The ubiquitous recorder (flauto dolce) - an easy instrument for everyone?

[Ciel_Rouge]

OK, so we all love classical music and sometimes while listening we even do some "conductor" movements. Some of us also feel the temptation to actually learn how to play an instrument. However, not all of us have the time to learn how to play a piano or violin and these instruments tend to be expensive and/or take up room etc.

But guess what... There IS an instrument that is easy, cheap and... yes, you may learn how to play your favourite tune FAST. Moreover, it is a serious instrument which had pieces for it composed by the likes of Händel. The thing I'm talking about is called:

THE RECORDER

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recorder

or flauto dolce in Italian, for example. It is much more serious than a whistle (it is a real baroque instrument after all) but less complicated than a flute or a clarinet. You do not have to have a lot of power in your lungs to be able to play it. You do not have to worry about many technical details. You just learn the fingering and pull it out whenever you feel like playing. I have seen tutorials on YouTube that show you "Ode to Joy" note by note and you can learn it just by looking how to place your fingers - you do not even have to learn how to read notes. So, imagine after listening to Beethoven, being actually able to PLAY Beethoven yourself after only a couple of minutes!

So apart from it being a REAL instrument (there ARE pieces actually composed for the recorder) it is also easy to play just about anything if it was transcribed. So consider it something in between of listening and playing - you may try to fool around with it once in a while and maybe get familiar with notes and various technical things and maybe simply appreciate your music more.

Just as a taster and to show you that it may sound really good and interesting, take a look at "Fear of the Dark" by Iron Maiden played on a recorder - it sounds remarkably medieval-ish if played this way:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL3udgZWIEo&feature=related

Or maybe you play it already? I consider playing it myself and would highly appreciate any advice, tips etc. And purely theoretically - what do you think about the idea of having something very simple that allows you to play some of your favourite music yourself?

[Diletante]

I used to play the recorder in school, which I guess is a common thing. Unfortunately I didn't like classical music back then so I missed the chance to learn to play a more complex instrument.

If you're looking to play an instrument as an amateur, you could also consider an electronic keyboard. It's not so expensive and it's a fun instrument. Besides, it also gives you the chance to sing along with the music if you like singing, and it can produce many sounds apart from the 'piano' sound.

Some time ago I dusted off my brother's old electronic keyboard and started slamming the keys. I realized that playing it, even at the most basic level, gave me a deeper understanding of music, because it practically forced me to learn about keys, musical notation, tempo, articulation...

Of course, you could learn all that theoretically, but it's much more fun if you're actually playing. 

[Mark G. Simon]

I started on the recorder before I took up clarinet. The fingerings are very similar. The handling of breath control on the recorder is much different than on the clarinet, and I find my playing very unsatisfactory whenever I take out my recorder because I'm blowing into it as if it were a clarinet.

The recorder is actually a very difficult instrument to play on a professional level. Besides the issue of breath control, there is the matter of many difficult cross fingerings necessary to produce the chromatic notes of the scale. The clarinet, with its many keys, makes things much easier. And proper intonation, as with all wind instruments, requires a lot of finesse and good ears. An ensemble of expert recorder players can make an utterly ravishing sound. They don't call it "flauto dolce" for nothing.

[ChamberNut]

My stepson Owen has been learning the recorder at school.  They call it Karate Recorder, where they get a ribbon on their recorder (based on the colours of the karate belt levels), for each new tune they learn to play.

A fun way for kids to learn how to learn and enjoy playing music.  And, on his own initiative, Owen learned how to play the Ode to Joy theme all by himself!   0:)

[jochanaan]

I've done a lot of recorder playing, including some consort work in college.  While some music fans seem unaware of its greater capacities--they seem to think it's "just a beginner's instrument"--it can be as sweet, expressive and technically brilliant as any instrument despite its limited dynamic range.

The better ones are made of wood.  My two, soprano and alto, are Küng pearwood.  They play very well in tune at A440, and have a sweet tone that projects well in an ensemble.

Some years back I had the great privilege of hearing Michala Petri, then the world's foremost recorder player, live at the Colorado Music Festival.  She has an awesome technique and great musicality; she played several well-known violin warhorses on recorder, and you would have thought they were written for her instruments!

[Ciel_Rouge]

Indeed. Perhaps this thread is also a good place to start recommending outstanding recorder players. Besides Michala Petri, I heard of others but have no closer familiarity with their recordings.

[Grazioso]

I was thinking of picking up the recorder as a hobby--not actually playing it, just picking it up and putting it back down But seriously, any words of advice or suggestions for instructional books? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the soprano versus alto for a beginner--these seem to be the preferred choices over tenor, sopranino, etc.--in terms of playability and repertoire?

If it helps, I've played other instruments, though my reading is rudimentary. (A good ear conquers all ) I'd be teaching myself.

[Scarpia]

Why not try harmonica.  Just as easy to play but the sound is even more annoying.  Why go half way?

[canninator]

Why not try harmonica.  Just as easy to play but the sound is even more annoying.  Why go half way?

Harmonica is for those too scared to go all the way with paper and comb

http://www.youtube.com/v/ESBmqCEz69w

[DavidW]

It's easy enough for anyone to pick up (I played it when I was a kid), but hard enough that you still have to be a great artist to make sense of Handel and Vivaldi's sonatas.  I agree with the OP, the flute (which I also played as a kid, but poorly!) was real hard on my lungs but the recorder was not.

[Grazioso]

Harmonica is for those too scared to go all the way with paper and comb

http://www.youtube.com/v/ESBmqCEz69w

My poor, poor ears

Why not try harmonica.  Just as easy to play but the sound is even more annoying.  Why go half way?

Harmonica is like most instruments: annoying in the hands of a beginner, much better in the hands of an expert.