I am now the proud owner of a recorder...
 

Yes, one of those squeaky annoying instruments you probably learnt to play in school and hated.

Decided to learn to play one again after quitting all those years ago because I didn't like the teacher. So far I'm doing pretty well, I can play quite a few pieces already and am getting better.

I want an alto recorder too at some point, but I don't have any money.

Anyone else play(ed)?

Ha! Yes, I loved playing recorder! When I was a kid, we had to learn to play, and any students who displayed musical talent were signed up for middle school band the following year.

I remember having to play "Hot Cross Buns" ad nauseum because half of the kids in the class just couldn't get it. :laughing:

Glad to hear your new pursuit of the recorder is coming along well.

Well the good part is that I might actually be able to use my new skill pretty soon- I work in a children's center and it's been suggested that the center holds music and rhythm classes for the toddler and pre-school group. Stuff like Old McDonald, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, you know....basically, stuff I could quite easily play on either recorder (if I don't fancy singing) or guitar.

it was the first musical instrument i learnt to play - i was very adept at it

although I really doubt the intentions of my musical teacher passing me notation for songs like Massa's in the Cold, Cold Ground (some early slavery rebellion song) and Camptown Races (gambling song)

you shouldn't be ashamed of it, the keyhole placings are the same as a saxophone keys

Oh man, I haven't played the recorder since elementary school! The only song I ever remember playing on it was Hot Cross Buns.

OMG that brings back such memories! I remember annoying people and my parents by playing it! :laughing:

Hmmm, I used to be able to play one too. But I think I really lost that now :D

I hated it I didn't understand you had to blow into it at different pitches I thought it was all from the holes. Teacher thought I had a learning disability.

You... don't have to blow at it at different pitches?

I don't know what kind of recorder you were using, but all the ones I've used were not like that. In fact, I've never heard of a recorder that was played that way. The different fingerings will create the different pitches, not the amount of air you put into the instrument.

Well what it could be; When you blow too soft, no sound comes out of it. When you blow too hard, some screeching comes out of it. So it is quite important to blow 'hard enough', within a certain margin. But that isn't too hard to find :)

Oh god no wonder why the teacher thought I had problems my lord it must have sounded like a dying creature

I once had a recorder (a school recorder) that I used on a test that had a small crack in it on the underside. Whenever I blew air into it, it would make an awful squeaking noise. I failed the test cause the teacher said I wasn't playing it right! Ten years later I went back to the school and played flute for her :D

It shocks me thinking back that learning the recorder allowed me to read sheet music, and play pretty well (if I do say so myself). Now I have no musical instruments that I play, and no inclination to learn either.

One thing I didnt understand as a 9/10 year old was what was the tiny pot of vaseline for in the leather recorder case?

What songs did everyone have to play? We had to learn hot cross buns, ode to joy, and another song I can't remember the name of.. it was bitch to play though, I do remember that.

In the 5th grade my school also let us take their ukuele's home for a weekend, but my cat was afraid of it so I never played it much.

Vaseline is used to grease the area where the different sections of the instrument connect, essentially making it easier to put together and so it doesn't get stuck. It's okay to use on recorders since there is no cork around the joints, unlike on a clarinet or saxophone. In that case instrument cork grease should be used and not Vaseline.

Yeah, I think we played all those songs too :laughing:

What would happen if you used vaseline where there is cork?

Nothing bad would happen. Vaseline is thinner than cork grease is, and doesn't moisturize the cork properly because it's petroleum based. Cork grease is lanolin based, and is more like a lip balm - when it's applied, it doesn't move anywhere. Vaseline, on the other hand, can be used, but only very sparingly. Because it's less viscous than cork grease, it gets displaced when you put the instrument together, therefore defeating the purpose of greasing the joints.

I think playing the recorder got me into the flute. I played the flute for a year and only quit because my music teacher was an *******. My friends couldn't believe it as they said I was really good.

That's too bad! Teachers really do make all the difference. Patience is a key thing and some teachers just don't have it.

Recorders are one of the most underrated instruments ever, and it's not that easy to play. It's perfectly fit for a kid's diminutive lung capacity, but as a grown-up one has to restrain oneself to the point of exhaustion to avoid those squeaks. I have used it on at least one song I recorded once upon a time (together with a regular flute, but I can't really distinguish which is which now): The Light Brigade in the Valley of Death

Well... That's really nice :).
You're probably not the best singer but your voice does fit the music (is that even you).
It's really good if you ask me.
Reminds me of the Early Jethro Tull mixed up with Magna Carta

Edit: I also hear some early Kansas influences. The good bit of Kansas, that is.
And I hear some Incredible String Band.

You will hear anything but Dylan. ;) Anyway, it was a few years ago now and the quality isn't exactly cutting edge. I just wanted to show off the use of the recorder.

I dunno, the songwriting is great, the recording is at least interesting. It's definitely not audiophile :D.

Brings back so many memories. I remember being in the back with a couple of kids and we'd always play a random note in the middle of a song and make the class start over.

I wonder if it could actually played correctly and sound good, those things sounded annoying as ****! We usually just took the mouthpiece off and used it as a whistle.

I can quite confidently say that the recorder was the way I first learnt how to read music. I can also remember aceing Hot Cross Bun's in a recorder test as well! ;)

This is nothing to publicize.

My brother plays recorder, and actually how you blow into the recorder can SLIGHTLY affect how flat or sharp a note is.

It's interesting seeing all these replies and how many people actually played this instrument. Especially in elementary school. I remember walking into music class and the teacher said, "Grab a recorder from the bin, yes they're clean." Needless to say it wasn't the instrument for me but like hell did I mess around with it.