I'm from Australia

[50skayt]

Hi, I don't know if I'm on the right forum but I am truly new to all of this. I'm in my mid 50's, & have just started to learn music, which is something I have wanted to do all my life. When I was a kid my parents couldn't afford to give me music lessons & as a young married woman I was busy raising a family. Now they all have their own families & I'm on a disability pension.
I thought I had left it to late to learn to play any musical instrument, till just before christmas last year 2010, when I saw a child's plastic toy recorder in the shops, I picked it up & bought it home (after I paid about $2 for it).
I went on to the net straight away, to find if there was any help to learn to play the recorder. I soon found there was a few beginner lessons for recorder on youtube, & soon started to play this little toy recorder. I surprised myself on how quickly I was picking it up, & how much I enjoyed learning to play it, but it wasn't the best tuned instrument.
My hubby thought I was doing so well also, so he quickly got on the net, & bought me a Yamaha soprano recorder in time for christmas. I just love it. It's so much better sounding then the toy recorder. I then thought I would like a deeper sounding recorder (my hearing finds the soprano a bit shrill), so I bought a Yamaha tenor, & Alto recorders. I soon found that my hands were to small for the tenor, though by using the pipers hold, I can just reach the holes, but I have arthritis so my hand soon became sore. Even the alto's F, is hard for my right hands pinky(small) finger.
I have now decided to get a tenor with a bent neck, & finger keys for the 3rd & 4th finger holes, & an alto with the double F keys, when I can find them cheap enough.
I have been practicing to read music & play the recorder every day since I got the toy one, & now can read, what I would describe as grade 2 music, there is so much to learn.
I have found lots of sheet music on the net for free & like to keep learning new tunes as I learn, which makes it more interesting. I soon got tied of the kids tunes on the beginner lessons on youtube.

[Kypfer]

50skayt,
Never too late ... I picked up my first woodwind, a whistle, last summer at the age of 60+. I've now got a small array of whistles and recorders + a few other bits and pieces, mostly second-hand off the web, plus some good books, also second hand.

... too many tunes and not enough time

Enjoy

[mutepointe]

Welcome. Since you're on a disability pension, I won't actually do this but I would like to drag you around to all the people that I meet who think they're too old, not gifted, not whatever...to learn to play a musical instrument, make you play a tune, and then make you tell them your story while I whack them on the head with every syllable you say. You have really got to be enjoying making music after all of this time.

If you're looking to expand into other instruments, may I suggest two more. Ocarinas and diatonic harmonicas (those simple 10 hole ones that they sell in guitar stores.) I don't have little fingers but I bet you could play a tenor 10 hole ocarina with no problem and you don't much even need fingers to play the harmonica. And a harmonica is the best breathing exercise out there. That's why I learned.

If you found a lot of music on the internet, did you find www.wikifonia.com ? What kind of music are you playing anyway?

[50skayt]

Thanks for the welcome I have always loved my music & like a broad variety of music, music has always been something that has picked me up when I was down or just made any thing I was doing go faster.
I do have very small hands, from my thumb to my little finger at full stretch is 6/5inch or 16/5cm.
I find the recorder the easiest on my lungs to play, I'm not in the best health due to fighting cancer 9 years ago & then I had 2 knees replaced, so can't run to exercise. I tried the clarinet but soon found it was to hard for me to blow hard enough to be barely able to finish 1 tune, so I sold it straight away.
Thanks also for the encouragement, I'm a stubborn headed woman & I intend to be able to have the confidence to play in front of other people (I've always been shy), with a recorded accompaniment, by the end of the year, even if it's a simple tune.
I like to play anything that is easy & not to fast at the moment. To help me learn the tempo, I like to play tunes I know, so I can know when they sound right, I like the Disney songs. I have been teaching myself, with info from the net, what each notes timing is, so when I read it, & then while I'm playing the turn, I can connect them in my mind. It's going to take a while before I can automatic read the notes & play them correctly for a tune I don't know. I hope to achieve this in 2 years.
I had a quick look at the wikifonia site, but I haven't had time to go into it yet.

I'd like to ask for a bit of advice now. Does anyone know if the "MOECK TUJU MAPLEWOOD ALTO RECORDER WITH KEY" is a good recorder or the "Mollenhauer Canta Alto Pearwood, baroque double holes, with double key" is better or the same? I'm thinking of buying ether one of them. I have also been told that the Mollenhauer is wax impregnated to make it easier to care for, dose anyone know if this is true?

[50skayt]

I've just gone I had a look at the Ocarinas on the net, I know what a harmonica is, but have never seen the Ocarinas, they are a beautiful instrument. Though it would be nice to be able to play one, I think 1 instrument at a time is enough for me to learn

[MTGuru]

I'd like to ask for a bit of advice now. Does anyone know if the "MOECK TUJU MAPLEWOOD ALTO RECORDER WITH KEY" is a good recorder or the "Mollenhauer Canta Alto Pearwood, baroque double holes, with double key" is better or the same? I'm thinking of buying ether one of them. I have also been told that the Mollenhauer is wax impregnated to make it easier to care for, dose anyone know if this is true?

Both Moeck and Mollenhauer are top established makers of fine recorders. The Tuju and Canta are both a step above student level, and are good ensemble instruments. (The Tuju line is now discontinued in favor of the redesigned Flauto Rondo.)

Personally I'd probably choose the Mollenhauer for the darker wood, the double keys, and the more traditional Baroque appearance, among other things. But either one should be a nice recorder.

I'm not sure about the wood treatment, but I'd guess that both recorders are wax impregnated. This is typically done with recorders of lightwoods like maple and pearwood, because they do not take to oiling very well.

Good luck ...

[Kypfer]

50skayt,
I can't help with the Mollenhauer, but I do have a Tuju soprano ... lovely instrument. I do keep it oiled, but I don't know if it's wax impregnated or not, so it might not need it ... can't do any harm. Do note, recorders can come with both "German/simplified" or "Baroque/english" fingering. The baroque system is deemed to be superior, once you've masterd the very basics.

Ocarinas ... mmm ... there's a lot of rubbish out there, and most of the recordings you'll hear have been "improved" to give that "big echoey room" sound. The ones I've tried take a lot of puff (compared to a whistle or recorder), are very sensitive to correct air pressure to keep in tune, and of course they mostly have a limited range of notes. Mountain Ocarinas seem to be the best ... but they're shipping is horrendously expensive outside of the USA.

[50skayt]

Thanks for the info guys, that has help tremendously.

[MichaelLoos]

From the Moeck homepage, not visible in the English version:
"Our maple and pearwood recorders are being impregnated with paraffine. Additional oiling is therefore not required. On the other hand it won't do any harm to oil a recorder every now and then, if it has been in use for a while. In fact, there are players who swear that oiling improves the sound a lot."
The Mollenhauer page doesn't supply clear information if their recorders are being impregnated.

[MTGuru]

From the Moeck homepage, not visible in the English version:

It's funny ... The English and French versions of that page don't agree with the German.

"Our recorders made of maple (not waxed with paraffin) ... have to be oiled ..."

"nos flûtes en érable non paraffiné ... doivent être huilées ..."

The implication is that some of the maple recorders are not impregnated with paraffin. But the Spanish and Italian pages agree with the German. So I would guess that the German is correct.

[MichaelLoos]

What I translated is in a paragraph which is omitted in the English version; maybe for the international market, they have a product line of un-paraffined maple instruments, although I doubt it.
The Moeck company is not far from where I live, and I know a few people who work or have worked there.
A couple of years ago, I took part in a guided tour to the factory, and we were shown how the half-finished instruments were boiled in paraffine.
My own Moeck instruments (not many, no recorders, and all made from maple) definitely have been treated with paraffine, well enough they don't take up a single drop of oil, after many years of playing.

[MTGuru]

A couple of years ago, I took part in a guided tour to the factory

I'm jealous.

My own Moeck instruments (not many, no recorders, and all made from maple) definitely have been treated with paraffine, well enough they don't take up a single drop of oil, after many years of playing.

Yes, some years ago I played the Moeck maple Renaissance consort recorders in my Renaissance consort. And they were also maintenance-free.

[50skayt]

Sounds good to me. I have found a second hand Moeck Tuju alto recorder, & hope to get it within my budget. I'm not intending to become a professional musician, but if I can play well enough for friends or family, I'll be happy.

[Tim2723]

Sounds like you're already pretty happy, but good luck with that recorder. As the others have said you'll be pleased with it. A well-known maker and a good instrument for the money.

[jennyren]

[Thread revival. - Mod]

Came across this thread while trying to find out if my Moeck Flauto rondo is wax impregnated or not. In the end I emailed Moeck who have replied confirming that their maple and pearwood Flauto rondos are wax impregnated. I have the 2321 alto in stained maple with double keys and really love it.