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I have just spent the first half of my lunch break oiling recorders. Very satisfying, and I get to sit in my office looking at them all afternoon. And I wanted to share a picture with you, so here it is!
Edit: It’s there twice for not good reason other than I can’t see how to remove the extra one in the edit screen. Just once with a sensible name and once with a silly name!
Goodness – they look beautiful! I could sit and stare at them too! Are you going to do an ID for them?!!! 🙂
I don’t take much persuading…
Great bass – Mollenhauer Canta in pear
Tenor – Dolmetsch Academy box
Treble at A=415 – Mollenhauer Denner pear
Treble – Moeck Denner box
Treble – Kung Studio cherry
Treble with E-foot – Mollenhauer Modern pear (E-foot is laying down at the front, as it won’t stand up!)
Descant – Mocek Steenbergen box
Descant – Kung Superior olive
Descant – Dolmetsch Academy pear (body laying down because it has a convex bell and also won’t stand up)
Sopranino – Moeck Rondo mapleNot pictured – Aulos garklein and Woodnote bass (both plastic) and a Lyra bass (wooden, found in a secondhand shop, couldn’t leave it behind and should probably find it a home where it will be used!)
I’m glad you don’t take much persuading. I have my eye on a Kung Studio Treble in cherry to match my descant!
It’s an impressive list! Do you have a favourite or is that a silly question? And supplementary questions… a) Which oil do you use? and b) Do you oil in or out. I’ve noticed some people do inside and swear you mustn’t touch the outside and vice versa…
A favourite is pretty much impossible. If I could only have one for ever more, I’d probably pick a tenor. And I adore my tenor but another tenor is probably the next thing on my shopping list! Not that there’s anything wrong with mine…maybe something for next year’s Early Music Festival.
I love the Superio olivewood descant, but that’s in part because I love olivewood anything, so I’m not entirely sure I’d rank it above the Steenbergen as an instrument. It does depend on what’s being played, the Steenbergen is quite strong in its presence, so the Superio seems to suit some things much better.
Likewise with the trebles, the Studio cherry was my first wooden instrument so will forever have a place in my heart, but the upgrade to the box Denner was astounding. Having said that, I’ve used the Studio for a couple of specific pieces in exams because it suited them better.
I oil using raw linseed oil (as recommended by Jacqueline Sorel on this maintenance course). I do inside only – most of mine are (or appear to be) varnished on the outside and I fear oiling would make them too slippery to handle!It was unfair to ask for a favourite but sometimes some things you have just attach themselves to you for some reason – it’s not always possible to explain why either. Olive wood is lovely. It has the most incredible grain.
Your evaluation of your various recorders is very interesting. I hope I get to know mine as well as that!
I oil using raw linseed oil (as recommended by Jacqueline Sorel on this maintenance course).
When I did Jacqueline’s (excellent) course, she added a small percentage of some sort of citrus oil, just to make it smell nicer. I think I wrote down what it was, but lost the notes or couldn’t read them or something. Do you do that? It did give the newly-oiled instruments a pleasant fragrance.
All Maizie’s recorders look beautiful. I’m fascinated by the different beak shapes, the different woods and the Martians.
I haven’t used a citrus oil, it’s a lovely idea though. I have had my office door shut so the cat doesn’t accidentally cause a domino collapse, I just had to pop in there and it smells quince as it is, but will keep citrus oil in my head in case I see any.
That wall of my office does feature a fairly eclectic selection of pictures, so immediate supervision was ravens, Martians and John Glenn!It’s a very attractive photo! Nice compo. My study is dominated by a map of Skyrim of course!
I’m smiling at keeping the door shut to keep the cat out. The Collie thinks my study is half hers and would be upset if I banned her!
Anyway, I’m all inspired by you and Geert and will oil my (wooden) recorders. Pavane if you ever find/read your notes then hopefully you’ll confirm the citrus. I wonder if it’s OK to use any essential oil to add to the linseed? I haven’t used linseed much when I’ve been working with wood – I tend to wax or use teak, Danish and tung oils. However, we do have linseed in the barn – I’m just trying to figure what I must have used it for. Certainly not a cricket bat!
I’ve just remembered that anacrusis used to add something to the oil but I’ve forgotten what it was…
Your evaluation of your various recorders is very interesting. I hope I get to know mine as well as that!
When I got the box treble, the Kung became my back up. I think it was during intense pre-exam practice that it came out to play, and I realised I could hear the difference – I was extremely amazed to notice, even more so when I demonstrated to my teacher and he agreed that there was a difference and I was right that the Kung suited the piece better (a movement from Gordon Jacob’s Suite, but I can’t remember which one!)
So, did you swap between instruments in the exam Maizie? I’m just trying to imagine me trying to juggle that and I’m failing…
Yes, went in with two trebles and a descant. Wore dungarees so the head joints not yet being used could stay warm in the bib pocket, joined body & foot joints rested securely on a chair just next to where I stood!
Maizie – My teacher wouldn’t let me wear jeans!!! Let alone dungarees (I love dungarees and have several pairs). It wasn’t that long after chemo etc etc so nothing fitted me particularly well. I ended up going in leggings and pinafore type dress. I had this beautiful scarf given to me by my sister (in law) but I think I took it off for the exam or surely I’d have got tangled in it!
Do you get exam nerves?
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