Recorder, an Easy First Musical Instrument

Recorders

During my few decades of teaching flute and recorder, I always recommended that very young children, from around the age of five, begin by playing the recorder. As a wind instrument, recorder is a very good first choice, however this holds good, not only for small children, but also for beginners of any age group.

I stumbled across this invaluable realization when I was convalescing from a spinal injury in my early flute training days. An injury in the cervical vertebrae of my neck prevented me from holding my flute comfortably for many months on end and as I was eager to continue my training, I began to experiment with the recorder.

This lead me to a whole new level of appreciation for this often neglected, but very accessible instrument. It did not take long to recognize the recorders great potential in assisting beginner players to take that first step across the threshold and into the world of music and it is not at all surprising that the humble recorder is so widely to be found amid the instruments of choice for beginner musicians. However, the recorder is also a lovely instrument in its own right.

There are a number of very good reasons why the recorder can greatly assist flute/wind players, quite aside from its merits as a stand alone musical instrument.

1. It cost a very modest sum! And for many parents with tight budgets, that is a very alluring inducement. Why spend hundreds on an instrument only to later find that your child would prefer to play something else or nothing at all...!

2. There is no specialized embouchure required in order to produce a sound. One can just blow and the notes come. As a first wind instrument this is a very big advantage.

3. The recorder is a very light instrument and casuses no strain for little hands and fingers.

4. They also can take a lot of rough and tumble and do not break easily. A huge advantage when it comes to child learning.

5. There are also a wide range of recorder sizes, so something to fit almost everyone, from treble to base.

6. This wide range of sizes and tones means that it is easy to form a group or ensemble for play along lessons.

7. There is as well, a very wide range of music available for the recorder, from ancient to modern styles.

8. If you find you really enjoy playing this instrument it is possible to take playing it to a whole new level. So there is also a future for the keen recorder player and an interesting and varied repertoire.

9. In terms of learning general musical theory and the reading of music, the recorder is a great tool.

Recorder Family

A descant recorder places no strain on young, and as yet, still forming, hands and arms, it is easy to hold and easy to get a tone and the budding musician can launch straight into sound making without too much difficulty. The basic fingering is, for the most part, easy and straight forward.

There are really a host of good reasons why the recorder is such a valuable addition to the early musical training of any wind instrumentalist.

I personally will continue to play my recorder for as long as i possibly can and can not encourage others enough, when it comes to 'discovering' this most versatile of instruments.

Learn to Play the Flute Online

These days with so many options to do things on-line it comes as no surprise that music teachers are also beginning to look into the pros and cons of teaching an instrument on-line.

I am definitely one of these people and think of it as yet another 'tool' that can help us in our teaching work while also making flute lessons accessible to those who would not otherwise have the chance to learn it.

Convenience is a major benefit of having lessons on-line. It saves time, fuel and also a lot of parental waiting around if a school student to be able to have lessons at home. If you are an older person wanting to learn, it is much easier to schedule a skype lesson between, before or after your daily work or family commitments.

Of course this is a relatively new technology when it comes to teaching music on-line and there are wrinkles that still need to be ironed out. But it is just a matter of time before we begin to see these advances.

I remember when I was having private music lessons in one on one situations and a number of times I found them to be very intimidating. For a student who is facing difficulty with shyness, having a few or even all their lessons on-line can be a good deal less threatening.

There is also the factor of a student being able to practice until moment before the lesson actually begins, which means they have had a chance to really warm up and this can also play into a students sense of confidence and progress.

It is easy to record lessons that are given on-line and this enables a student to listen back at a later time and hence recap things that he or she may not have fully understood during the lesson. They have the option to listen to the recorded lesson as often as they require and this is another considerable advantage for a learner.

In a world that is becoming more computer literate and when time, energy and costs are often of the essence, music lessons on-line become a viable option to be considered in place or even along side of traditional music teaching methods.

Bansuri Flutes

 

Bansuri flutes arose out of the traditions of north Indian music many thousands of years ago.
They are a traverse flute that is made from bamboo which is hollowed out in the middle.
In ancient times the Bansuri flute was associated with cowherds and was an instrument widely used in pastoral communities.

According to the Wikipedia, the Bansuri it is intimately linked to the love story of Krishna and Radha and is also depicted in Buddhist paintings from around 100 CE. The Bansuri is revered as Lord Krishna's divine instrument and is often associated with Krishna's Rasa lila; mythological accounts tell of the tunes of Krishna's flute having a spellbinding and enthralling effect not only on the women of the Braj, but even on the animals of the region.

It certainly has a lilting and captivating sound at once so rustic and also haunting.
Despite being made from  humble bamboo, not all bamboo can be used to make a Bansuri.
Only certain types of bamboo are suitable. These types grow mainly in Assam in the north east of
India and Kerela in the South.

For those who long for something less metallic and more woody and pastoral in tone, the Bansuri flute is not only affordable but also readily available and offers its determined adherents a rich and
satisfying playing experience.

The Magic Flute

Pied Piper of Hamlin

The Magic Flute, is a phrase we may have come across at different times. The flute certainly has a reputation for mesmerising and beguiling...

The haunting tones of a village flute seem to be forever engraved on our collective racial memories and legends have been passed down from generation to generation, century after century.

The Importance of Music

Music is truly a universal language, one that crosses all the borders and
rises over and above all of the seeming divisions between races and peoples.

But there are also other and very important considerations to keep in mind
when we begin to learn an instrument, whatever that instrument may be.

Late Starters

You know I was a late starter.  I feel there were some challenging things about that and some things that gave me an edge over many younger players.

Being older, its natural that the beginner flautist has different sorts of expectations from that of a beginner child so it is important to approach the whole adventure of learning the flute in a somewhat different way.

Getting into a Good Practise Routine

Establishing a regular routine for practising your flute is essential if you want become proficient in handling and playing the instrument.
But any old sort of practice will not do, it must be the right kind of practice, otherwise you may quickly establish bad habits that will lead to very poor results, despite enthusiasm and energy. We want to avoid this sort of practice.