Recorders

[Richard Barrett]

Bartolozzi has been largely superseded by individual books on each instrument which go much further than his pioneering work, like Peter Veale's book on the oboe. As for "a structured approach, rather than random happenstance" you asked whether it was possible to play chords, which of course it is. More or less any "happenstance" on an instrument can be brought under conscious control with enough practice.

[Dave2002]

Maybe this by Michael Vetter has some recorder related answers - https://www.ebooksdownloads.xyz/sear...olce-ed-acerbo

I’m checking it out later.

Or has this been superseded as well?

[Pulcinella]

A new release listed in July's Gramophone:
Wolters: Kathryn and Peter play the Recorder

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8617740--kathryn-and-peter-play-the-recorder

[Dave2002]

Yes. This is astonishingly annoying (that child should be taken into care!) but also informative:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKF7GFfYn0A

More formal information here:

http://www.recorderhomepage.net/tech...ded-technique/

Not sure that your comment is PC these days, but ...

The second link is interesting, and I also found it by another route

[Richard Barrett]

A book I use is Martine Kientzy's Les Sons Multiples Aux Flûtes À Bec from 1982, but actually I find it more interesting to seek the sounds out for myself. As in https://soundcloud.com/r-barrett/lie...-2000-for-four

[Dave2002]

A book I use is Martine Kientzy's Les Sons Multiples Aux Flûtes À Bec from 1982, but actually I find it more interesting to seek the sounds out for myself. As in https://soundcloud.com/r-barrett/lie...-2000-for-four

Thanks. Looks as though these books on multiphonics etc. are now rare - and may command high prices even used - https://www.amazon.de/SONS-MULTIPLES.../dp/B00HH97TD8 On am.uk it's over £100 now I think. https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/0048025399

Thanks also for the sound clip link. More like that? Very pleasant sound. Is that mostly live - with just a touch of post reverb? Maybe it was all live.

Actually may be more here - haven't tried them all yet - give me a chance! https://soundcloud.com/r-barrett

I've just been tinkering with loops and pitch changes etc. based on some short recordings to see if there's really any point. Electric guitarists seem to find them useful, so I thought I'd try some of the techniques to see if there's any point in even following up real time transformations a la guitar pedal - can't say that too many seem useful so far, though I did succeed in multi-track loops, pitch change (several times over), reverb, echo, fuzz effects, time stretching etc.

[Dave2002]

This guy is good - very!

https://youtu.be/MULefF0LY0M

[Dave2002]

Ways to transpose with sets of recorders

Some ways to treat transposition if you have and can play recorders in C (soprano, tenor) and F (sopranino, treble, bass) are shown here.

Of course this may not help anybody, but it just might ....

It might not help some people depending on their sense of pitch.

It doesn't help with arbitrary tranpositions - but some tranpositions might be easier using this table.

I hope I got this correct - mostly anyway. It may just be a useless curiosity - or even a confusing one - hey ho!

[Dave2002]

Bach suite - played on a recorder

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVARLQolFk0

This is very good.

A somewhat later performance by the same performer - Vivaldi

https://youtu.be/-JEcRF0Cyx8

String sound a bit scratchy - could partly be the recording.

And for something different try a Hindemith Trio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACHR07_8rTo

Hindemith is supposed to have said "What can be worse than a recorder?" Answer: "Two recorders".

Is the recorder the new viola?

If anyone fancies trying the Hindemith piece, the music is available - sample here - https://schottmusiclondon.com/shop/p...MTk=&idy=97719

[Constantbee]

Attended a coffee concert as part of Ryedale Festival (growing in stature and favour, I'm pleased to say) on Monday morning: Tabea Debus (Recorders) and Paula Chateauneuf (Theorbo). It didn't seem like an auspicious day or time for the concert but it turned out to be very good indeed. Biscuits not that great, but ... eh hem ... maybe I shouldn't eat them anyway. In fact Tabea plays voice flutes rather than recorders, tuned in D rather than C or F, the larger of which somewhere in between alto and tenor in size, and tuned to D4, the smaller, about half that size. The programme was mainly Telemann and Bach, with a delightful Robert de Visée solo Chaconne from Paula who is in fact quite a bit shorter than her instrument It was a very happy pairing of instruments and I particularly enjoyed the contemporary responses to Telemann written by a couple of jazz musician friends of Tabea's

[Dave2002]

I didn't know about voice flutes until fairly recently. I think they are simply recorders in G or D rather than in F or C, and were popular in the 18th century, and experienced a revival in the 20th - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_flute.

I rather like this quintet version of a movement by Bartók - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_HH5ZDAEfc
The "hum along" in parts is something I should practice!

Here is something even more up to date - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAu-O-0NUuc - this features flutter tonguing.

[Dave2002]

My latest recorders, soprano and alto, come from the new Yamaha ecodear (trademark) range. The problem with plastic recorders of any brand is that they’re ultimately destined for landfill. Ecodear is a partially plant-based polyester. Unlike conventional polyester which is made from 100% crude oil, in ecodear the ethylene glycol needed in the polymerization is made from molasses, produced during sugar refining. The manufacturers claim it’s fully recyclable, unlike polyester. I’m not qualified to comment, only time will tell. I do know that they perform very well, giving a clear, bright tone, and are comfortable to play. A few grams heavier than the older Yamaha plastic version the extra density adds value.

I have an Ecodear treble. I have remarked previously on how accurately it fits with the wooden Moeck models. Unfortunately I find it very slippery, so tends to fall out of my hands, and I’m not fully convinced about the tone, though high notes seem quite easily reachable. Having now played some instruments more, I get the feeling that the Aulos Haka is much easier to play - for me at any rate. My Moeck wooden treble is quite nice, but a bit temperamental at the top end, which makes it awkward for pieces which jump about a bit.

[Oakapple]

Not really. The repertoire between 1750 and 1950 is somewhat limited, that's all. There is a large and growing contemporary repertoire, for solo recorder(s), recorder quartet, chamber music containing recorder(s)...

As an example of how neglected the instrument had become, my 1905 edition of Shakespeare considers it necessary to explain what a recorder is.

[Lordgeous]

I haven't read through this entire thread so I'm not sure if recorder player John Turner has been mentioned. He's done a huge amount to expand the contemporary recorder repertoire with commissions, publications and recordings.

https://divineartrecords.com/artist/john-turner/

[Dave2002]

Then there’s this - this is pretty decent if one must play a bass recorder - https://youtu.be/1Y80VZsMquo