful to my ears...kind of like it had the notes in the right place but none of the warmth. Does that make any sense? Anyway, I tried again some weeks later with a different CD from the box set, and found the same thing. It just seems very precise and neat and all well and good, but I'm not sure where the music is.
Of course, now I wonder if I'll turn out to be that sort of player, able to put the notes in the right places but without conveying anything other than the noise...mind you, I think it's some time until I need to worry about my performances of Handel's sonatas

I also have a CD of recorder concertos, and on there are two of the Handel sonatas, but played as concertos. I like the CD and enjoyed the Handel on it before I got the Philip Pickett CD, but once I heard them as the sonatas I found the concerto versions just too...well, just too!

I also have a Dan Laurin CD of 21st century music. I didn't get very far with listening to that one, turns out I like my music less..well, I don't know the word for that either, I don't think I listened to enough of the CD to put a name to the style beyond 'don't like it'. Much much prefer the old stuff...

That's not my complete collection of recorder music, just ones I've thought of while wittering (waiting for an export to complete here at work). I know it all varies from person to person, what one person likes another can't stand, but what good recorder recordings do you have or recommend?

Marion Verbruggen doing just about anything, but especially van Eyck, and Vivaldi - also her rendition of Bach's cello suites. Somehow she manages to get past the fact that the recorder has a waaaaay smaller range than a cello, and produces some amazing (if on one track rather wacky) results. She can play so fast, and so neatly, and uses a variety of articulation which is breathtaking.

I agree with the choice of Dan Laurin's playing too, though . I also have the 20thC disc, but have to choose my moments for listening to that stuff. Awkward, as I'm trying to learn two pieces using avant-garde techniques at the moment, but don't necessarily enjoy listening to it!

Pamela Thorby for those who want to hear the most outrageously extravagant ornamentation (too much for me).
Piers Adams for the outrageously outrageous.

Michala Petri? Leaves me stone-cold. Technically brilliant, yes, but I can't find the soul of the music in it, somehow.

That sounds like one for me - firstly, I have the sheet music for the cello-suite-for-treble on my wishlist; and secondly as a former sort-of cellist who rather likes the suites.

I first read 'smaller' as 'similar' and spent a good 30 seconds frowning to myself at just what I was missing, that wise-anacrusis considers the cello and recorder as having similar ranges...

Now, is it permissable to guilt-trip your other half into buying you a boxwood alto recorder?

Getting recorders, it's a case of anything goes

hOW much would you be expecting to pay for a boxwood recorder, if you don't mind me asking?

I would think first to check if there is any way I could subsequently be guilt-tripped in return ("I did buy you a recorder....") but if you're in the clear from that side, go for it

It was a bit of a tongue in cheek sort of question. Mr Flutecake is saving up for a grand piano and he has fallen in love with a particular model. I think it is a little on the large side (we have a paper template on the floor) and have spent every spare moment saying "it's too big". Seriously, if this is the instrument of his dreams then I can not be so hard-hearted as to stop him buying it, but I did suggest to him that he could buy my silence with a moeck or mollenhauer recorder.

I like Katyjay's answer the best

Oh, well, if he's getting a grand piano, then there's no way to get guilt-tripped in return, and thus katyjay's answer is entirely accurate. He'll never be able to 'But I bought you a recorder...' at you because you'll be able to win with 'I let you buy that enormous piano'

Eeeek! Teacher news!!

I'll skip the long story, and go straight to: today I got a phone call from a lady at my local music service! She teaches at the music service's main centre but also in my town. She is an oboe and recorder teacher, but she teaches more recorder than oboe and she's very happy with that as she likes the recorder better

She has invited me to come along to the music service's adult recorder group which she runs on a Saturday afternoon, for us to meet there. And then we can discuss individual lessons - the when, where, how much, etc, stuff - once we've met and if we like one another. She did say she might not be able to do lessons every week, but we shall see once we have more information.

The only down-side is that the group is only meeting twice this term - both of which are SRP Saturday afternoons! However, these sessions finish at 2.30pm, which is when SRP starts. I could probably be at my SRP meeting by 3pm so I could go to both

The up-side is that apparently this group gives concerts twice a year or so, and does festivals and things...

Go you !! Well done on finding a prospective Teacher. Hope things go well for you.

Hope it goes well.

Me Again

What a nightmare! We went to the Oxfam book & music shop in Chelmsford on Saturday. They usually have a bit of recorder music, mostly easier things, Recorder from the Beginning and things like that, with the occasional 'ooooh' item. But not this time.
The recorder section had grown from being maybe a dozen books to being maybe a dozen inches deep. Someone had cleared out a lot of music. A lot of good music! Lots of it at my standard (or aspired standard!) I've come home with, hmm, rather a lot:
Eight Traditional Japanese Pieces
Hopkins Dance Suite
Baston - a descant concerto and a treble concerto
Tenor recorder solos
TCM G4 album from early 90s for treble
TCM G4 and G5 album from early 90s for descant
96 Recorder Routines (treble exercises based around scales)
Quantz Caprices and Fantasias arranged for treble
...
Plus other things that escape my mind for the moment. All for £17, and everything under £2 (actually, I think everything was under £1.49!!)
And all the pieces which were accompanied I got both a score and a part. This seems to be quite rare in the charity shop world, where the things I find tend not to have a part in it (which is still fine for playing, except for the odd iffy page-turn).
What with having a root round Cambridge on Wednesday, and a delivery from musicroom.com on Thursday, I can't quite believe how much music I've picked up in less than a week.

Actually, being my sad old self, devoted to spreadsheets, I made a catalogue of my recorder music. (a) So I can have a copy here at work so if I am browsing online I don't end up buying any duplicates; and (b) so come the time I find a teacher and they say 'bring along your music', I can say 'well, um, look at my list of 44 music books that I own [which excludes the ones I've grown out of but haven't sold yet]'
I keep my music in A4 magazine-type files. I have four - descant, treble, tenor/bass/mixed and 'stuff' (syllabuses, theory books, etc). The treble folder is now full, and the others are getting there. I think I'll have to move the stuff out on to a shelf so it can hold music, though in order to make the shelf space I will probably have to sell my last OU course books which live on the same shelf

One of the advantages of having a music teacher is that it gives you an excuse to buy more music . I have rather more than 44 books of oboe music but I am still open to suggestions from my teacher. In fact conversations tend to go a bit like this:
him "Was there anything in particular you'd like to learn next?"
me (most of the time) "Have you got any suggestions?"
him "Well you could bring in what you've already got and we could have a look through and find something?"
me "I really don't mind buying something else. Why don't you suggest something and if I haven't already got it, I'll order it."

I'm lucky enough to have got a place in an extended techniques workshop in this year's music festival up here - but although it's about four or five weeks away, I have no idea of the material we're supposed to cover before coming, they still haven't let us know. I wonder if I should just ask Mr Everingham at Saunders Recorders what cacophonous music he has which I haven't yet bought, and take pot-luck? Maybe not, I'm not sure I can face learning more than two or three pieces like that at the one time.

A friend was asking why on earth I'm even bothering to do all the raspberry-blowing and weird noises with recorders, but I've already found that the first couple of pieces I learned had techniques which also could be useful for the repertoire I'm really wanting to learn, so I'll continue squarking really horrid notes for now...when the family is out, anyway.

I've just bought a garklein

Just the Aulos plastic one...having sold an awful lot of stuff on eBay this weekend (including the last of my cello gear), my husband persuaded me to treat myself, and an ikkle plastic garklein seemed to fit the bill

Enjoy - the good thing is that walls absorb really high sounds better than low ones.......the neighbours won't suffer as much as you may think

Oh dear....

Recorder Music Mail now have an online shop...


(that's me trying to decide whether it's a good or a bad thing - either I go hide from the computer, or I whistle nonchalantly as I spend all my money and then eek at my credit card bill!)

I know there's been a picture of it, but had anyone found this yet?

wow, it's huge!! I think i'll stick with the treble for now though.

oh, dear, what does YouTube do to people?
recorder players with bottle

Or then there's this:Antonini. To think I had the arrogance to try to learn the piece before I even got any lessons. But I do think he looks as if he's a bit constipated on this clip.

Or this one:Handel - I'm going to be playing this one with a good forum friend tomorrow, and then in a baroque workshop.
*wonders if she could grow a moustache by then*

Or this:Freiburg Barock Brandenburg 4 - a bit faster than I'm planning on playing it in a couple of months. But the sound they make . I will admit to bias - being half-German, and knowing the violinist playing just behind the first recorder player...

As for all the other tracks I found whilst hunting for these......

I am still trying to decide if I would get much use out of one of these massive subby recorders. I would love to play in a consort of two basses in F, a couple in C, a subcontra in C and me with a sub-contra. I may well add my name to the waiting list.
Does anyone else here own any of the larger sizes beyond the standard bass, which one of my teachers used to insist should be called a basset?

Not yet........

But I did try a Kung C-bass and rather liked the sound of it.....

The big drawback with it was the size of the holes, which were so big that I was a bit borderline to covering them with my narrow fingers......

I shall have to test drive another one when I go on the Easter Early Music Course, just so I can see if they're all like that......

If you do find enough volunteers, I'd happily join your bass instruments consort, with my F-bass at the moment of course

We usually have a great bass and a contra bass at our SRP; it's unusual if we have an afternoon where neither of them are used. Our musical director often brings both of his with him that he lets people volunteer to play (I've never been quick enough to grab one ) - they are both of the square-weird-looking variety.

I probably wouldn't get much use out of either - save for joining petrat's consort! - but that wouldn't stop me buying a pair tomorrow if I could afford it

I've never met anyone who insisted on a bass-in-F being a basset, but I'm fairly sure I did once find a very confusing webshop which went like this:
tenor (in C) - bassett (in F) - bass (in C) - sub bass (in F) - contra bass (in C) and I think may even have carried on with theoretically lower instruments...

It isn't unusual for the smallest bass in F to be called a basset. I think that the German makers use this name. My basset is called Fred.

I'm playing Handel's sonata in Bb and have been given the task of thinking up some ornaments in the first movement this week, but am not really getting anywhere with it. can anyone suggest something for bars 24 and 35?

Yes, we could but then you would just be copying our ideas! I found that study of the Telemann Methodical sonatas was the most helpful way to learn how to ornament baroque pieces from the same perion. The Simpson book , The Division Viol, was good too for earlier works and Quantz should be on every recorder player's book shelf too. Try to listen to as many recordings of baroque recorder stuff as you can. That will give you lots of ideas. There are some good ones on Youtube.

Bassets have to be called Fred, logically

There are other things called bassets, aren't there? Oh yes, the basset horn is what I was thinking of - which is not a horn
It plays down to F-at-bottom-of-bass-clef (which for that instrument would be notated as a C); which is the same as the notated bottom note of a bass/basset recorder (which does, of course, sound an octave higher )

Some are called Bertie!

There's also the basset clarinet (which isn't the same as a basset horn), but as this is a recorder thread, I'll leave it there!

You should come to the Anglesey Meeting Maizie. We are having a garklein consort there as well as a more normal recorder group.

Seeing as I have to play a garklein in public in 2 and a half weeks, does anyone have any playing tips?...

Keep your fingers really close together, Barry. And don't blow too hard....

Aww katyjay, I was going to blow really hard so it made a nice squealy noise.

I guess then that doing that would be unpopular...