Cootamundra Music and more
Miscellaneous short articles about music, especially recorders and other woodwinds. Some of them are republished from ephemeral newsletters, etc, as far back as the 1980s.
They are organised as a blog, i.e., by date of publication with the most recent on top. For convenience, here’s an index:
The fate of a bass recorder 2023
German fingering and other problematic recorders 2005(?) – 2023
Carolling time – accompanying singers 2015
This old bass recorder came my way for an opinion on whether it should become a playable bass or a standard lamp base.
Indulging a bit of idle and slightly morbid curiosity, I posted the photo to the facebook group Recorders Down Under. Text in italics below is quoted, with the lightest of editing, from the discussion there.
I started the ball rolling with an introduction and a question:
I date it at 1950, give or take 5 years. Soft wood, impregnated with paraffin wax, then lacquered – but some of the wax has oozed out and the lacquer has been removed from the lower sections. Joints? Don’t look – it would ruin your day.
How does it play? The left-hand notes are soft and breathy but not horribly out of tune, but the keys don’t seal, the joints leak, the windway is partly blocked with wax and any note that needs the right hand is …ghostly? spectral? something like that, anyway. Continue reading “The fate of a bass recorder”
Not all recorders use the same fingerings for all notes.
The best and most common fingering system is known as ‘baroque’ or ‘English’ fingering. It is used for nearly all good-quality recorders, it is recommended for all beginners, and it is used in nearly all tutor books.
The most common alternative fingering system is known as ‘German’ fingering. It is used for some instruments intended for beginners, especially in Germany and Japan. The two types of recorder can be distinguished by the sizes of the fingerholes:
Continue reading “German fingering and other problematic recorders”
Q: My family is gathering over Christmas as usual and we will probably end up singing carols together. I wondered if I could play along on recorder. Which recorder should I use?
This question, or one of its variants, pops up every year. Answering it properly takes a few minutes, however, because we need to consider voice ranges, recorder ranges and key signatures; perhaps who is singing and who is playing; and maybe just what is a carol. Continue reading “Carolling time – accompanying singers”