- This topic has 47 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated October 11, 2023 at 12:26 pm by
.
-
Posts
-
I loved how Maizie said about what was on her music stand so I thought I’d start a thread. Thanks Maizie – hope that’s ok! It’d be nice to know what everyone else is doing.
Treble (Alto)
Telemann Bouree Solo Book for Treble Recorder Vol 2 (ed Runge)
Hotteterre Bouree Baroque Recorder Anthology Vol 3
Greensleeves – Tunes for FunMy Solo Book is quite elderly but I think there is a newer edition. It’s a lovely collection. I have to be a bit selective because I don’t have all the notes yet. I quite often can’t cope with the accidentals because I don’t know them yet. But I do like what I’ve played from here.
Descant
Bach Suite no.2 The Seven Dances of BMV 1067Nothing new or exciting on mine I’m afraid. I really need to get started on something new, and doing so is a kind of “winter resolution” for me that I haven’t quite got around to achieving yet. I’m playing the van Eyck Wat zalmen because it’s good for practising big jumps. I’m also playing a couple of the Teleman fantasias, basically the two that are the easiest, namely 1 and 10 – the latter good for practising higher notes (there are a number of high C#s in it). If this all sounds like I’m working on fairly hard stuff, note that I’m playing them, not playing them well. I’m also playing a bit of Gordon Saunders’s Traditional Japanese pieces which is fun (and they are easier). Other than that, just the usual suspects!
No changes on my music stand, but eagerly awaiting delivery of The Great Bass Practice Book, and volume 1 of Marcello’s 12 sonatas. The latter I’ve had an IMSLP facsimile copy for years – it was on the music stand at my first lesson as an adult, so we started with sonata 1 in F! – and I thought what a luxury it would be to have a slight easier to read version!
Parcel has arrived! The Great Bass Practice Book is quite something, it is 181 pages and starts on page 1 with B and A. Page 2 if you want B, A and G! But the cover says it is beginner to approx grade 7, and I see plenty of Bach, Handel and Telemann as you go through. Probably do me some good to start nearer the beginning, but may well skip straight to a Telemann fantasia movement that I spotted which I know very well.
Yes, it is Hugh Gorton. Not the sort of thing I normally go for, but a whole book for great bass was something I couldn’t resist. I see he has many, many similar practice books – would love to have a good browse of some.
I’m a fan of Hugh’s sight reading/practice books. I have to Grade 5 for the descant but only to Grade 2 for the treble – at the low grades he has descant and treble together (or he did then). You can see samples from his website (not sure if that’s how you got it because other places do stock them too). I love them because the music is so diverse and if you don’t like one piece there’s plenty of others. As sight reading exercises they’ve been brilliant. I used the pre-grade and grade 1 as repertoire for the treble when I didn’t have much else to play! Anyway, I’m glad you’re pleased with it!!!! I’m assuming the orchestra weekend must be very soon. I hadn’t realised it was with Helen until I followed your linky!
Have you seen Mary Tyers’ video tutorials? All the music comes from Hugh Gorton’s books. You can watch a complete tutorial ‘Kemps Jig’ and see her playing the other tunes on her website. I did the one on Nancy’s Fancy and Flow Gently Sweet Afton which I chose for seeming to be the easiest of the foundation level ones! I am still using the breathing exercise she taught on that one. I learnt a few things and enjoyed it enough that I’d buy another. You don’t have to buy the books specially, the tutorials include pdfs.
Descant and treble recorders.
https://www.instrumentalists.freeforums.netI am very entertained to learn that if the first recorder you ever pick up happens to be a great bass, Hugh Gorton has you sorted!
Whatever recorder you pick up, Hugh has it covered! They’re really nice books. I bought mine for sight reading practice as I couldn’t find much. Paul Harris’s book is really nice but I wanted more than that. Anyway, Hugh’s books made sight reading fun (I love sight reading!) and they introduced me to some names I’d never heard of.
I am very entertained to learn that if the first recorder you ever pick up happens to be a great bass, Hugh Gorton has you sorted!
You made me laugh out loud, Largissimo. Hugh Gorton perhaps subscribes to the philosophy ‘if you build it, they will come’ in offering beginners the possibly unique opportunity to start on great bass! Maybe its a great (sorry!) idea – I’m assuming those great basses are at least quiet.
Descant and treble recorders.
https://www.instrumentalists.freeforums.netI’m not familiar with the Hugh Gorton books at all, but I like the idea of there being a book for beginner on great bass. It’s often hard to find good books for adult beginners, partly because most books are aimed at children, and partly because there are few beginner books for more obscure instruments because the assumption is that a child would start on a more “basic” instrument and then progress. This makes sense for a child – the instruments are generally smaller, lighter and cheaper, and progression from, say, trumpet to french horn can take place when appropriate. Lots of adults just want to get stuck straight in on contrabass tuba, bassoon, or great bass recorder, so it’s nice that at least one of these has a book ready and waiting.
Pavane – they’re wire bound. That will probably endear them to you! Totally agree about it being nice to find more music at low grades that aren’t aimed primarily at children.
I’ve contributed twice to the thread without actually saying what’s on my music stand, so:
On music stand: My husband’s phone, ready for a Zoom bookclub meeting!
On the table I use instead: huge piles of to-do lists relating to the building work I’ve been waiting 18 months for. It’s starting in two months (maybe), and I’m not ready.
What I’m playing despite all that: Menuetto by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de St Georges, arranged by Althea Talbot-Howard. It sounds lovely, but it’s got to be the hardest grade 2 piece there is! And trying to get going on Christmas Pastoral now it’s December. The lovely people at Your Online Pianistput it in their catalogue when I asked (they only do exam music and after some rummaging I found it on the LCM syllabus).Descant and treble recorders.
https://www.instrumentalists.freeforums.netJacqui that sounds extremely busy! Good luck with the building!
I work on a weekly basis starting on Tuesdays – it’s when my lessons used to be. So, every Tuesday I reconsider my repertoire and write it in for the week. The descant is still with Bach and will be for some time. The ‘Seven Dances’ are a delight but bits are challenging!
I’m still obsessed with bottom F on the treble which now is fairly secure. I probably hit it 9/10 or maybe 19/20… but the uncertainty really gets to me. So, I’m spreading my wings and adding a couple more top notes and gradually making my way through the Runge Solo Book I mentioned and sight reading Hugh’s Grade 2 for the treble. I’m enjoying the treble – I find it easier to shape and the top notes are easier to hit and sound sweet. Top C on the descant is still a bit of a challenge even though I’ve been playing it a lot longer; I always feel as if I need to take a ‘run’ at it which is not conducive to sweet notes!
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.