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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!
Last night I was reading ‘The Recorder Book’ by Kenneth Wollitz, which BTW is worth getting if you can track it down. I was amused to see he suggests learning to play those ‘unofficial’ notes above top C/F, so that the usual high notes will seem easier. Best done with earplugs or on a tenor, methinks.
Descant and treble recorders.
https://www.instrumentalists.freeforums.netThe great bass book comes in bass clef and treble clef editions, if you’re changing clef then starting with the very basics is very reasonable I reckon! For four terms aged 11-12 I played the cello, so bass clef wasn’t entirely alien to me – but I think the cello and great bass both having C as the bottom note has been a help for me because that familiarity is buried somewhere in my brain!
Music stand reshuffle for me, so I now have:
* Marcello, 12 Sonatas (vol 1, 1-3): will be having a go at #1
* Great bass practice book plus two pieces we got to take home from recorder orchestra
* Baroque Solo Book, which I should probably open at random but will likely open at Telemann’s Fantasias!
* Van Eyck – vol 1, Doen Daphne has a sticker on it so that’s where I’ll pick up…though did I really get as far through the variations as the pencil annotations suggest I did?!
* Pachelbel Canon in D for tenor – because I played that bass line on tenor (and once on the cello) at school concerts so often that it’s nice to play one of the top parts!@Jacqui – Yes, agreed the Wollitz book is an interesting read. I’m reading Geert Van Gele’s book at the moment… I used it to escape a biography of Blake which was proving somewhat irritating. Geert is a very positive experience – interesting ideas, useful advice and some fun stories. It feels very conversational. I’m finding him very inspiring because he is soooo positive and optimistic. he’s definitely helping my journey.
@Maizie – Your list makes me drool! I don’t remember coming across Marcello so I must take a look.For the Christmas season, I got a copy of Aldo Bova’s small compilation of “50 Christmas Carols” (alto version). I found the link on Aldo’s Youtube channel. Nice collection of instrumental carol snippets taken over a mix of centuries and countries. In playing through these, I learned that the melody I grew up with in the USA for “Away in a Manager” is completely different from that played elsewhere. I actually prefer the “Cradle Song” melody as given in this compilation.
Otherwise, my current practice pieces are HWV-362, HWV-369, and TWV-41:F2. Santa came early and brought me a Bernolin resin alto 442, so I am loving the richer sound and better overall intonation, especially in the first octave.
For the Christmas season, I got a copy of Aldo Bova’s small compilation of “50 Christmas Carols” (alto version). I found the link on Aldo’s Youtube channel. Nice collection of instrumental carol snippets taken over a mix of centuries and countries. In playing through these, I learned that the melody I grew up with in the USA for “Away in a Manager” is completely different from that played elsewhere. I actually prefer the “Cradle Song” melody as given in this compilation.
Otherwise, my current practice pieces are HWV-362, HWV-369, and TWV-41:F2. Santa came early and brought me a Bernolin resin alto 442, so I am loving the richer sound and better overall intonation, especially in the first octave.
I shall look up the 50 carols! I need more Christmassy things for the treble.
Do tell about the Bernolin.I have the descant. If I thought my hands could stretch to the treble I’d have one in a moment!
In terms of sonority and intonation, the Bernolin is a definite upgrade from my collection of top-end plastic recorders: zenon, yamaha, aulos.
The top notes like C# and F# take more precision to speak cleanly. My ZenOn is particularly easy on the high notes but crummy on the lowest G and F. Bernolin is closer to Yamaha in this regard.
Treated cedar block and LM77 secret sauce are working well to keep condensation out of the windway … but of course, it still condenses in the main bore and needs swabbing evey 30min. Heavy moisture in the head or around the thumb hole make top notes not speak. Overall, condensation is better managed than with the plastics. I am trying the LM77 on plastics to see if that lasts longer than Dupenol.
I am particularly impressed with intonation. I can use more consistent breath pressure to play in tune. Though the top E and F are proving harder for me to hit and not go sharp.
Another odd thing is the mouthpiece. The underside is convex, mirroring the top surface somewhat. So the cross-section of the mouthpiece is more oval than D-Shaped. I am finding that the recorder “rolls” along its long axis more than I expect and I am wondering if it is because my lips can’t be used to keep the instrument as steady. Anyone else experienced this?
If I take up the soprano again, I will definitely be looking at the Bernolin.
I’ve used LM77 on both wooden and plastic recorders with pretty good results. I like the idea of the Bernolin recorder, but I only play tenor and he doesn’t make one. I actually contacted him a few years ago to ask if he intended to and he replied, saying something along the lines of “probably, one day” but it has so far not happened.
I also think the Wollitz book is very good.
For those who us who are French speakers, I recommend the interview Vincent Bernolin gave on the “Bons Becs” podcast produced by fellow French recorder maker Claire Secordel. It is available on Youtube at
or on podcast hosting sites.
Your description of the Bernolin sounds very interesting. I’m currently playing a plastic Aulos treble (alto). I’ve got the Zen-On which I like very much but am struggling to reach bottom F on it. I’ve also got the Mollenhauer Prima and bottom F is much easier for me to reach on that and my fingers sit more comfortably. It’s just a little shorter and that makes all the difference.
I too wish he’d make a plastic tenor – as small as possible!
I too wish he’d make a plastic tenor – as small as possible!
Perhaps you should write to him – presumably the more people who request something, the more likely he is to do it. Last time I looked at his website I think (from memory, it was a good while ago) that he got more reviews for his resin flutes than for the recorders, but either I’m wrong or he’s culled the reviews a bit or things have turned around, because there are now far more for the recorders. 50 or thereabouts for the soprano, but over 200 for the alto, so you might think the investment in producing a tenor would be worth his while.
I don’t mind how small or large but would prefer keyless. It looks like all his wooden recorders are keyless – they are mostly altos but there are 2 keyless tenors and 2 voice flutes. I like all my tenors and I think the plastic Yamaha is great, but the keys do feel a bit plasticky and fragile and I don’t like the brown and ivory colour scheme all that much as it makes it look very plastic. Overall, it doesn’t feel like one is playing a luxurious instrument. A really nicely made resin (plastic!) tenor that was good to play but didn’t suffer from the problems of being a wooden instrument would be a great thing to have.
I’m still mainly playing from “The Renaissance Recorder” for soprano, ed. Rosenberg. (On the tenor.) Most recently started “Bransle Double” by Praetorious – it goes to the top of the middle register and is lively enough that I have to think hard about where to breathe.
I know there was some discussion about this recently, somewhere, but I couldn’t remember where so looked the book up on the publisher’s website to see if it was the same content as the treble book. Unfortunately it isn’t: it follows the common but annoying practice of allocating easier material to the soprano instrument. I’m working my way slowly through the Schott Renaissance Anthology series, and it does the same thing: vols 1 and 2 for C instrument, vols 3 and 4 for F instrument. I’m doing the same as you and playing all of it on the tenor, but it’s a real pain because I have to transpose everything into C first (not on the fly, via software). Schott make lots of their material available via PDF download, so it’s a pity they don’t offer either version. Grumble grumble!
Talking of Schott, it’s nice that they retained the Boosey & Hawkes name. What a great name – Mr Boosey.
For some reason, it hadn’t occured to me that the descant book was supposed to be easier! I have noticed that collections for descant tend to be less stratospheric in register than collections for alto, but that could be beacuse no-one reall wants to hear the highest register of the descant….
For some reason, it hadn’t occured to me that the descant book was supposed to be easier! I have noticed that collections for descant tend to be less stratospheric in register than collections for alto, but that could be beacuse no-one reall wants to hear the highest register of the descant….
I don’t think it’s easy to play the high notes on descant. I’m finding the treble much easier to play – even hitting the notes in the higher register is easier. But when you hear someone truly skilled playing descant, it is wonderful. Bruggen, Petri, Bosgraff to name but a few. If you want to splurge some money get Anthology of the Recorder. It’s a boxed set and it is truly wonderful. It goes through whole swathes of the repertoire starting with Van Eyck. You’d love it!
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