Chiff and Fipple Forums

I have little to no business in this forum of woodwind players. I am primarily a brass player. I am also a senior in high school this year and on the last day of school in my jazz band classes, it is tradition for all members of the ensemble to take an improvised solo on whatever chart we'd happen to be playing at that moment. Learning the recorder at a young age is an experience that almost all, if not all, students go through in my entire school (by law?), regardless on whether they continue their musical studies. I'm sure that this is not unusual.

I have found my old recorder and am trying to learn it in preparation for a tongue-in-cheek jazz solo at the end of the year. Does anybody have any advice or stories to provide regarding approaching this instrument from a jazz point of view?

Forgive me if this is a topic that has already been covered, I am not usually great with most forums.

I hope listening to these will help.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOwZf2ln ... ata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI-h4urm ... ata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmj-g4OQ ... ata_player

Welcome, Maxim. Even wretched brass players are welcome here.

Yes, I've done a bit of jazz improv on recorder. I'd say the main problem I found was trying to play over charts for Bb/Eb instruments, which often puts you in recorder-unfriendly keys. So choose a chart in a key/mode with one flat/two sharps max (assuming a C recorder), and you're probably OK. Even then, the chromatic cross-fingerings can be awkward if you're not a regular recorder player. So be sure to practice-run your chromatic scales and whatever scales/modes you plan to use in advance, to give your fingers a fighting chance.

BTW, the principal French hornist with the San Diego Symphony is also one of the finest Irish trad wind players around, on uilleann pipes, flute and whistle. So there's always hope.

Good luck, have fun!

oleorezinator wrote:I hope listening to these will help.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOwZf2ln ... ata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI-h4urm ... ata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmj-g4OQ ... ata_player

Interesting. I really enjoyed the first of those. Couldn't listen to the other two. Didn't quite see the point. Perhaps it's me.

Thank you all for your advice so far.

This is my equipment, and it's several years old. I have no idea how to determine if it's in what you folks would call "appropriate playing condition." Is an upgrade necessary? Does anybody suggest a particular recorder?

http://www.musick8.com/store/alphadetai ... dvn_juxRtM

EDIT: Also, holy cow, oleorezinator. Those links. Just...damn.

Maxim099 wrote:I have no idea how to determine if it's in what you folks would call "appropriate playing condition." Is an upgrade necessary? Does anybody suggest a particular recorder?

Only you can tell us, really. Does it play in tune with itself? Can you tune it to A440? Can you play a 2-octave chromatic scale with each note sounding and speaking properly? Is it loud enough for what you need, or will your performance be mic'd? How serious is your "joke"?

It's obviously a cheapie student descant/soprano recorder. I have a couple of recorders in that price range that play very nicely. OTOH, I also have one cheapie that I wouldn't use as a garden stake.

All other things being equal, a student grade Yamaha or Aulos, or a Mollenhauer Dream would be more reliable. Personally, I recommend the Yamaha Rottenburgh woodgrain YRS312B or the Mollenhauer plastic Dream recorder.

Or how about a Mollenhauer Elody?

http://www.lazarsearlymusic.com/Mollenh ... /Elody.htm

For some nice easy listening jazz recorder, I recommend http://www.amazon.com/Jazzrecorder-Tom- ... B001HN8N5I. I personally think the recorder works best for this kind of jazz, which I realize may be too tame for many.