Any Recorder Players?

Nomad

Was having a mooch around some charity shops the other day, and found a plastic Yamaha soprano recorder (schoolkid special, no doubt) for a massive 3 quid. Scooped it up and had a toot after giving it a wash. Seems quite easy to play (in the first register anyway), and find myself interested in something with a lower range, either an alto or tenor.

Any suggestions for something with a mellow tone that isn't too pricey? Just looking for something to mess around on for my own enjoyment.

paul_c2

I've not played recorder for ages, but I've played a bunch of other things and can offer a little bit of useful help, hopefully. Recorder is easy to play initially, but to make it sound nice, achieve a reasonable range, and play dynamics, is much harder due to its inherent limitations and quality/construction. If you just wish to mess around on, then by all means choose recorder.

If you had any further aspirations, then out of "cheap" instruments, clarinet is one of the easier but also with a little bit of investment in learning and technique, can sound good and play very expressively.

Flute - bit harder to sound notes and play in tune
Saxophone - needs a bit more breath, can be a bit more expensive
Oboe/bassoon - more expensive, definitely harder to get started, also difficult to play loud
Trumpet - harder to sound notes, play in tune, would take time to develop technique etc
Trombone - maybe potential here?
Euphonium - maybe, but more expensive
Eb (tenor) horn - maybe, but limited appeal and opportunities to play
Tuba - expensive, takes a bit more air/power
French horn - can be expensive, 2x as hard as any other brass instrument
Violin - hard to play in tune and sound nice
Viola
Cello - more expensive, would take more time to sound nice
Double bass - more expensive still, otherwise as cello, very large (storage space etc)

Nomad

Thanks Paul. I'm happy with the idea of recorder - the general sound appeals, as does the relative simplicity. Also, something fairly small and robust that I can stick in my daysack is good.

I did try clarinet ages ago but didn't get along with it. I later got a tenor sax which I find much better (just picked it up again after not playing it for ages).I think I find the sax easier to blow, and I prefer the lower pitch.

maltingsaudio

Irish tin whistle a lot easier on the ear and come in different tunings

axisus

maltingsaudio said:

Irish tin whistle a lot easier on the ear and come in different tunings

But they are impossible to play! I gave up years ago, way to hard to get something 'musical' out of.

Nomad

axisus said:

maltingsaudio said:

Irish tin whistle a lot easier on the ear and come in different tunings

But they are impossible to play! I gave up years ago, way to hard to get something 'musical' out of.

They are playable, and for messing about, quite musical if you stick to simple melodies. However, like the flute, saxophone, oboe/bassoon, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, Eb horn, tuba, French horn, violin, viola, cello and double bass, the Irish whistle is also not a recorder...

Hoping to pick up a Yamaha YRA-312B from a nearby shop today - plastic alto with a good reputation.

Fretwired

Get a decent wooden recorder - they don't cost the earth and sound much better than a plastic one.

snakemanStoo

Mrs Stoo found a nice wooden Hohner recorder on Ebay.  Sounds so much better that the plastic ones that I started on.

Nomad

Well, my up-scoopage of the Yam didn't go according to plan. The web site was showing one in stock, and I reserved it at about 11:30am for click & collect. I was heading into the town later anyway, so decided to drop into the shop even though I hadn't received a confirmation. Got there about 2pm, and they hadn't seen the email their reservation system sends until they went looking when I asked about it. After 15-20 minutes of standing around in the shop, they decided that they couldn't find the storage bag, cleaning rod and fingering chart for what turned out to be the display model (it was in a glass case with others). I politely told them to shove their 10% discount (which would take them down to average selling price) and walked out.

@Fretwired, also been looking at wooden ones, as well as doing general research. The run of opinion seems to be that the good plastic ones are comparable or slightly better than the cheapest wooden ones. After browsing the recordings on the Thomann web site, I found I liked the sound of this one costing about £165...

https://www.thomann.de/gb/moeck_2300_rondo_alt.htm

...which sounds sweeter to me than the Yamaha...

https://www.thomann.de/gb/yamaha_yra312bii.htm

...but is rather pricey for what is probably more of a whim at the moment. In other words, I'd take the plastic Yamaha to see if I get into it, and then consider a dearer one if I do. On the other hand, if there are cheaper wooden ones that have a similar character, I might be interested. Up to 60 quid or so?

stickyfiddle

+1 on the "get a wooden one" suggestion. I played a lot in school, descant/soprano to begin then alto and tenor as my fingers got bigger.

I gotta be honest, 150+ feels like a lot on a recorder. Aulos was always the cheap-but good brand when I was playing. They don't do wood iirc but their plastic ones are as good as any. But I'd be surprised if even a low-end Hohner wooden isn't a nicer sounding instrument.

EricTheWeary

I've seen people use them in the context of folk bands, much more pleasant than my memories of them from school would have suggested. 

snakemanStoo

Early music shop will sell you a good variety if you want brand new.

http://www.earlymusicshop.com/Browse.aspx/en-GB/store28/1/

Cabicular

P bone plastic trombones are surprisingly good
I was depping for a soul band and the trombonist swore by them
He said get a proper mouthpiece though.
It sounded great

Cabicular

linky

https://www.absolutemusic.co.uk/pbone-plastic-trombone-includes-bag-mouthpiece-black.html?source=shopping&sku=pbopbone1bk&gclid=CIWKwZygutACFasK0woduOQNHA

sev112

Cabicular said:

P bone plastic trombones are surprisingly good
I was depping for a soul band and the trombonist swore by them
He said get a proper mouthpiece though.
It sounded great

i was astonished by the Tromba plastic trumpets on sale in Forsyths in Manchester - great value , able to be dropped, good sounds

olafgarten

My recorder playing friend got one of these: https://www.thomann.de/gb/mollenhauer_1295_prima.htm

DartmoorHedgehog

I like recorders - mention of them always attracts ridicule because of the school association, but played well they don't sound at all horrible.  Tenor or alto sound best IMO, the higher ones get a bit screechy for my taste.  Wooden ones sound more mellow, but decent quality plastic ones sound fine and are way cheaper (and less fragile).  Dynamics and expression can be weird compared to other wind instruments (just blowing harder or softer changes the pitch as well as the volume).

DartmoorHedgehog

olafgarten said:

My recorder playing friend got one of these: https://www.thomann.de/gb/mollenhauer_1295_prima.htm

That looks interesting.  Most of the fragility of wooden recorders is the wooden fipple edge, so having a plastic mouthpiece and wooden body may be a good compromise, although I'd always assumed that the mellow sound of wooden recorders is from the mouthpiece end.

impmann

A really good friend of mine studied the recorder to degree level and has an extensive collection of different instruments, including replicas of ones from Tudor times.

A well played recorder is a joy to hear and a billion miles from a 6 year old murdering London's Burning.

Voxman

Nomad said:

Also, something fairly small and robust that I can stick in my daysack is good.

I've never heard it called that before but please, keep it clean - this is a family show!