All recorders are pitched in C.

mmmm i beg to differ on that

Garklien, Descants and Tenors Great Bass, Sub Contrabass in C
Sopranino,Trebles, Bass, Contra Bass, Sub Sub ContraBass in F


Correct me if I am wrong - i usually am

No, you're right. And by pitched in F we mean all fingers down gives F. In C means all fingers gives C (on descant it's one line below stave but sounding up an octave.

Ah - I meant that if I play an A on a recorder it'll sound like an A, though I will have to use a different fingering depending on what recorder I'm playing!

huh?

An A played on any recorder will sound as an A - recorders are not transposing instruments, except at the octave.

But A is fingered 012 on C instruments, and 012345 on F instruments.

Recorders are not /supposed/ to be transposing instruments. ;-)
My F fingering is rather less secure than it should be, so I sometimes fall into treating F recorders as transposing instruments - usually at sight, but I have been known to, horror of horrors, write out my part in a different key so I can play treble using descant fingering. Bad tiger!

I'm all too aware that the only way to improve my treble fingering is to stop doing this and it /will/ happen at some point.

I never learned treble fingering properly because I learned descant first, then clarinet, then got a treble - so I used to use the lower and upper register fingerings of clarinet as a sort of mental translation guide for recorders. "It says C, which on clarinet fingers the same as G in the upper register, so I'll play descant G and it should sound like a C". (When I say "used to", erm..... well..... *ducks*)

T.

p.s. The same concept has let me sight-transpose alto sax parts for the soprano, so it does have an upside!

Wow!
Pearwood, rosewood, cherrywood....it all sounds so pretty!

I hate to bring down the tone, but I'm a newbie as far as recorder is concerned. Haven't played in years and years, but reading things on the forum made me think about it again. Hadn't even realised there were recorder exams! So I rummaged through the cupboard and found my two recorders. One is the standard brown and cream school recorder, but the other was always a bit strange (though I preferred it. I just liked being different...). Looking at it last night I found this stamped on the back:
Dolmetsch Dolonite Descant Recorder.
Is that the make? Does anyone know why it's so heavy in comparison to the ordinary one? Is it OK or rubbish? If I was going to take this up again as a beginner, which one should I use? Etc...

Any help gratefully received...

Dolmetsch is the maker's name. They were the first company to produce recorders on a large scale for use in schools. Dolonite is the name of the material used and it is quite heavy stuff. These are actually getting collectable now. They weren't very good to play but were better than some of the cheap wooden recorders that used to be made at the same time. Your brown and cream recorder is probably a Dolmetsch too. These are really quite nice to play and I would use that but keep the dolonite one as a curio. It might be a good idea to give it a bath too. Take the sections apart and place them in some warm water and work around all of the parts with a long feather if you can find one. Don't use the quill end on any of the sound producing places around the window and wind way, just the soft end and gently. Then leave the sections to dry on a towel. When it is dry put a little Vaseline onto the joints before assembling it again. Some folk advise against joint grease but I always use it. It stops the sections wearing and working loose. Good luck with your playing, It is a super instrument to play and there are several recorder players on these forums who will offer you advice.

Hmmm, not so much... I went back and had a closer look, and stamped on the bottom is 'Made in Japan'.



Oh well.

Well if you want to get a decent but not too expensive recorder, go for the Aulos plastic ones - they've served me well so far!

I've decided - I am going to buy a treble! Now of course that means I will also need music for it Any suggestions? About G6/7 I think. Particularly any Baroque pieces

How about the new time pieces book? Treble book 2 is supposed to be grades 3 - 5 so that should provide something to get into it, at least that´s what I am going to do.

The Handel sonata book says flute or recorder on the cover. I have the Bärenreiter edition which has 10 or 11 sonatas in it. It´s the bok that is on the ABRSM syllabus for flute exams

I'll have a look thanks! I probably won't get time pieces - I'm looking for stuff for my A level performances next year, so it has to be at least G6

No, Japanese recorders are OK. Does it have any other marks on? More to the point is it in tune and at concert pitch?

My very first recorder was a Dolmetsch International descant, which I assume was the forerunner to the Nova. Not a patch of my Yamahas though.

'Made in Japan' is likely Aulos or Yamaha.

Aulos it is! Couldn't make out the logo until I knew what it said...!

Could anyone suggest books that might be suitable for an almost beginner? I play piano, so I read music, and it turns out that I remember quite a lot of the fingering (I found Abracadabra Recorder 3 in the cupboard!) but have no idea where to go from here.

Revise everything I just said...

Somehow I went into our local music shop today to buy a new book for one of my piano pupils, and came out with an Aulos treble/alto recorder. It was just sitting there up on one of the cupboards...and I had made the mistake of letting my mum come in with me. "Ooo, I wonder what that sounds like," she said. And then gave me some money towards getting it when she liked the noise.

Unfortunately, I must be a very long distance from the nearest serious recorder player, since the choice of books was a bit pitiful - one wee box in the corner. So now, all the same questions I asked about descant - which books are good etc - only for treble. 'Cause anything I want to get I'm going to have to order in.

Oh, and what's the wee pot of what looks like wax for?


Edit: It's an hour later and I've been playing about and trying the Abracadabra book I got for this (don't know how good it is, but it was the only treble tutor there) and would anyone have an idea why I can only squeak when I try low G?

My daughter learnt with the John Pitts books, you can buy the Descant ones with or without CD. Lots of tunes in there you will already know. they are popular so most Music Shops will stock them or there's always Music Exchange or Music Room on line. I prefer the former as they will send out part orders so if some of your books aren't in stock you will get the others straight away.

Hope you enjoy your Recorder playing.

It's joint grease. To make it easier to put it together and take it apart. Use sparingly.

T.

I have a stupid question...why does my treble clog up after about 10 minutes of playing?

This is not a stupid question at all. A recorder will clog if it is not at body temperature when you begin to play it. You should always warm it first by tucking the head joint under your arm or keeping it in a pocket very close to your body. Never warm it by blowing into it as this will simply cause moisture to form on the inside surfaces just as it does if you breathe onto a pane of glass.
The windway needs to be kept really clean. Any little specks of dirt or dust or dead baked bean bits will allow moisture to grip and the problem gets worse. A feather is very useful for keeping the windway clear of bits but use the soft and not the quill end. Plastic recorders should be bathed from time to time also.
Wooden recorders need to be oiled occasionally. There was another thread about this recently. If clogging is a constant problem with a wooden instrument it would be well worth taking it to a good tecnician, (best one that I know of is at the Early Music Shop in Bradford) who will remove the plug and check it over. That should solve matters, but mostly they clog because they are cold or because ytou are not blowing dryly.

As we are on the topic, I had a fugging up problem with my plastic tenor and wooden descant, warmer them has helped immensley (not to mention the odd suck back) however in you last post you mentioned blowing dryly, I have a sneeking suspicion I am a wet blower, if you know what I mean, this problem seems much worse on my wooden recorder.

Any thoughts Petra? (apart from stop dribbling down your recorder you silly woman )

Yes, stop dribbling down your recorder you daft old bat!
Actually it is a very common problem, especially with beginners. As a rule you should breathe through your mouth when playing. Tongue usind a really light Doo Doo and not a Too Too and that will help too, as well as making a far better start to your notes. Take some slow and deep breaths through your mouth before you begin to play and that seems to help also.

Petra follows her own advice - I had to stifle a giggle when I saw the recorder poking out from under her arm in the concert on Saturday - I had forgotten this recorder-player's trick till then, it should stick in my brain now! (Was definitely worth it for the wonderful performance! )

Another tip to stop fogging - don't play in the hour after eating, if you can help it - there's often extra saliva around. And cleaning teeth well ahead of playing helps to stop gunky residues from getting stuck too...
I'm always being laughed at for stuffing my recorders down my jumper when there's a performance pending.

Will do Petra!

Actually I have been Too Too-ing so I will try Doo Doo-ing instead. Thanks for your advice, wow these forums really have a wealth of knowledgeable folk

*Bump*

I now have a plastic Aulos treble!!!!


























Just don't tell my mom!

Congratulations.

I had to go into town to get some music from the library which is just around the corner from the Music shop, so I smuggled it into the house in my school bag!!

I have a sopranino I still haven't confessed to. And I bought it from the Early Music shop in Bradford the day before the Leeds concert.

That is bad!!! I won't try to conceal it from my mom, I just won't tell her its new... She won't know the difference!!

*wonders how to get treble music secretly*

My youngest aquired a new instrument on loan from the Music Service. SHe thought she might hide it from her Dad . She confessed in the end, a Baritone Sax is a bit bigger than a Recorder though

I've got 3 German-fingering descant recorders, and play them when I feel like it...

Yes!!

Lizbun - I don't play my recorders much either, so I didn't splash out for the lovely wooden one...

I suggest smuggling the treble music in the same way. Maybe inside one of your school books?
Fortunately there is no way of Mr Flutecake getting a grand piano into the house without me noticing.

Trouble is that our local music shop has already been cleared out of recorder music... By me!! They're stopping doing sheet music grr

*Imagines grand smuggling*

Does your library have sheet music?

Not as such... Last I saw it was all piano, all dozen pieces of it!!!

Could you order it from Saunders recorders and ask him to send it in a plain brown envelope, or one marked with the words "Chemistry homework" (or other subject of your choice)?

Didn't you say you were doing A level music?
In which case you can blame it on your music teacher who *told* you that you have to buy a great long list of pieces to learn more about baroque music (or whatever). (Just don't buy it all the week before parents' evening)

Love it!!! Especialy as I'm primarily a clarrinettist who therefore doesn't get much natural exposure to Baroque music....

Is it possible to go from low C#-low D# on descant or tenor/low F#- low G# on treble at any sort of speed? Because I find it really hard. Does anyone have any good advice/tips?

Nose grease?

For the uninitiated, wipe your little finger down the side of your nose. The oil on your skin acts as a lubricant, and makes sliding easier. Too much though, and you risk the instrument shooting over your shoulder and impaling passers-by.

Many players use their fingers incorrectly to produce the lowest notes. The best way is to straighten out the bottom finger joint so that only half of the double hole is covered rather than to use your finger tip to cover it. Try playing D natural followed by D sharp simply by straightening the lowest joint and practise this move as if it were a trill. Then do the same on C and C sharp. . The move from C sharp to D sharp is far easier using this method. It is a difficult move to make though, and is usually found in exam scales.

- I'll give it a go!



Yes, I think I've got what you mean re. straightening the finger joint. I'll give that a go too.

Thanks andante/petrat.

I find a little sideways wrist movement helps too . The Boards save C#major for grade 8, don't they? It's not easy...

Having accidentally-on-purpose acquired a new tenor (Mollenhauer, boxwood - a departure from my usual Moecks) on the unbelievably flimsy excuse that the old one doesn't like heights much*, I'm having enormous fun blowing it in. Must oil it again tomorrow, which sadly means it'll need a days' rest . It sounds great though, much livelier than the old one.

*latest modern piece with avant-garde stuff in it seems to like leger lines ...

Yay! Good to see the recorder thread making a comeback.

Went to see Piers Adams last night (he's doing a little tour with the Irish Chamber Orchestra at the moment). He came out on stage and my OH turned to me and asked "why is he dressed like a pirate?" He played Vivaldi and Sammartini concertos and kept bringing out different sized recorders and giving funny and informative little speeches to the audience about them (at one point, pulling different coloured sopraninos out of the belt of his trousers!!). Was all very good fun and wonderful playing.

Oh, lucky you! My family got to see Red Priest in July, and there was the most enticing heap of recorders under the harpsichord, including the knick bass ("what on earth is that?" I heard from the row behind me - I think they thought Piers had sat on it by mistake). There were all sorts of very sophisticated instruments with peculiar keywork - but the nicest sounding, to my ears at least, was a simply-shaped treble, just the way they used to be .