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Post by Misty on Mar 23, 2023 16:49:26 GMT
There is a greenhouse far away Without a city wall....etc (To the tune of Horsley)
I like the idea of growing vegetables, and would really like to grow my own peas - but then we heard on the radio that the time and money invested simply isn't rewarded in terms of the crop or the taste. Actually I disagree about taste - I did grow some once and they tasted amazing; there just wasn't enough produce, though, to make it viable. I can't do gardening any more anyway since I have a problem with two discs in my back, which is a good excuse not to do it and to practise instead!
Yes, the shape of an individual recorder has a lot to do with how easy it is to play - and also the shape of the thumb-rest. At the moment I'm finding my tenor thumb-rest sticks in and starts to get uncomfortable, but it's one of those ones that are screwed in. I may have to look into whether any alternative shapes are made.
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Post by Zi on Mar 24, 2023 8:22:12 GMT
re the greenhouse song - We have several verses. It's way too tempting. Re growing veg we'll never recoup our expenses. But it's great having control over the production and I've used stuff I'd never get from the shops. Thumb rests - I'm not sure that there is a best place for them. I don't use them on the treble as they seem to get in my way. For the tenor, I'm not sure what I'll do as I haven't tried playing it at all seriously even for me. John (who used to be Saunder's recorders) has things to say about them here - you may have already seen it. saundersrecorders.com/info2.htmI don't think thumb rests go on the recorder and then suddenly everything is fine - I think there is a period of adjustment - preferably you adjusting to it because if possible it's best not to move them... at a pinch there are people who can more them and block the old hole so that it can't be seen. The thumb rest on my clarinet drove me spare so eventually I fitted a new one but it was simply unscrewing one and screwing in another. pavane suggested one - and it's a huge improvement. However, it took some getting use to. I don't have the impression that musical instruments are designed for humans... humans seem to have to adapt to the instrument.
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Post by pavane on Mar 24, 2023 8:37:05 GMT
Re growing veg we'll never recoup our expenses. But it's great having control over the production and I've used stuff I'd never get from the shops. Mrs P reckoned when we got the polytunnel that it should pay for itself in, I think, 2 years. I think that's very optimistic, but it probably would in 4 years. It depends what you compare costs with. We had a veg box delivered yesterday as a try-out. It's all organically grown. Mrs P seemed quite pleased with it, but it was a fairly small box for €30 and a couple of the things in it weren't necessarily what I'd have chosen had there been a choice. Compared with that sort of cost, the polytunnel will easily pay for itself in 4 years, maybe 3. Compared with popping down to Aldi and buying big sacks of spuds or carrots, it won't come close. But the comparison with the veg box is fairer, because all our (I say our, but Mrs P does all the cultivation) produce is organic, involves zero food miles, and is actually stuff we want to eat. I don't think anything goes on a recorder and suddenly everything is fine Absolutely!
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Post by Zi on Apr 18, 2023 7:44:31 GMT
Has anyone else got Rosenberg's The Renaissance Recorder, treble/alto version? And has anyone else developed into a Susato fan? Just been playing Pavane - Mille regretz and Ronde Mon amy - they're lovely! The Ronde is particular appealing (to me).
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Post by Misty on Apr 18, 2023 9:52:44 GMT
Yes, I have it! It's one I haven't delved into much because I was just using it for The Merry Milkmaids as a G2 standard piece. It's a very pretty tune, especially when my teacher had gone through it with me and added a mordent to play in the repeat, which has a lovely effect. It also has a couple of low Fs in it. My Fs are getting slightly more reliable, but still a bit iffy now and then.
I should really go back to it and learn some more tunes. I quite fancy The Leaves be Green by Pierre Phalése (the accent goes the other way, but I haven't found out how to do that yet!) and will have a go at it when I practise today.
To be honest, I don't think I've ever come across Susato before, and have just looked up the tunes you mention. I especially like the look of Ronde "Mon amy", so will put that on my music stand for today as well.
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Post by Zi on Apr 19, 2023 8:02:26 GMT
I so recommend Susato. I find him really surprising and some of it is delightful and really 'catchy'. Agree about The Merry Milkmaids! I love Playford though so start off biased. We have a little engraving of him over our music room door. We found it at a craft sale type thing at the dog rescue where we adopted The Collie. It's about A5 size and I saw it and liked it so my husband bought it for me and the seller gave him a discount as she said she'd had it a while and no one seemed interested. She was delighted that we were delighted. I think the low Fs are an issue for everyone and it really is a matter of keep practising and not getting too upset when they go 'wrong'. I'll look at Leaves. I really like that book! One of the (many) things I like about forums is that people tell you about pieces they like and it kind of inspires me to look at them too. It means coming across stuff I might otherwise ignore.
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Post by Zi on Aug 18, 2023 9:07:41 GMT
Leopold Mozart - Notenbuch fur Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for treble recorder and piano. I've got the Musikverlag Bornmann MVB 35 version but there are others and some available free on IMSLP. It really is a pretty little collection, interesting and a lot of fun. I've come across bits of Mozart pere in other collections but it's quite nice to have all of it in one place. It ranges from very simple to a bit more challenging but none of it out there in the stratosphere so that someone without too much experience will never be able to get there!
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Post by pavane on Aug 18, 2023 13:29:46 GMT
I've played a bit of Mozart Snr too, there are some bits and bobs by him in a couple of general books that I've got and I've quite enjoyed some of them. And as you say, none of it impossibly difficult.
I've been meaning to say for ages that, wrt your Bach quote, I touched some keys on both a clarinet and a recorder and neither made a solitary sound, so the great man didn't always get it right!
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Post by Zi on Aug 18, 2023 16:34:05 GMT
rofl... I love that Bach quote because it's so wrong for so many of us on so many counts. I do wonder if it was Bach being playful...
re Mozart snr - I have a horrid feeling I prefer his contributions to those of the genius.
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Post by Zi on Sept 21, 2023 8:45:18 GMT
I've recently bought a book of rounds called Rounds for Recorders (Vol 1) - there are four volumes in all. It's produced by The Recorder Shop, London edited and arranged by Julie Dean. It's wire bound and A4. There are 20 rounds in this volume and they span the centuries and have rounds from the UK and elsewhere. It's amazing how many well-known composers seem to have knocked out the odd round for example Purcell, Mozart (fils) and Schubert to name a few. The rounds are arranged for each of the recorder sizes and lyrics are included. The editor suggests that while rounds are interesting and fun in their own right they're also useful as warm-up exercises. The four volumes in this series contain material which Julie Dean says would be unsuitable for children - I'm assuming she means that some of the lyrics are rather bawdy (I haven't found any naughty ones yet!). However, she has also produced a version for children, with simpler and/or adapted rounds.
There is a very nice introduction to the book, explaining the history and development of rounds and there are notes at the back on each round, explaining its context. I was really pleased to see this as bits of music called - for example - Minuet - drive me spare. I'd hate to think how many times I've tried to find out where a particular minuet comes from!
I must admit that most of the rounds in this volume were unknown to me so it's been nice to get some totally new material.
I bought my volume because I thought I might try playing a few of the recorder parts and recording them. I wanted something not too complex. Mr Z correctly identified 'Upon Woman's Love' (Purcell) and without being asked. I was sight reading it so actually I felt all smirky because my sight reading has done a nose dive - so at least it was recognisable there.
I'm pleased with my volume and it's nice to have some short pieces that can be played by a family of recorders.
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