Hello Sarah, I'm a 70 year old woman who decided, at the beginning of this year, and with absolutely no knowledge or understanding of music, to learn to play recorder. I joined a class put on by the U3A and found myself among people who could already play quite well and I floundered. Then I found your videos! Thank you so very much! I am learning so much and am much better able to cope with my regular class (not so regular during covid lockdowns.) I am loving learning, loving the music I can now play at last, and loving your very easy-to-understand style of teaching. Thank you again!
I speak Portuguese, but learned English by myself, after years of web-surfing, song playing and gaming. I am an amateur musician (I play guitar, C and F recorders, harmonica), and I can say that your videos are mesmerising - not only because of your skills and simpathy, but because of your English accent... and, lets be honest, when you speak, your mouth is hypnotic!
Pedrinho Paquiderme same dude. I learned English through games, I'm mainly Danish... My dad is Danish and Sri Lankan, and my mom is Polish and Swedish.
This video is a MUST WATCH for all players. I am wondering if there are even professionals who would take out something from this absolutely fantastic life saver. I was just about to give up because of the thumb hole task on my YAMAHA soprano seemed an impossible mission. The tape trick saved the day. Thank you so much for creating this amazing channel. I also saw your other videos that you are now teaching in London University. Well deserved for a recorder encyclopedia like you :) Love from Canada
I use a hack to reduce the volume of my instrument for practising: take a piece of tape or an elastic band and partly cover the hole of the labium. This will change the pitch of your instrument slightly and make sound more "breathy" however it will also greatly reduce its volume. I hope this helps.
Yup, that works well, though in my experience the upper notes tend to disappear. It would actually have been nice if there were such things as practice recorders, which sounded exactly like normal ones but just way, way softer. :-) Of course, the recorder is already quite soft, but the upper notes can be rather shrill and screechy, and become a bother to the neighbors.
@@brianvanderspuy4514 I had great success with taking a piece of wax paper from a Ricola sweet, cut it to about 4/5th of the labium width, folding it over so there is about 1/4cm to go inside and hang over. Lick it so it sticks and put in around the labium, so it just sits on the edge snugly to cover it. I then fix it in place with a hair band. I can play all the high notes, it's no longer shrill and quiet enough so you cannot hear it outside of the room, but loud enough to practice. I do that on an Aulos recorder, I have no idea about wooden instruments, but I would not want to risk those. The Aulos is quite precise it seems and handles it's muzzle very well.
This was great. I play native flute and many of these hacks will work. But the one I NEEDED was "tape it up"! I have one beautiful voiced flute that was super difficult to consistently hit the lowest note. Paid lots of money for it so was little bummed. But the taped worked perfectly. Being a native flute I added a flat leather wrap to cover the tape. Works great. Thank you!!
Thanks for the ideas! For hack No. 10, I'm sure someone will have said this already, but if you have a cheap plastic recorder and its joints have got too loose (perpetual undoing for cleaning and travel) then a single turn of plumbers' Teflon tape is ideal
For a recorder that has piece/s that are too tight, a rub with fine glasspaper/sandpaper can help. But careful not to overdo it, as too much sanding can make it too loose! For plastic recorders that are too tight, a little petroleum jelly can also help to make it slip in, but I'd not like to use it on wood, lest it eat into the varnish. For larger recorders that are lined with cork at the joins, when the cork wears out, you can reline yourself with cork sheeting that car places that sell stuff for gaskets have in stock. It's possible to buy thin sheets of cork, cut out a piece yourself, and glue it into position.
I'm pretty new at recorder playing and wanted something for thumb placement so I thought to use one of the craft felt dots that has sticky on one side. They are raised so easy to feel and they have a texture so your thumb doesn't slide around.
I do something similar, but with small punched out circles of skateboard grip tape. I recently purchased a digital recorder and this helps me align and maintain my positioning
Something that you can use instead of hair bands to make a thumb holder is bee wax - just take a little clump and work on it with your hands until it's nice and soft (and warm), then shape it the way you want it to be and stick it to your recorder :) easily removable with a little heat from your hands but it sticks very well if you don't remove it on purpose (and no way of damaging the instrument) - also it can help improve thumb positions if your thumb tends to go up too much ;)
Hiya Sarah, I tried a variation of your paper silencer in my recorder and it's much quieter but not silent altogether. I took a cotton swab with a plastic shaft and bent it around a pen by heating it in hot water, giving it a U shape slightly wider than the hole in the recorder. Inserted U down it stays in place and though MUCH quieter, you can still hear the notes when you play. You have to be more careful not to blow too hard when using it or it'll squeak. You CAN use a fiber shaft one but it'll eventually become moisture saturated.
@@Team_Recorder Hey, One hack you'll like is the dizi (look dizi chinese flûtes). Just need rolling paper on octave hole, also works on résonance hole. Best regards
I like the hairband hack to help hold my Yamaha alto, but that doesn't work on my Mollenhauer Prima, because of the way the foot section is shaped. I like using rubber O-rings from the hardware store to help guide my thumbs to the right position, help with a tiny bit of support, and keep them from sliding on my newest recorder, which is a bit slippery! I can reposition them easily or take them off if I don't need them.
I'm a flute player and have been playing for 4 years (since I'm still in high school) and I played recorder in elementary school like most American schools tell you to and i've just now known the similarities between flute and recorder. Fingering and problems with maintenance is super alike. It's like a mix of clainet and flute.
Great video, Sarah! Some comments: 1. CLEANING SOCK Especially useful for one-legged recorder players...! 🙂 2. PRACTICE MUTE Better than paper, which gets wet and soggy, is plastic. For computer nerds of a certain age (50+) who like to hoard things, the best plastic is the casing of an old 5 1/4" floppy disk (not my idea, found on internet). Not quite as good is the plastic lid of a 500ml yoghurt pot, or sheet of acetate (for overhead projectors). 3. WINDWAY FILTER Brilliant idea, hadn't thought of that one! As with 2 above, plastic is better. 4. HAIR BAND SUPPORT Don't use 'em, myself (hair not long enough). For plastic recorders (I play S/A/T Yamaha 300-series, which I love!) I use an Aulos thumb rest, kept in place with white-tack on its underside. However, probably not suitable for wooden recorders, and not for bigger sizes. 5. STICKY FINGERS What about how to PREVENT sticky fingers (like wash your hands before playing)! A thumbrest (see 4, above) totally steadies the instrument, so no possibility of slippage, and fingers can remain relaxed. It also prevents the recorder from rolling off a table. To be fair, Sarah, I think you were probably referring to larger wooden instruments. 6. TUNING CARD Good idea! I once spent a lot of time tuning a Walton's "mellow D" whistle (bottom note more like Eb) by moving the mouthpiece and filing the upper edges of all the tone holes. A roll of plastic stuck in the bottom end would have been much quicker! 7. THUMB WHERE? See 4 & 5, above. 8. VOICEFLUTE READING What?? A sensible person would just play the 'D' repertoire on their C tenor/soprano! 9. TAPE IT UP! More typically used for fine-tuning intonation e.g. bagpipe chanter tape used by pipe bands. 10. LOOSE JOINTS The best thing to use is teflon tape (aka plummers' tape, aka pipe thread seal tape), a very thin, slippery white tape. It's cheap to buy (e.g. pack of 3 from UK pound shops), and can be wrapped around existing thread/cork/O-rings to seal the joint and make it self-lubricating. As an aside, It's also used to prevent leaks from the sides of double reeds (eg bagpipe practice chanter reeds). Other Stuff: 11. RINSE AID (my own tip, not found elsewhere, afaik!) This is a liquid used in dishwashers to prevent water from sticking to dishes and leaving water marks. It is ideal for recorder windways!! (only tried it with plastic recorders). No more blowing/sucking out condensation, or warming instrument under armpit before playing, etc! I can now pick up the recorder and tootle whilst waiting for the kettle to boil, and it plays perfectly - instantly. The rinse aid I use is called Ecover (supposedly eco-friendly without toxic chemicals): www.sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/groceries/ecover-rinse-aid-500ml I also go the whole-hog and coat the length of the bore with it, just to minimise drips through the thumb-hole. I even coat the outside of the foot-joint end cap so the moist air doesn't condense on that (being the first thing it finds) and drip on the floor! 12. YAMAHA VENOVA - a new instrument for "adventurous" recorder players... A new instrument, just invented by Yamaha, that seems of particular interest to recorder/sax players: th.yamaha.com/en/news_events/2017/gnr17040501.html www.gear4music.com/Woodwind-Brass-Strings/Yamaha-Venova-YVS-100-Wind-Instrument/1XOL The best example I could find (by far) of how it sounds is here: ruclips.net/video/kYLoUi0Ldhk/видео.html
So, is the Yamaha Venova fingered in exactly the same way as a recorder? Is the hinged bit on the bottom just the same as, say, the hinge on the bottom of a tenor recorder? It certainly has an interesting sound and does, yeah, sound rather like a saxophone. Thanks for posting this information. ;D
+zuditaka It seems like you have a choice of German or Baroque recorder fingering - there's a plug in hole 5 to make it smaller (German fingering), take it out and it becomes Baroque fingering. I'm not sure what you mean by "the hinged bit": the bottom-hand key stack will be a simplified form of a sax's, as a sax has extra notes below C. You can read the pdf documentation here.... Owners Manual: th.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/2/839762/venova_om_en_a0_web.pdf "Let's Play Venova!" (playing tips, fingering charts etc): th.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/2/839772/venova_started_en_web.pdf
+Tom M Oh, my big tenor recorder has a hinged thing to help the little finger reach the bottom most hole. Well, it can't reach, so one pulls the lever/hinge affair to cover the hole. (I'm not sure what it is called.) Thank you so much for the links. I'm rather tempted to buy one, as the sound is so nice. And, yes, it's very saxophonish in sound. ;D
I bought a Yamaha Venova just one week ago and I just started playing this as an absolute beginner (I like to try instruments, I've played guitar, bass, piano). I noticed that, after a while I'm playing (e.g. 15 minutes) it collects moisture in the convolutions making it gurgle and squeak. What do you suggest for this problem? Dishsoap? Rinse aid? Can this effect the sound? I have changed the reed with a natural one (rico royal n.2), I feel it sounds a little bit better. I found the hair band support tip very usefull even for the Venova, due to it's very light weight. I was thinking to a similar solution ( a simple rubber band) before seeing this video, but I'm sure that hair band is better (the Venova has a thumb rest, but you can't feel the instrument in your hands because it's very very light). I hope to go on and on in practicing this instrument, I would like, now or then, to try a real sax and I hope the Venova experience would help me in some way.
I have not played the recorder in 32 years (god that makes me sound old), a friend gave me a present of one last week, so I have decided to relearn it. Thanks for uploading your videos as I find them good :)
For the tape hack, have you looked at painter's tape or drafter's tape? Both are designed to stick well, but pull free without damaging the underlying surfaces.
The paper mute if cut thinner will mute without completely blocking the sound, there's a few articles about muting from long ago and a good one on RUclips. Thanks for the great tips
Brilliant - can't wait to try the windway hack - should sound cool for folk music. My favourite recorder hack is one I came up with recently: I use an artist's putty rubber to make a removable thumb rest for playing Alto; also, if you use a thinner piece of paper or a cigarette rolling paper, for the mute you can make a partial mute for practising.
(Sorry, clearly I don't know how to use the comments section), I emailed you about my new tenor Aulos, and how it was giving me grief with my small hands... And then I found the sticky tape hack on this video. I tried it and, well, you have made one person extremely happy and free of frustration! So many, many thanks, you're the best! 😊❤️🎶
I make a reusable recorder mute that lowers the volume rather than blocking the sound completely, and which never becomes soggy! For my treble, I cut a 5mm by 70mm strip of plastic from a milk bottle, and bend it tightly at the 15-20mm mark. Unfold slightly, and pop the short end into the labium. It will it will hang there happily as you play.
I´ve seen recorders broken by the use of paper, passing from a loose fit part to a broken one. Use kitchen cover plastic, or plumbing teflon tape. They are thinner than paper.
For years I've been playing silently by just not blowing into the windway but sort of over the window. I move the mouthpiece a centimetre down so I can rest it against the upper part of my chin. (Apparently that's called the labiomental groove.) Then I blow into the same direction as usual which means the air is blown across the window which is enough to make a very low sound similar to what your hack 2 sounds like. It's enough to distinguish the different notes. The only drawback I can see when compared to your hack is that you cannot practice anything you do with your mouth very well. But the advantage is that you don't need an extra piece of paper.
For a mute that doesn't completely silence the recorder, put a fold across a narrow strip of paper or card and carefully hang the it from the labium, with one side (short) inside the recorder and the other (possibly longer) side running down the front. Experiment with length, width and angle of bend to find what works best, and you can pretty much play the full two-octaves-and-a-note range at considerably reduced volume, though response (particularly in the third register) will not be the same as on an unmuted instrument. I think this may be a trick going back to Carl Dolmetsch.
This is a couple of years late, so I don't know if you will read this. Another way to play quietly, and still get a whisper on the instrument is the using your lower lip as a plug. I don't know if this will work on a recorder because of the bulbous shape of the mouth piece, but it works well for penny whistles. Hold the whistle as you normal would. Instead of putting the mouthpiece in your mouth, lower it a few millimeters and place the windway of the mouthpiece against your lower lip. Blow across the top of the mouthpiece. Sort of like a flute, if it was end blown. This lowers the sound to a whisper, requires no extra bits - like paper or tape, and you can still hear the note for aural reference.
5:00 We do this a lot with bassoon to eek out a whole other note at times, from the Bb to the Ab. It does get a bit muddy though, but "detuning" it to an A sounds great.
I fixed the joints on my basset with cinnamon dental floss (it's what I had available). I actually enjoy the hint of cinnamon wafting about when I play.
i was recorder for 2 days straight thankyou for all the videos gosh you inspire me to play more and more even thou my recorder was bit defective. 💓 i wish i have wooden recorder like you have.
At last i found there are commercial silencers for a soprano recorder in Ebay! Needless to say, i ordered one immediately for 4 €, shipping included. I can't wait for it to arrive. It will allow me to play way more often than i play now, lifting my skills to the next level. I can play about 30 songs and i hunger for more. I want to go more difficult.
hello there, i find your Chanel very interesting, I'm looking forward to see All your vidéo hahaha (i've been a recorder performer for 12 year im the crr of Nancy in France) thumbs up for All recorder player !
Hi Sarah .. Please can you tell me how I can control the saliva while playing tenor recorder .. It's make a problem in sound when saliva get in the moth piece and into the wind way too ..
@@posa6104 Yeah… after knowing just enough music theory, getting familiar with scales etc, one can improvise masterpieces sometimes if you’re really really feeling it. Got inspired cause of she to play recorder!
Hack for voice flute would also work for baritone or alto saxophone. Switch from treble to bass clef and add theee flats to get from written to concert pitch (or octave below in case of alto saxophone).
Clearing the windway can be achieved by rolling papers for cigarettes; it sucks out the moisture almost immediately but a word of caution: don't let stay in there for too long (e.g. until your next session). Just a quick fix by folding and adjusting the rolling paper to the width of the windway. If your paper is too short (Voice-flute/tenor and bigger), you can stick another one in the windway by the labium-side (with caution).
One hack I like to use is, if you get to a gig and have forgotten your recorder, if you can find a tree branch of wide enough diameter, you can strip the bark, bore it out, drill fingerholes in the proper places, whittle a fipple mouthpiece, and you'll have a usable working recorder to see you through at least temporarily. You wouldn't believe how many times this trick has saved me.
5:40 actually for my Soprano YRS-23 (made in Indonesia) recorder. There is like this mark that says made in indonesia (my beautiful country) and it has a different surface. So i can remember where to put my hands
People should be careful not to poke anything sharp into the headjoints with the sock. perhaps a cheap toothbrush may be safer? I use a flute/clarinet 'pull through' to dry my recorders. You can make one with a ribbon and an old handkerchief. (Ideally sew the ribbon diagonally across the handkerchief, leaving a 'tail' long enough to drop right through your longest recorder joint whilst adding a small bead to the loose end. if you want, to make it 'safer', put the handkerchief in the middle of the ribbon, so you have two 'tails' - this way, if it gets 'stuck', you can remove it more easily by pulling it out the opposite way!) Your idea with socks is great and you could fashion a pull through from a sock for 'basset' recorders. (They are useful for putting 'basset' knick head joints in on the fabric cases to keep 'grollies' ('muck') out too. Another quick hack for loose joints, if you're desperate and can't get your recorder re threaded/corked in a hurry, is dental floss! (Preferably a non minty one). As it's a waxed thread, it allows the joint to slide on/off. For sticking plastic recorder joints, a quick tap on the hand to expel any air from the joint usually loosens it enough to enable you to take the recorder apart. (Don't tap on a hard surface! You could break your recorder!) Piccolo stands work nicely for descant/soprano it alto/treble recorders. Tenor recorders can be a bit wobbly, so a piece of card round the peg may help. Again, though wobbly, 'basset' recorders can often be put on flute stands. (If you're having problems getting hold of decent recorder stands, or for kids, the Piccolo stand may be easier. (Putting your instruments on stands can save your instruments from being sat upon on chairs as a friend did with her flute! sadly the flute was a write off, as it was banana shaped after it was sat on!) :'( You can also put the stand in a sock to keep the legs in and then use it to clean your recorder (Turn it inside out to store the stand and then the 'right' way out to dry your recorder - you are less likely to scratch the inside of your recorder, as your sock may have picked up some bits and pieces of 'muck'!) Hope these are useful!
Sorry, forgot to add, I love the videos! Great tips for recorder players! I hadn't heard the 'Bass Recorder in F' called a 'Basset Recorder' until your videos! (They were just called 'Bass Recorders' when I played in the recorder choir at the Conservatoire!
+Cat You can use the recorder cleaning rod as a pull-through. Thread a suitable length of soft cloth through the 'eye' so it hangs 50/50 on each side, drop the handle through from above and pull from below. To clean the head section, wrap the same cloth around itself and push in. A new cleaning cloth may have to be washed first to soften it before cutting off the strip. The windway can be cleaned by cutting a long narrow length from the same cleaning cloth: push it through from the window end then pull to-and-fro.
+Tom M indeed Tom. I was just saying that, an alternative to using a cloth with the cleaning rod in the body/foot joints, flute/clarinet pull throughs are useful, especially for larger recorders. (I have known of a flautist who had a cloth come off a stick in the body of the flute and it got very 'stuck', hence recommending 'strings' on both ends of a cloth, so, if it is 'tight' you can pull it back out the way you put it in! (Of course, like the transverse flute, you need to use something like a cleaning rod to dry the top/head joint!)
So you know how you said on number three not to accidentally lose the paper inside the mouthpiece? What do we do if that happens? (totally asking for a friend ;D)
I can come up with three hacks. 1. If your recorder came with cork rings at the joints, chances are high that they will dry out and fall off. Time to replace it with threading. And if you use natural silk and beeswax dental floss (like I do), you can use this. It's thicker than sewing thread and stays firmly in place. 2. If you don't want to knock out the block of your recorder before oiling the instrument, you can cut off the tip of a tampon and push the part with the thread into the head joint to seal the windway. You can even use the thread to pull it later. The downside is that the uppermost centimeter of the head joint won't get oiled, but if you are worried that you might ruin your block, it's an alternative. 3. If you have an annoying neighbor, my hack is to ignore him when his demands are becoming insufferable. I deactivate the intercom so he can't ring my bell like a maniac anymore. Well, technically he still can, but I cannot hear him anymore.
I adore you already, after just one video. @_@' Your personality, smile, helpful tips, and your super giant recorder! I just bought my first recorder so when it comes in, I'm gonna try a bunch of your tips. Especially ways to make the recorder sound exotic and unique. But I'll always practice using healthy standards. :)
Hallo Sarah, I'm so much enjoying your video's. After many years I've started playing the recorder again. I've started with an alt, but now (thanks to you!) playing also the soprano and that's the one I love the most. I've have a question about an issue that is bathering me a lot during playing. Perhaps you have good advice. During playing I have a build up of salvation. I can feel the build up in my lower jaw and because of that I have to find a moment during playing not only to breath but also to swallow. And the swallow takes time. The buildup of salvation has nothing to do with what I've been eating or drinking. My teacher says it is a good sign of relaxation, but I'd rathing be relaxed without that much salvastion :). Perhaps you have a good advice for me?
1:10 Ummmm... me because I always lose them ;-; There is one hack I'm doing right now because I have 2 soprano recorders and 1 native american flute, and yet only one case. That is knitting cloth cases for them so that I can carry them safely. I'm literally that cheap ;-; I'm getting an alto for my birthday tho. I found a 40 dollar one on Ebay. I wanna learn to play the recorder. I'm addicted. This channel: Exists Me: I'm addicted to recorders, now. * Pokemon theme * Recorders!!! GOTTA BUY 'EM ALLLLLLL
I take my wooden tenor to a lot of outdoor Renn faires and I was worried about it being damaged in the occasional torrential downpours that beset such outings. So I got an adjustable plastic poster tube and then knitted a cotton "sock" long enough to cover the recorder and fit inside the tube. So when the sky opens I can tuck my baby away in his plastic case, safe from the rain, but also not worry about him being put away wet (from breath) as the sock acts as a desiccant until such time as I can properly dry him.
For clogged recorders - as well as the well-known tricks, (see my hyperlink below, replying to Shpilbass) try pushing a length of 1/2" elastic down the mouthpiece or up from the vent. Probably not recommended for wooden recorders, but surely no harm done with a plastic tube. If you have not already done one - how about a short film on clogging? It's a widespread problem and although the tricks are quite well-known some people clearly need to hear about them - see the posts below. It's also a good time to do this topic, (in the Northern Hemisphere at least).
Thank you thank you thank youuuuu! I am a baroque violin player and I am learning flute just for fune (I have alto baroque flute) and I am finding your videos amazing to not do wrong things! Have a great day you too!
Nice hacks! Thanks. I tried the paper in the mouthpiece, but it was wet after a minute or so. So I cut off a rim of a plastic pipette and it works nice!
great tips! dental floss also works quite well for s loose jt.I re threaded 3of mine with straight threading and sealing with beeswax. sticky fingers with talcum (baby)powder or rubbing next to the oily skin next to the nose.
+1 on the waxed dental floss. Pass the end of the thread/floss in a loop along the joint and wrap over this loop. At the end of the job, pass the other end through the loop and pull the loop under the wrapping threads. Then trim both ends where they poke out of the wrapping.
Thank you very much for the hacks! Number 2 is a blessing, at the day time I don't care about neighbours but after 22.00 till 6.00 music becomes illegal. Now I can play any time!
I use plumbers tape for loose joints. Use less than you think you need! I also like to pull out the foot joint just a little bit as I am a loud player and the lowest notes are usually flat compared to the mid notes.
yes, because she was demonstrating how it sounded with and without the paper inserted. The first time with the paper, the second time she removed the paper so you could hear that it was slightly higher.
Shpilbass simply, you can't. It's possible that what you call "saliva" is actually moisture from your breath. It helps to keep your recorder head joint under your armpit and warm it a little before you play. otherwise, mollenhauer sells a good anti-condenser (you just need few drops any now and then to see some nice improvement). Someone told me you can make your own anti-condenser with dish soap and water, but I didn't try it. If the problem is saliva for real, be sure to not lick the recorder while playing.
It's just part of being human. I recall that brass instruments have a little button that would squirt out excess saliva. I know my Yamaha candy coloured transparent descant recorders get full of condensation from my breath, and visible droplets form before my eyes. It's not the end of the world. They are dishwasher safe, as well! lol Both moisture from the breath and some saliva will end up in the tube. Having a tissue handy helps if some moisture comes out the fingerholes. Yes, temperature and humidity are gonna make a difference, too, as far as condensation is concerned. ;D
Bagpiper use tape to tune our chanter. It's easily found on any website that sell bagpipes stuff. There is also a kind of thread that is kinda waxed that we use to mount our pipes. Maybe It could be useful for recorder that have loose joint? (Sorry for my English... It's not my language!)
Hey I've been watching some of your videos and they are great. First of all, at the beginning I thought it was just one of the many channels with recorder players....but you can actually really play, are you in some school studying early music? I am a professional cellist but I kind of got a thing recently for recorders and penny whistles.....I will soon ask some friends in the early music school to give me a crashcourse because I am a bit stuck learning on my own BUT until then I would like to know: my old wooden recorder (bärenreiter) has only the F (4th hole) very high pitched....the rest of the notes are perfectly in tune. The f is so high (1-2-3-4) compared to the rest that I have to close another hole (1-2-3-4-6) to make it right. IS there maybe something I can try to fix this? It was a gift from someone (got it when it was already old) so I cannot know whether it had always been like this or if it changed with the time.....
Thanks! I was 6 when I first started playing but 17 when I first got lessons... complicated story - but I did do a video on it! It's 'How I became a recorder player' ;)
That‘s not a bad thing at all. I‘m an experienced recorder player and half my recorders are also plastic. I have found that sometimes I even prefer plastic over wooden ones.
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Hello Sarah, I'm a 70 year old woman who decided, at the beginning of this year, and with absolutely no knowledge or understanding of music, to learn to play recorder. I joined a class put on by the U3A and found myself among people who could already play quite well and I floundered. Then I found your videos! Thank you so very much! I am learning so much and am much better able to cope with my regular class (not so regular during covid lockdowns.) I am loving learning, loving the music I can now play at last, and loving your very easy-to-understand style of teaching. Thank you again!
So happy to hear this Anne! Welcome!
I love the "breathy" effect of the paper piece in the mouthpiece! 😍
I speak Portuguese, but learned English by myself, after years of web-surfing, song playing and gaming. I am an amateur musician (I play guitar, C and F recorders, harmonica), and I can say that your videos are mesmerising - not only because of your skills and simpathy, but because of your English accent... and, lets be honest, when you speak, your mouth is hypnotic!
Sim, o inglês dela é muito facil de entender, pois o inglês britânico é bonito e elegante. E ela com esse lindos olhos me hipnotiza também...KKKK!!!!
André Ricardo Soares somos dois! ahahah
Eu pensava que estava sozinho nessa. rsrsrsrs... Bom saber que há outros falantes de português aqui tbm
Ae seus BR
Pedrinho Paquiderme same dude.
I learned English through games, I'm mainly Danish...
My dad is Danish and Sri Lankan, and my mom is Polish and Swedish.
This video is a MUST WATCH for all players. I am wondering if there are even professionals who would take out something from this absolutely fantastic life saver. I was just about to give up because of the thumb hole task on my YAMAHA soprano seemed an impossible mission. The tape trick saved the day. Thank you so much for creating this amazing channel. I also saw your other videos that you are now teaching in London University. Well deserved for a recorder encyclopedia like you :) Love from Canada
Thanks for your nice comment!
I use a hack to reduce the volume of my instrument for practising: take a piece of tape or an elastic band and partly cover the hole of the labium.
This will change the pitch of your instrument slightly and make sound more "breathy" however it will also greatly reduce its volume.
I hope this helps.
You are my hero now
Thank-you! Thank-you! THANK-YOU!!!!!
Yup, that works well, though in my experience the upper notes tend to disappear. It would actually have been nice if there were such things as practice recorders, which sounded exactly like normal ones but just way, way softer. :-)
Of course, the recorder is already quite soft, but the upper notes can be rather shrill and screechy, and become a bother to the neighbors.
@@brianvanderspuy4514 Apparently the eCorder can be used with earphones as a practice recorder, but the price is way out of my budget.
@@brianvanderspuy4514 I had great success with taking a piece of wax paper from a Ricola sweet, cut it to about 4/5th of the labium width, folding it over so there is about 1/4cm to go inside and hang over. Lick it so it sticks and put in around the labium, so it just sits on the edge snugly to cover it. I then fix it in place with a hair band. I can play all the high notes, it's no longer shrill and quiet enough so you cannot hear it outside of the room, but loud enough to practice. I do that on an Aulos recorder, I have no idea about wooden instruments, but I would not want to risk those. The Aulos is quite precise it seems and handles it's muzzle very well.
1:52 How to not get shot by your neighbor.
😅😅😅😅😅
Hehe
Or your adult kids
I'm so happy I've found a channel with a pro Recorder player. Plus your personality and humor is great!
This was great. I play native flute and many of these hacks will work. But the one I NEEDED was "tape it up"! I have one beautiful voiced flute that was super difficult to consistently hit the lowest note. Paid lots of money for it so was little bummed. But the taped worked perfectly. Being a native flute I added a flat leather wrap to cover the tape. Works great. Thank you!!
Thanks for the ideas! For hack No. 10, I'm sure someone will have said this already, but if you have a cheap plastic recorder and its joints have got too loose (perpetual undoing for cleaning and travel) then a single turn of plumbers' Teflon tape is ideal
For a recorder that has piece/s that are too tight, a rub with fine glasspaper/sandpaper can help. But careful not to overdo it, as too much sanding can make it too loose! For plastic recorders that are too tight, a little petroleum jelly can also help to make it slip in, but I'd not like to use it on wood, lest it eat into the varnish. For larger recorders that are lined with cork at the joins, when the cork wears out, you can reline yourself with cork sheeting that car places that sell stuff for gaskets have in stock. It's possible to buy thin sheets of cork, cut out a piece yourself, and glue it into position.
I presume you can not use just any type of glue?
@@sarawillemse2091 you'd want to be able to disassemble the instrument for storage and cleaning
Omg thank you. Im gonna loosen my tight recorder
I'm pretty new at recorder playing and wanted something for thumb placement so I thought to use one of the craft felt dots that has sticky on one side. They are raised so easy to feel and they have a texture so your thumb doesn't slide around.
I do something similar, but with small punched out circles of skateboard grip tape.
I recently purchased a digital recorder and this helps me align and maintain my positioning
Something that you can use instead of hair bands to make a thumb holder is bee wax - just take a little clump and work on it with your hands until it's nice and soft (and warm), then shape it the way you want it to be and stick it to your recorder :) easily removable with a little heat from your hands but it sticks very well if you don't remove it on purpose (and no way of damaging the instrument) - also it can help improve thumb positions if your thumb tends to go up too much ;)
Hiya Sarah, I tried a variation of your paper silencer in my recorder and it's much quieter but not silent altogether. I took a cotton swab with a plastic shaft and bent it around a pen by heating it in hot water, giving it a U shape slightly wider than the hole in the recorder. Inserted U down it stays in place and though MUCH quieter, you can still hear the notes when you play. You have to be more careful not to blow too hard when using it or it'll squeak. You CAN use a fiber shaft one but it'll eventually become moisture saturated.
That is a great tip! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks! ^_^ One might even say it's a ......wait for it.....Q-Tip! ^_^
@@Team_Recorder Hey, One hack you'll like is the dizi (look dizi chinese flûtes). Just need rolling paper on octave hole, also works on résonance hole. Best regards
I like the hairband hack to help hold my Yamaha alto, but that doesn't work on my Mollenhauer Prima, because of the way the foot section is shaped. I like using rubber O-rings from the hardware store to help guide my thumbs to the right position, help with a tiny bit of support, and keep them from sliding on my newest recorder, which is a bit slippery! I can reposition them easily or take them off if I don't need them.
I'm a flute player and have been playing for 4 years (since I'm still in high school) and I played recorder in elementary school like most American schools tell you to and i've just now known the similarities between flute and recorder. Fingering and problems with maintenance is super alike. It's like a mix of clainet and flute.
Great video, Sarah! Some comments:
1. CLEANING SOCK
Especially useful for one-legged recorder players...! 🙂
2. PRACTICE MUTE
Better than paper, which gets wet and soggy, is plastic. For computer nerds of a certain age (50+) who like to hoard things, the best plastic is the casing of an old 5 1/4" floppy disk (not my idea, found on internet). Not quite as good is the plastic lid of a 500ml yoghurt pot, or sheet of acetate (for overhead projectors).
3. WINDWAY FILTER
Brilliant idea, hadn't thought of that one! As with 2 above, plastic is better.
4. HAIR BAND SUPPORT
Don't use 'em, myself (hair not long enough). For plastic recorders (I play S/A/T Yamaha 300-series, which I love!) I use an Aulos thumb rest, kept in place with white-tack on its underside. However, probably not suitable for wooden recorders, and not for bigger sizes.
5. STICKY FINGERS
What about how to PREVENT sticky fingers (like wash your hands before playing)! A thumbrest (see 4, above) totally steadies the instrument, so no possibility of slippage, and fingers can remain relaxed. It also prevents the recorder from rolling off a table. To be fair, Sarah, I think you were probably referring to larger wooden instruments.
6. TUNING CARD
Good idea! I once spent a lot of time tuning a Walton's "mellow D" whistle (bottom note more like Eb) by moving the mouthpiece and filing the upper edges of all the tone holes. A roll of plastic stuck in the bottom end would have been much quicker!
7. THUMB WHERE?
See 4 & 5, above.
8. VOICEFLUTE READING
What?? A sensible person would just play the 'D' repertoire on their C tenor/soprano!
9. TAPE IT UP!
More typically used for fine-tuning intonation e.g. bagpipe chanter tape used by pipe bands.
10. LOOSE JOINTS
The best thing to use is teflon tape (aka plummers' tape, aka pipe thread seal tape), a very thin, slippery white tape. It's cheap to buy (e.g. pack of 3 from UK pound shops), and can be wrapped around existing thread/cork/O-rings to seal the joint and make it self-lubricating. As an aside, It's also used to prevent leaks from the sides of double reeds (eg bagpipe practice chanter reeds).
Other Stuff:
11. RINSE AID (my own tip, not found elsewhere, afaik!)
This is a liquid used in dishwashers to prevent water from sticking to dishes and leaving water marks. It is ideal for recorder windways!! (only tried it with plastic recorders). No more blowing/sucking out condensation, or warming instrument under armpit before playing, etc! I can now pick up the recorder and tootle whilst waiting for the kettle to boil, and it plays perfectly - instantly.
The rinse aid I use is called Ecover (supposedly eco-friendly without toxic chemicals): www.sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/groceries/ecover-rinse-aid-500ml
I also go the whole-hog and coat the length of the bore with it, just to minimise drips through the thumb-hole. I even coat the outside of the foot-joint end cap so the moist air doesn't condense on that (being the first thing it finds) and drip on the floor!
12. YAMAHA VENOVA - a new instrument for "adventurous" recorder players...
A new instrument, just invented by Yamaha, that seems of particular interest to recorder/sax players:
th.yamaha.com/en/news_events/2017/gnr17040501.html
www.gear4music.com/Woodwind-Brass-Strings/Yamaha-Venova-YVS-100-Wind-Instrument/1XOL
The best example I could find (by far) of how it sounds is here:
ruclips.net/video/kYLoUi0Ldhk/видео.html
So, is the Yamaha Venova fingered in exactly the same way as a recorder? Is the hinged bit on the bottom just the same as, say, the hinge on the bottom of a tenor recorder? It certainly has an interesting sound and does, yeah, sound rather like a saxophone. Thanks for posting this information. ;D
+zuditaka It seems like you have a choice of German or Baroque recorder fingering - there's a plug in hole 5 to make it smaller (German fingering), take it out and it becomes Baroque fingering. I'm not sure what you mean by "the hinged bit": the bottom-hand key stack will be a simplified form of a sax's, as a sax has extra notes below C.
You can read the pdf documentation here....
Owners Manual:
th.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/2/839762/venova_om_en_a0_web.pdf
"Let's Play Venova!" (playing tips, fingering charts etc):
th.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/2/839772/venova_started_en_web.pdf
+Tom M
Oh, my big tenor recorder has a hinged thing to help the little finger reach the bottom most hole. Well, it can't reach, so one pulls the lever/hinge affair to cover the hole. (I'm not sure what it is called.) Thank you so much for the links. I'm rather tempted to buy one, as the sound is so nice. And, yes, it's very saxophonish in sound. ;D
🎷🎷🎷🎷🎷🎷🎷
I bought a Yamaha Venova just one week ago and I just started playing this as an absolute beginner (I like to try instruments, I've played guitar, bass, piano). I noticed that, after a while I'm playing (e.g. 15 minutes) it collects moisture in the convolutions making it gurgle and squeak. What do you suggest for this problem? Dishsoap? Rinse aid? Can this effect the sound? I have changed the reed with a natural one (rico royal n.2), I feel it sounds a little bit better.
I found the hair band support tip very usefull even for the Venova, due to it's very light weight. I was thinking to a similar solution ( a simple rubber band) before seeing this video, but I'm sure that hair band is better (the Venova has a thumb rest, but you can't feel the instrument in your hands because it's very very light). I hope to go on and on in practicing this instrument, I would like, now or then, to try a real sax and I hope the Venova experience would help me in some way.
I have not played the recorder in 32 years (god that makes me sound old), a friend gave me a present of one last week, so I have decided to relearn it. Thanks for uploading your videos as I find them good :)
For the tape hack, have you looked at painter's tape or drafter's tape? Both are designed to stick well, but pull free without damaging the underlying surfaces.
I use plumbers tape. Works really well. flattens easily so it still goes on easily but holds it in place after putting the joint together.
@@bsnowden yes. It's very rubbery so you don't need much to tighten a loose joint. It makes a good longer-term solution.
@@NoHomerS yes! And it comes off easily with no sticky residue. I was corrected that it's called Teflon Tape
The paper mute if cut thinner will mute without completely blocking the sound, there's a few articles about muting from long ago and a good one on RUclips. Thanks for the great tips
Brilliant - can't wait to try the windway hack - should sound cool for folk music. My favourite recorder hack is one I came up with recently: I use an artist's putty rubber to make a removable thumb rest for playing Alto; also, if you use a thinner piece of paper or a cigarette rolling paper, for the mute you can make a partial mute for practising.
(Sorry, clearly I don't know how to use the comments section), I emailed you about my new tenor Aulos, and how it was giving me grief with my small hands... And then I found the sticky tape hack on this video. I tried it and, well, you have made one person extremely happy and free of frustration! So many, many thanks, you're the best! 😊❤️🎶
I make a reusable recorder mute that lowers the volume rather than blocking the sound completely, and which never becomes soggy! For my treble, I cut a 5mm by 70mm strip of plastic from a milk bottle, and bend it tightly at the 15-20mm mark. Unfold slightly, and pop the short end into the labium. It will it will hang there happily as you play.
nice idea, I'll try that
I´ve seen recorders broken by the use of paper, passing from a loose fit part to a broken one. Use kitchen cover plastic, or plumbing teflon tape. They are thinner than paper.
For years I've been playing silently by just not blowing into the windway but sort of over the window. I move the mouthpiece a centimetre down so I can rest it against the upper part of my chin. (Apparently that's called the labiomental groove.) Then I blow into the same direction as usual which means the air is blown across the window which is enough to make a very low sound similar to what your hack 2 sounds like. It's enough to distinguish the different notes. The only drawback I can see when compared to your hack is that you cannot practice anything you do with your mouth very well. But the advantage is that you don't need an extra piece of paper.
For a mute that doesn't completely silence the recorder, put a fold across a narrow strip of paper or card and carefully hang the it from the labium, with one side (short) inside the recorder and the other (possibly longer) side running down the front. Experiment with length, width and angle of bend to find what works best, and you can pretty much play the full two-octaves-and-a-note range at considerably reduced volume, though response (particularly in the third register) will not be the same as on an unmuted instrument.
I think this may be a trick going back to Carl Dolmetsch.
This is a couple of years late, so I don't know if you will read this. Another way to play quietly, and still get a whisper on the instrument is the using your lower lip as a plug. I don't know if this will work on a recorder because of the bulbous shape of the mouth piece, but it works well for penny whistles. Hold the whistle as you normal would. Instead of putting the mouthpiece in your mouth, lower it a few millimeters and place the windway of the mouthpiece against your lower lip. Blow across the top of the mouthpiece. Sort of like a flute, if it was end blown. This lowers the sound to a whisper, requires no extra bits - like paper or tape, and you can still hear the note for aural reference.
5:00 We do this a lot with bassoon to eek out a whole other note at times, from the Bb to the Ab. It does get a bit muddy though, but "detuning" it to an A sounds great.
As emergency joint tightening, I find waxed dental floss is really useful to have handy - ideally not the flavoured kind!
I fixed the joints on my basset with cinnamon dental floss (it's what I had available). I actually enjoy the hint of cinnamon wafting about when I play.
i was recorder for 2 days straight thankyou for all the videos gosh you inspire me to play more and more even thou my recorder was bit defective. 💓 i wish i have wooden recorder like you have.
At last i found there are commercial silencers for a soprano recorder in Ebay! Needless to say, i ordered one immediately for 4 €, shipping included. I can't wait for it to arrive. It will allow me to play way more often than i play now, lifting my skills to the next level.
I can play about 30 songs and i hunger for more. I want to go more difficult.
hello there, i find your Chanel very interesting, I'm looking forward to see All your vidéo hahaha (i've been a recorder performer for 12 year im the crr of Nancy in France) thumbs up for All recorder player !
Tauralica Metalica u have to work harder
Tauralica Metalica nvm
Me
Chanel is perfume. Interesting perfume sells well!
Yaayyy french recorder players (i'm french too XD)
Hi Sarah .. Please can you tell me how I can control the saliva while playing tenor recorder .. It's make a problem in sound when saliva get in the moth piece and into the wind way too ..
I tried the sticker hack and it worked pretty well! Now, my thumb position is way better than it used to both on my soprano and my alto! Thanks!!!
Yessss!
Thanks for the hair-band thumb support hack! I use, but don't like, a plastic thumb rest, so I'll be experimenting!! Another great video.
2:35 You changed my recorder playing life with this tip! Thanks for sharing!
What's the song at 2:47? 😵😵 Enchanting. Definitely going to learn it!
I think she just made it up
Abbie, whottt? Omg dangg it sounds so enchanting lol
@@posa6104 Yeah… after knowing just enough music theory, getting familiar with scales etc, one can improvise masterpieces sometimes if you’re really really feeling it. Got inspired cause of she to play recorder!
Hack for voice flute would also work for baritone or alto saxophone. Switch from treble to bass clef and add theee flats to get from written to concert pitch (or octave below in case of alto saxophone).
Great video, I just started on the alto and this is very helpful! Also that shirt matches great with your eyes😊
4:36 *TwoSet has left the chat*
HAHAHAH YES
Clearing the windway can be achieved by rolling papers for cigarettes; it sucks out the moisture almost immediately but a word of caution: don't let stay in there for too long (e.g. until your next session). Just a quick fix by folding and adjusting the rolling paper to the width of the windway. If your paper is too short (Voice-flute/tenor and bigger), you can stick another one in the windway by the labium-side (with caution).
One hack I like to use is, if you get to a gig and have forgotten your recorder, if you can find a tree branch of wide enough diameter, you can strip the bark, bore it out, drill fingerholes in the proper places, whittle a fipple mouthpiece, and you'll have a usable working recorder to see you through at least temporarily. You wouldn't believe how many times this trick has saved me.
I make the recorder mutes out of thin strips of playing cards folded at one end. They last a lot longer! (Just use the joker.)
FBI open up, we are confiscating your entire recorder collection (no really though, you have some whacky recorders I'd like to have)
I had to pause the video at #3 to try it out. I couldn't hear much difference on my recorder but I felt it gave it more of a soft echo which was nice.
6:46 reminded me of SML when he says BREAKING NEWS MKAY
yea true
5:40 actually for my Soprano YRS-23 (made in Indonesia) recorder. There is like this mark that says made in indonesia (my beautiful country) and it has a different surface. So i can remember where to put my hands
People should be careful not to poke anything sharp into the headjoints with the sock. perhaps a cheap toothbrush may be safer?
I use a flute/clarinet 'pull through' to dry my recorders. You can make one with a ribbon and an old handkerchief. (Ideally sew the ribbon diagonally across the handkerchief, leaving a 'tail' long enough to drop right through your longest recorder joint whilst adding a small bead to the loose end. if you want, to make it 'safer', put the handkerchief in the middle of the ribbon, so you have two 'tails' - this way, if it gets 'stuck', you can remove it more easily by pulling it out the opposite way!) Your idea with socks is great and you could fashion a pull through from a sock for 'basset' recorders. (They are useful for putting 'basset' knick head joints in on the fabric cases to keep 'grollies' ('muck') out too.
Another quick hack for loose joints, if you're desperate and can't get your recorder re threaded/corked in a hurry, is dental floss! (Preferably a non minty one). As it's a waxed thread, it allows the joint to slide on/off.
For sticking plastic recorder joints, a quick tap on the hand to expel any air from the joint usually loosens it enough to enable you to take the recorder apart. (Don't tap on a hard surface! You could break your recorder!)
Piccolo stands work nicely for descant/soprano it alto/treble recorders. Tenor recorders can be a bit wobbly, so a piece of card round the peg may help. Again, though wobbly, 'basset' recorders can often be put on flute stands. (If you're having problems getting hold of decent recorder stands, or for kids, the Piccolo stand may be easier. (Putting your instruments on stands can save your instruments from being sat upon on chairs as a friend did with her flute! sadly the flute was a write off, as it was banana shaped after it was sat on!) :'( You can also put the stand in a sock to keep the legs in and then use it to clean your recorder (Turn it inside out to store the stand and then the 'right' way out to dry your recorder - you are less likely to scratch the inside of your recorder, as your sock may have picked up some bits and pieces of 'muck'!)
Hope these are useful!
Sorry, forgot to add, I love the videos! Great tips for recorder players!
I hadn't heard the 'Bass Recorder in F' called a 'Basset Recorder' until your videos! (They were just called 'Bass Recorders' when I played in the recorder choir at the Conservatoire!
+Cat You can use the recorder cleaning rod as a pull-through. Thread a suitable length of soft cloth through the 'eye' so it hangs 50/50 on each side, drop the handle through from above and pull from below. To clean the head section, wrap the same cloth around itself and push in. A new cleaning cloth may have to be washed first to soften it before cutting off the strip. The windway can be cleaned by cutting a long narrow length from the same cleaning cloth: push it through from the window end then pull to-and-fro.
+Tom M
indeed Tom. I was just saying that, an alternative to using a cloth with the cleaning rod in the body/foot joints, flute/clarinet pull throughs are useful, especially for larger recorders. (I have known of a flautist who had a cloth come off a stick in the body of the flute and it got very 'stuck', hence recommending 'strings' on both ends of a cloth, so, if it is 'tight' you can pull it back out the way you put it in! (Of course, like the transverse flute, you need to use something like a cleaning rod to dry the top/head joint!)
String on both ends? Clever.
So you know how you said on number three not to accidentally lose the paper inside the mouthpiece? What do we do if that happens? (totally asking for a friend ;D)
Hey Sarah, I am 're'remembering how to play recorder again. thx for the vid. it helped!!!
I can come up with three hacks. 1. If your recorder came with cork rings at the joints, chances are high that they will dry out and fall off. Time to replace it with threading. And if you use natural silk and beeswax dental floss (like I do), you can use this. It's thicker than sewing thread and stays firmly in place. 2. If you don't want to knock out the block of your recorder before oiling the instrument, you can cut off the tip of a tampon and push the part with the thread into the head joint to seal the windway. You can even use the thread to pull it later. The downside is that the uppermost centimeter of the head joint won't get oiled, but if you are worried that you might ruin your block, it's an alternative. 3. If you have an annoying neighbor, my hack is to ignore him when his demands are becoming insufferable. I deactivate the intercom so he can't ring my bell like a maniac anymore. Well, technically he still can, but I cannot hear him anymore.
Ohhh... I like idea number 2!!! I live in a small unit and my neighbours are in close proximity. Now they won't hear my terrible note playing!
I adore you already, after just one video. @_@'
Your personality, smile, helpful tips, and your super giant recorder! I just bought my first recorder so when it comes in, I'm gonna try a bunch of your tips. Especially ways to make the recorder sound exotic and unique. But I'll always practice using healthy standards. :)
Hallo Sarah, I'm so much enjoying your video's. After many years I've started playing the recorder again. I've started with an alt, but now (thanks to you!) playing also the soprano and that's the one I love the most. I've have a question about an issue that is bathering me a lot during playing. Perhaps you have good advice. During playing I have a build up of salvation. I can feel the build up in my lower jaw and because of that I have to find a moment during playing not only to breath but also to swallow. And the swallow takes time. The buildup of salvation has nothing to do with what I've been eating or drinking. My teacher says it is a good sign of relaxation, but I'd rathing be relaxed without that much salvastion :). Perhaps you have a good advice for me?
1:10 Ummmm... me because I always lose them ;-;
There is one hack I'm doing right now because I have 2 soprano recorders and 1 native american flute, and yet only one case. That is knitting cloth cases for them so that I can carry them safely. I'm literally that cheap ;-;
I'm getting an alto for my birthday tho. I found a 40 dollar one on Ebay. I wanna learn to play the recorder. I'm addicted.
This channel: Exists
Me: I'm addicted to recorders, now.
* Pokemon theme *
Recorders!!! GOTTA BUY 'EM ALLLLLLL
I take my wooden tenor to a lot of outdoor Renn faires and I was worried about it being damaged in the occasional torrential downpours that beset such outings. So I got an adjustable plastic poster tube and then knitted a cotton "sock" long enough to cover the recorder and fit inside the tube. So when the sky opens I can tuck my baby away in his plastic case, safe from the rain, but also not worry about him being put away wet (from breath) as the sock acts as a desiccant until such time as I can properly dry him.
For clogged recorders - as well as the well-known tricks, (see my hyperlink below, replying to Shpilbass) try pushing a length of 1/2" elastic down the mouthpiece or up from the vent. Probably not recommended for wooden recorders, but surely no harm done with a plastic tube.
If you have not already done one - how about a short film on clogging? It's a widespread problem and although the tricks are quite well-known some people clearly need to hear about them - see the posts below. It's also a good time to do this topic, (in the Northern Hemisphere at least).
Thank you... most of this stuff is what people pick up over a lifetime... much gratitude for sharing it with all.
Dear Sarah. You are amazing!!!! Thank you so much for sharing your skills.
I love your stuff, I just started taking recorder seriously
Hi i just started studying to play recorder just an hour ago! I'm sure this channel will be helpful to me! Thanks❤️
+danye gonzales Ah wow! Then I think tomorrow's video will be interesting for you ;)
Thanks sarah! xoxo
Thank you thank you thank youuuuu! I am a baroque violin player and I am learning flute just for fune (I have alto baroque flute) and I am finding your videos amazing to not do wrong things! Have a great day you too!
I love your videos! The second hack is the perfect hack for me, when I want to play in the evening while the rest is already sleeping.. 😅😂😂
Once again, excellent video, my neighbours haven't complained yet, and one has confessed to being a RUclips subscriber of mine
I’m LOVING the windway block sound!
I'm a recorder player for 8 years and i didn't know most of those. I'm definitely gonna use them!
This lipstick looks very nice on you :)
Yes it is
broken joint: use silk sewing thread + beewax. Joint maintenance: apply mix (1/2 beewax + 1/2 petroleum jelly)
U deserve more subs
Nice hacks! Thanks. I tried the paper in the mouthpiece, but it was wet after a minute or so. So I cut off a rim of a plastic pipette and it works nice!
great tips! dental floss also works quite well for s loose jt.I re threaded 3of mine with straight threading and sealing with beeswax. sticky fingers with talcum (baby)powder or rubbing next to the oily skin next to the nose.
+1 on the waxed dental floss.
Pass the end of the thread/floss in a loop along the joint and wrap over this loop. At the end of the job, pass the other end through the loop and pull the loop under the wrapping threads. Then trim both ends where they poke out of the wrapping.
I guess one should use a clean sock, right? :p
wyan duh.
No! Use the dirtiest sock you can find
@@krishnaswainpiano4129 why
Use a dirty one for dramatic effect.
What I learned: "Use paper"
Thank you very much for the hacks! Number 2 is a blessing, at the day time I don't care about neighbours but after 22.00 till 6.00 music becomes illegal. Now I can play any time!
I use plumbers tape for loose joints. Use less than you think you need!
I also like to pull out the foot joint just a little bit as I am a loud player and the lowest notes are usually flat compared to the mid notes.
You're so adorable! Thanks for the wonderful tips!
4:31 super adorable! (my fave)
I could hear the paper hit the floor . Busted! Great Ideas. Love the videos!
yes, because she was demonstrating how it sounded with and without the paper inserted. The first time with the paper, the second time she removed the paper so you could hear that it was slightly higher.
I always find that after I play for a while, my recorder gets jammed with my saliva. What's a good way of preventing this?
Cover all holes with your fingers, including the "window", and blow it really hard as you can! lol That will flush it out.
zuditaka I mean like to stop it from happening
Shpilbass simply, you can't. It's possible that what you call "saliva" is actually moisture from your breath. It helps to keep your recorder head joint under your armpit and warm it a little before you play. otherwise, mollenhauer sells a good anti-condenser (you just need few drops any now and then to see some nice improvement). Someone told me you can make your own anti-condenser with dish soap and water, but I didn't try it.
If the problem is saliva for real, be sure to not lick the recorder while playing.
It's just part of being human. I recall that brass instruments have a little button that would squirt out excess saliva. I know my Yamaha candy coloured transparent descant recorders get full of condensation from my breath, and visible droplets form before my eyes. It's not the end of the world. They are dishwasher safe, as well! lol Both moisture from the breath and some saliva will end up in the tube. Having a tissue handy helps if some moisture comes out the fingerholes. Yes, temperature and humidity are gonna make a difference, too, as far as condensation is concerned. ;D
+Shpilbass Try rinse aid! See #11 of my posting.
I've loved that hacks! Thank you, especially for the mute one haha ;-)
that is a hell of recorder.
im a newbie btw. nice hack video;)
Learning so much from you Sarah! Thank you!
Bagpiper use tape to tune our chanter. It's easily found on any website that sell bagpipes stuff. There is also a kind of thread that is kinda waxed that we use to mount our pipes. Maybe It could be useful for recorder that have loose joint? (Sorry for my English... It's not my language!)
we use hemp thread for the joints of the bagpipes as well, it will absorb moisture and gives a really good seal
i dont even play the recorder... but I found myself clicking on this video :/
Im still entertained thou :>
+ThisGUY yay
Hi, thanks for your videos.
Have you any idea on moeck rottenburgh soprano in boxwood from 1982, what s differences with recent model? Nice day
I have no idea what she's talking about, but damn do I like watching her talk about it.
Thank you for all these awesome tips!
I'm a beginner recorder player
Your VDO help me a lot
Thank you so much 😊
how do you suggest cleaning a recorder that has a small hole, to small to do the sock trick?
Nice video. I play flute though... I HATE when people say that a recorder is a flute. XD
.........Blöckflöte........... : )
Kenzie Gibson ("_")
Hey I've been watching some of your videos and they are great. First of all, at the beginning I thought it was just one of the many channels with recorder players....but you can actually really play, are you in some school studying early music? I am a professional cellist but I kind of got a thing recently for recorders and penny whistles.....I will soon ask some friends in the early music school to give me a crashcourse because I am a bit stuck learning on my own BUT until then I would like to know: my old wooden recorder (bärenreiter) has only the F (4th hole) very high pitched....the rest of the notes are perfectly in tune. The f is so high (1-2-3-4) compared to the rest that I have to close another hole (1-2-3-4-6) to make it right. IS there maybe something I can try to fix this? It was a gift from someone (got it when it was already old) so I cannot know whether it had always been like this or if it changed with the time.....
Perky and cute, but, more inportantly, knows her stuff! Good videos in her series.
🌹You are amazing, Sarah! Thank you! 😍Spassiba! 🌞🙏
Thank you very much Sarah ! very useful !!! !
WOW THAT RENAISSANCE BASS THING! btw can these tips be used o the descant as well?
I Love This video!!!! I'm not understand every think cause I'm Brazilian, but I love your video ❤
your videos are amazing and helping me a lot! when did you started to learning recorder? how old were you? :)
Thanks! I was 6 when I first started playing but 17 when I first got lessons... complicated story - but I did do a video on it! It's 'How I became a recorder player' ;)
I REALY LOVE YOUR WORK AND ALSO TEAM RECORDER RULES
YAAAAAY
Sarah can you teach us a simple but classical music
PLEASE
I've been playing recorder with a saxophone mouthpiece. I'd love to hear you play one!
I just bought myself a recorder it's a plastic one 🙂
Aaaand, are you still playing? I bought mine 6 years ago, didn't improve much :D
Nope lol
@@brendanoneill5830 That makes two of us! :D
That‘s not a bad thing at all. I‘m an experienced recorder player and half my recorders are also plastic. I have found that sometimes I even prefer plastic over wooden ones.
first of all, by far your coolest thumbnail, and it is also a cool title for the vid
The finger licking trick can also be useful when lifting or moving things like cardboard boxes.
I was watching one of your vids before clicking on this one