Brilliant! Yes, in the fourth grade I was taught the fundamentals of music on a plastic recorder called the “Tonette”. It was the early 1960’s here in the States and to tie into the space race, the Tonette resembled a cartoon version of a rocket ship. You can imagine what a classroom of this caterwauling was like! My grandson is currently studying on a plastic school recorder and so the horror continues!
This is a really excellent video Tim. Thank you for making it. I would love to see a further analysis of the school recorder from say 1950s through to the 1980s. When I play on old models I'm frequently shocked at how bad they are!
I have a Cambridge with baroque fingering, and it still sounds soft for plastic, but was lovely when I was a wee tot. Now I have a larger Aulos collection, and enjoy playing all the more, whilst teaching my children on some Yamahas that are amazingly in tune with each other, and have good-enough intonation for them to learn. Thank you for this video. Cheers!
Excellent video, I am a music teacher in Latin America and we suffer the fearful sound of 20 recorders playing at the same time, different brands and states, it is torture, Greetings and thanks for the video
That took me back! Kite mark Schott for me, but also there were Bakelite Dolmetsch recorders with corked joints, weren't there? Perhaps I'm imagining it - short-winded pitiable things, and heavy too if the memory isn't playing tricks. Absolutely nothing like the wooden ones. Matters improved dramatically with the arrival of Aulos, in terms of pitch if nothing else. Thank you so much for this video: informative, entertaining and exactly what I was looking for, even if I little suspected it. :-)
I wonder if the bent plastic recorders spent decades in a blistering hot attic. Though it's possible they were dumped out of the mold before the plastic had really set. Something with a Renaissance-style bore would work better for schools. You wouldn't get the same weird difference tones.
Post WWI Germany. This explains so much. :/ We actually have an Adler with a brass ring, German fingering. And my mother-in-law's childhood no-name recorder in the sweet bag she embroidered for it. She learned recorder in Holland before she & her family fled to the U.S. in '38.
Wow! As a current music teacher, I can’t imagine how bad it must have been in the past. It’s so much easier now with the consistency on Yamaha and the like. Thank you for sharing... LOL
Would you like to receive some Brazilian student's recorders? Your channel is marvelous, sir! One question: why my top C plays two frequencies often? Is it me or is it my instrument? I'm using Yamaha resin recorder, soprano (descant). On my older Yamaha (white YRS20G, date of production on the back) plays better than the newer YRS23G (white, "made in Japan" mark on the back) and this last one plays just like a brand new YRS301iii (brown, "made in Japan). Another one: does the English (Baroque) fingering make the instrument better? Unfortunately I learned the German but now I know the English is better because scales other than C are easier to play. Well ... let's practice English! Thanks!!!
FLUTOPHONE - I made plenty of tracks on spotify with that. I'm switching to REAL reacorder now after playing so many songs on the flutophone I got mad because it's can't even play some notes at all.
I like your understated humor. "a week in a rucksack with keys and sausage and come and play a tune at the end of it". Btw I'm missing any information in your video on what vintage these instruments are. Pre WW II? Post? By how much? I learned on Dutch Aula instruments which around 1970 I remember being fairly decent.
I so enjoyed this! Thank you. No one ever plumbs the depths of real recorders, as found in toy-shops, junk-shops, 2nd-hand shops, and disregarded drawers. And yet they've probably had as much (more?) influence on the musical development of kids than any number of rosewood instruments by great makers, because there are more of them out there. I thought I was the only person who'd treasure an ancient plastic Adler for its historical value. I have a bright blue thing from a budget-shop-that-will-remain-nameless (German fingering, I think... but since it doesn't really play in tune with any known fingering system, who knows?). I didn't buy the white squidgy-feeling-plastic Hornby that I found once as the junk-place was cash-only and I hadn't enough. What's tragic is that toy recorders still get sold stuck on the front of kids' magazines, or as accessories linked to cartoon characters, and they're totally awful, but they probably cost nearly as much to make as a playable instrument would (Early Learning Centre used to have a generic plastic recorder that was basically in tune and playable and only cost a couple of quid). There really isn't an excuse. But it's lovely to see these things Exposed. Venturing beyond recorder, how can anyone sell a toy xylophone where the notes aren't even in order (let alone in tune). But they do. But how, oh how, did you get through a whole video on the school recorder without mentioning aulos? Thank you, so much, for these lovely videos: informative, interesting, fun, inspiring, and presented with a charm reminiscent of Letter from America. Please keep making them!
Brilliant! Yes, in the fourth grade I was taught the fundamentals of music on a plastic recorder called the “Tonette”. It was the early 1960’s here in the States and to tie into the space race, the Tonette resembled a cartoon version of a rocket ship. You can imagine what a classroom of this caterwauling was like! My grandson is currently studying on a plastic school recorder and so the horror continues!
Hi Tim, is it any wonder kids gave up the recorder in school and teachers encouraged them onto other woodwind. Great post.
This is a really excellent video Tim. Thank you for making it. I would love to see a further analysis of the school recorder from say 1950s through to the 1980s. When I play on old models I'm frequently shocked at how bad they are!
I have a Cambridge with baroque fingering, and it still sounds soft for plastic, but was lovely when I was a wee tot. Now I have a larger Aulos collection, and enjoy playing all the more, whilst teaching my children on some Yamahas that are amazingly in tune with each other, and have good-enough intonation for them to learn.
Thank you for this video. Cheers!
Cheese and sausage? That's a wurst kase scenario, nein?
LOL!
Yikes indeed! This was all so interesting! What encyclopedic knowledge you possess! Love your humour too!
Excellent video, I am a music teacher in Latin America and we suffer the fearful sound of 20 recorders playing at the same time, different brands and states, it is torture, Greetings and thanks for the video
Fantastic! Well done. Thank you for these insights and information. Please keep it up!
Lots of useful and relaxed information. Thanks!
Thank you. What about the Alto recorder please? Ii just starting to learn on it (am a senior lady….
That took me back! Kite mark Schott for me, but also there were Bakelite Dolmetsch recorders with corked joints, weren't there? Perhaps I'm imagining it - short-winded pitiable things, and heavy too if the memory isn't playing tricks. Absolutely nothing like the wooden ones. Matters improved dramatically with the arrival of Aulos, in terms of pitch if nothing else.
Thank you so much for this video: informative, entertaining and exactly what I was looking for, even if I little suspected it. :-)
Brilliant channel sir.
I wonder if the bent plastic recorders spent decades in a blistering hot attic. Though it's possible they were dumped out of the mold before the plastic had really set.
Something with a Renaissance-style bore would work better for schools. You wouldn't get the same weird difference tones.
It's so sad, and the vast majority of people still think this is what a recorder is.
Jesus!... that's rough,.... once bought a Schotts plastic beak and labium,... didn't think it could get much worse
Bravo 👏👏👏 mr Tim 👍🙏
Post WWI Germany. This explains so much. :/ We actually have an Adler with a brass ring, German fingering. And my mother-in-law's childhood no-name recorder in the sweet bag she embroidered for it. She learned recorder in Holland before she & her family fled to the U.S. in '38.
Wonderful Tim! Great fun and very informative!
Wow! As a current music teacher, I can’t imagine how bad it must have been in the past. It’s so much easier now with the consistency on Yamaha and the like. Thank you for sharing... LOL
I have a Dolmetsch from the late 40s, it's gorgeous, the thumb hole has unsurprisingly been repaired but it's otherwise an amazing instrument.
Have only just begun this video but sounds immensely interesting. Looking forward to it!
yes, but the groovy tunes looks really cool ! ;)
fantastic info, loved it.
Would you like to receive some Brazilian student's recorders? Your channel is marvelous, sir!
One question: why my top C plays two frequencies often? Is it me or is it my instrument? I'm using Yamaha resin recorder, soprano (descant). On my older Yamaha (white YRS20G, date of production on the back) plays better than the newer YRS23G (white, "made in Japan" mark on the back) and this last one plays just like a brand new YRS301iii (brown, "made in Japan).
Another one: does the English (Baroque) fingering make the instrument better? Unfortunately I learned the German but now I know the English is better because scales other than C are easier to play. Well ... let's practice English!
Thanks!!!
@_01:06 I started laughing too much to continue!
This really made me laugh, thank you so much! 😂
Thanks Tim, I really enjoyed it.
Really enjoyed that, Tim!
FLUTOPHONE - I made plenty of tracks on spotify with that. I'm switching to REAL reacorder now after playing so many songs on the flutophone I got mad because it's can't even play some notes at all.
Dear Tim who does the Keywork on the Bass in the background?
I like your understated humor. "a week in a rucksack with keys and sausage and come and play a tune at the end of it".
Btw I'm missing any information in your video on what vintage these instruments are. Pre WW II? Post? By how much? I learned on Dutch Aula instruments which around 1970 I remember being fairly decent.
I so enjoyed this! Thank you. No one ever plumbs the depths of real recorders, as found in toy-shops, junk-shops, 2nd-hand shops, and disregarded drawers. And yet they've probably had as much (more?) influence on the musical development of kids than any number of rosewood instruments by great makers, because there are more of them out there. I thought I was the only person who'd treasure an ancient plastic Adler for its historical value. I have a bright blue thing from a budget-shop-that-will-remain-nameless (German fingering, I think... but since it doesn't really play in tune with any known fingering system, who knows?). I didn't buy the white squidgy-feeling-plastic Hornby that I found once as the junk-place was cash-only and I hadn't enough. What's tragic is that toy recorders still get sold stuck on the front of kids' magazines, or as accessories linked to cartoon characters, and they're totally awful, but they probably cost nearly as much to make as a playable instrument would (Early Learning Centre used to have a generic plastic recorder that was basically in tune and playable and only cost a couple of quid). There really isn't an excuse. But it's lovely to see these things Exposed. Venturing beyond recorder, how can anyone sell a toy xylophone where the notes aren't even in order (let alone in tune). But they do.
But how, oh how, did you get through a whole video on the school recorder without mentioning aulos? Thank you, so much, for these lovely videos: informative, interesting, fun, inspiring, and presented with a charm reminiscent of Letter from America. Please keep making them!
OMG! Are you gonna teach us to repair Recorders? Thank you!
Anthony. Barrett. English chap.