From: allyn@milton.u.washington.edu (Allyn Weaks)
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
Subject: Re: Plastic recorder recommendations
Keywords: Plastic recorder recommendations
Date: 2 Jan 93 08:41:32 GMT
Article-I.D.: shelley.1i3kfsINNsht
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
NNTP-Posting-Host: milton.u.washington.edu

richardh@convex.com (Richard Hargrove) asks:
>I've been playing soprano and alto recorders for almost a year and am
>considering acquiring a tenor and a sopranino to extend my range. 

There are plenty of uses for tenors, but music for sopranino is rare to
non-existent.  (Even music for soprano is somewhat uncommon outside of
transcriptions - top lines in renaissance music often work better on alto.)
Michala Petri uses a sopranino instead of an alto in some recorder concertos,
presumably because it's shrill enough to stand out (or maybe she just likes
high shrill sounds), but I think it sounds horrible, and I don't see how
anyone manages to spend much practice time on them (earplugs?).  There are
plastic sopraninos, but if you do decide to get one, don't get plastic if you
can avoid it.  Even plastic sopranos really aren't much good compared to the
larger sizes.  It isn't possible to mold plastic accurately enough in the
small sizes, and they end up sounding very breathy in the upper register,
assuming that they're even in tune.  Clogging problems are worse too because
of the teeny windway.  The smaller the instrument, the harder it is to make a
good one at any price.


>I specify plastic because it's my understanding that a good plastic
>recorder is better than a cheap wooden one, and I can't justify the
>cost of a good wooden one.

Depends.  Good plastic recorders in alto and larger are often as good or
better than really cheap wood, and they are probably more consistent.  It
also depends on how you define cheap, of course.  In the $100 range, you're
probably as well off with plastic, but if you're willing to spend around
$300-400 for an alto (which I don't consider all that expensive compared to
prices for everything else these days) you can get a Moeck machine made
boxwood or equivalent (I hate the maples), and they can be very good.  The
main thing is to select carefully, and if possible, have your teacher or
local recorder maker/repairer do the selecting (if you like their taste in
tone quality!).  Wichita Band Instruments will send as many as you want (or
they have) on approval;  Boulder Early Music will send out two at a time,
presumably other shops have similar policies.

>It's also my understanding that the best plastic tenor is the Yamaha
>Rothenburg.  

I have the Yamaha, and it is indeed very nice for the price (around $75
locally).  It only has one key though, so you can't get the lower C# without
tricks, and you do sometimes need it.  Depending on what you want in tone
quality, the Zen On tenor in cherry wood is fairly cheap (around $200? a
couple of years ago), has two keys, and plays very nicely (and is designed
for small hands, which can be helpful) but the tone is rather reedy for my
taste.  It would work well enough in sonatas, but doesn't blend in a consort.

>On a related topic, some of the local recorder players here in Dallas
>have said that unless you can get an exceptional instrument, wooden
>recorders are generally no longer worth what you pay for them.  Comments?

Sounds a bit like sour grapes.  Prices do tend to go up which is always a
shock for us computer people.  European prices more than just inflation since
the dollar hasn't been holding up well.  But plastic can be much over-rated
as well.  It isn't very responsive, it can't be voiced, and it sounds, well,
like plastic.  Also keep in mind that the plastic instruments are designed
for the beginning player, so they are easy to play at a beginning level, but
they aren't very flexible when you want to start doing more advanced things
like dynamics, or changing the tone quality for color.  My mid-range Moeck
boxwood alto (admittedly a good one of its species) has taught me a
tremendous amount about playing, largely because it's harder to play - much
more responsive to and picky about breath pressure and attack and fingerings,
so I have to pay it more attention, but it's worth it.  I've learned even
more from the borrowed Ohannesian renaissance alto that I play in Collegium.
It's much harder to control, the fingerings are historical (and therefore a
bit strange), tuning doesn't happen by itself, and it's taken me almost two
years to start feeling comfortable with it.  But it sounds _wonderful_ when I
don't screw up, and I'm about to grit my teeth and put in an order for my
very own so I don't have to risk someone else finally demanding their turn
with 'my' alto!  

Also, how do you count worth?  If it's an item that you're going to spend an
hour a day with for the next ten to forty years, $500 isn't that much.  And
if you have a good instrument, the resale value is high, unlike cars and
computers which wear out and become obsolete.  Instruments improve with age
and use, if you use them properly and take care of them.  Though you should
budget in an occasional revoicing.  (And pity the poor string players - even
a small rebec starts at about $1000, not counting the bow which can run
several hundred more.)

>Finally, I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to handle
>condensation in a plastic recorder?  I find that condensation builds up
>and constricts air flow after only a few dozen bars of play.  When I
>try to draw it out at a convenient time during play (usually during a rest),
>I produce a sound that is not aesthetically appealing.  I also find that
>there are times when it is difficult to breathe, draw, and play in the
>time allotted.

A weak soap solution can work wonders.  Mix a drop or two of dish soap in a
couple tablespoons of water, and dribble some down the windway.  Kodak
Photoflow (much diluted!) also works, but I don't know about the toxicity or
lack thereof.  Also, suck gently as often as possible to keep up a flow of
dry air through the windway.  You can also buy pre-diluted Duponal (another
commercial surfactant) for the grossly inflated price of $1.50 per one ounce
bottle.  On the other hand, a one ounce bottle will last several years.  But
soap is cheaper still.

Not knowing what music you play, or who you play with, or how much disposable
income you have, or how much time you practice, or anything else about you,
I'll still risk telling you what to do :-)  Skip the sopranino; get the
Yamaha tenor to begin with. Then do whatever you have to do to get a good
midrange priced alto.  Alto is the most useful size; get a good one, and work
on technique.  You'll end up spending most of your time with the alto anyway,
especially if you do much baroque music.  That may give you an urge to plunk
down even more $$ in a couple of years for a professional instrument.  If you
keep an eye on the ads in American Recorder and call around the standard
instrument shops you may be able to find a good used instrument, too.  And
then when you're thoroughly hooked, you'll start in on a full renaissance
consort, then a Van Eyck soprano, then some instruments at low pitch, and
then you'll start branching out into the buzzies...addiction is a terrible
thing :-)

Have fun choosing.

Allyn Weaks
allyn@milton.u.washington.edu
Newsgroups: rec.music.early,rec.music.classical,soc.culture.spain,ne.general