I am a 37-year-old man from India facing an early onset of mid-life crisis or whatever people call it. At this age, I wanted to start learning a musical instrument and wanted it to be something soothing to my ears. Searched on youtube for many days and finally got stuck with this instrument's soul-filling sound. Have no music knowledge in the past except for some self-learned piano basics. I am in a country where nobody has even heard of this instrument called recorder, even though flute is highly popular and ubiquitous here. If you want to buy a recorder in India, the options are very few and only Soprano ones. If we need Alto or above, we may have to import from some other country. This is due to very low awareness and lower demand for recorders. The only easily available model of the recorder in my country is Yamaha YRS-24B. I got one of them, just blew into it and instantly fell in love with the instrument. Started learning with the aid of your videos and some books. It is almost two months and I am pretty happy with my progress. Thanks a ton!
There's a video in Sarah talking more about how, from a shy introvert who couldn't talk to people in her group, she transformed into someone who obviously has an explosive personality and confidence. I watch her videos because she's such a bright force of nature and cheers me up.
I went to the videos tab to look for the video but couldn't find it. Do you remember its title (even vaguely) or when it was posted (estimate) so I know how to refine my search?
aged 67 with four grandsons I decided to revisit the recorder to give them a musical start in life. i am loving it. I bought an aulos treble recorder on line and it turned up from a lakedistrict age concern charity shop. It was only after a few weeks of struggling with the low notes that I realised they had sent me a tenor recorder but one without a key for the low notes (made for small hands??). any way I carry on, and love the online recorder community and you are definitely the queen bee. Thanks for being so enthusiastic and outgoing!
Dear Sarah. I'm a 71 year old from Liverpool. I have a houseful (exaggeration) of guitars and have also ticlked the ivories. My friend's 5 year old daughter picked up my old (Schott) recorder last week. That led me to recorders on youtube and hey presto, by magic, I came across your channel. Marvelous. So inspiring. I'm now looking for an alto recorder to continue my recorder journey after a sixty year gap 😊 Your enthusiasm is infectious. Thanks again David
I began music at around the age of 10. I started in "strings" class playing the bass. I played bass until 6th grade when it turned out we had many bass players and no cello's. Since Cello is also in bass clef the transition wasn't difficult. I continued playing cello for many years. In 1984 I was involved in an automobile accident and it resulted in a serious seizure disorder. I didn't play anything for a couple decades. My wife of many years had played brass instruments and flute for years. I told her how much I missed making music. I didn't dare purchase a new cello as they are expensive and would break should I have a seizure while playing. At first I started learning to play the harmonica. I truly enjoy the harmonica but it just didn't meet the need. Eventually I came across some truly beautiful recorder music. I met a man who was trying to sell his children's old recorders. (all early student recorders) The thought was if I have a seizure and the recorder ended up flying through the air and broke it could relatively easily be replaced. My wife and I have been playing since then (3 years ago). I'm not sure if this will go any farther than out bedroom but we sure are having a lot of fun. So far we are playing the Sopranino, the Soprano and the Alto. I only wish we had started earlier.
I refused to learn recorder at primary school because the teacher was a horrible bully. I’m so glad I did so because he probably would have put me off for life. Then I taught myself when I was about 14 and I love it. My pear-wood treble goes everywhere with me, even to Everest base camp. I play sax too. I regularly played scales and arpeggios on the descant to my two offspring when they were still in the womb. The younger one is now training as a piano teacher. 😊Thanks for your brilliant, fun and inspiring videos. ❤️
I started playing during the Covid-19 lockdown, and it is so much fun. I had a recorder in the back of a drawer. I used to play classical guitar, and wanted to buy a guitar, but that is hard to do when the music stores are closed. Recorders are overlooked, and they are beautiful.
I found your channel after your response to two set. (I play violin) And now im very tempted to get a recorder. Theyre sooooo much cooler after watching your channel.
As a recorder player, this comment makes me soo happy! I feel like the recorder is being much more appreciated since recorder gang has been established lol. definitely get one, I say, but I might be biased ;D
Hi Sarah! Thank you for sharing your story and please thank your mother for raising such a charming and brave daughter and encouraging her to live her own life! I'm a, almost, 65 year old semi retired lady living in Boulder, Colorado, USA. I have a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and have spent my life working with folks struggling with anxiety and emotional trauma. And now, I'm done with that! I live in a "senior" apartment building and one of my neighbors has a recorder group. She tried and tried to get me to participate but I didn't think I liked recorders. Then I gave in and joined and discovered, at this late age, that I am a true lover of everything recorder! I'm a bit sad that I didn't find this out sooner. I struggle a bit with some arthritis in my thumbs (not terrible yet and hopefully won't get terrible). My goal is to just be able to play something beautiful for my more senior neighbors and my family. I believe that music is a requirement for well-being and I'm grateful that I've realized this before it was too late! :) Any hints for an aging newbie?
Hi Stacey, thank you for your nice message! That's wonderful you are enjoying the recorder, and that you discovered you did love it after all :D As for tips, I would say blow nice and strong with a healthy air stream, don't be afraid of making sound :) Enjoy everything you are playing, and if there are mistakes - that's life. If you're playing in a group it can be fun to listen to the others playing around you (or pick one person) instead of listening to yourself, then you get to know the piece in a different way. And enjoy it!
Hello Stacey, I'm a, almost, 40 year old Brazilian English teacher with a Psychology degree who discovered some years ago that I love woodworking. Well, I started teaching English during college and that eventually made me give up working as a psychologist. I am now trying to become a literature teacher besides an EFL teacher and the thing I actually love the most is reading and listening to people's stories. I had an anxiety episode in 2017 and after some great therapy sessions I spent one month studying EFL teaching in Greeley. Well, my radar is obviously sensitive to anything Colorado now, but the superstitious me keeps wondering about it. I am learning how to play the recorder, because a student of mine is a professional singer and a lot of what he wants to talk about makes absolutely no sense to me. I chose the recorder because it's really handy and inexpensive, and I'm really surprised with how fun it is and wow, learning music "hurts" the same part of the brain that learning languages do, it's a good feeling and I'm so glad to be doing that. My student/teacher - yeah, I "use" him as my recorder teacher in exchange for talking to him in English - also got burnout, by the end of his graduation. One thing I realized is that working with your hands and having something to share, especially if it's a physical object, is very rewarding, and that when your job does not give you something like that it's more difficult to get over that feeling. Good luck with the elections, I love your country and Sarah's too. Your people and your countries are awesome, thank you for sharing your stories.
I was very inspired by your story. After watching your video, I seriously thought about my future. I can't live without a recorder. Unfortunately, we do not have professional recorder teachers in Russia.
Awesome story! My first instrument was the recorder as well! We were introduced to it in 3rd grade and I looooved it. Nobody else did, though. I played the trombone for 4 years but it just wasn't like the recorder. I was a closet recorder player for 14 years, unable to read music and playing only by ear. Grew up, got married, started my family, moved around. I tried a clarinet and the flute as an adult but as you said, they just didn't speak to my soul like the recorder. Long story short, when we moved back to Maryland and had joined our new church at the time, my husband saw a giant (tenor--I didn't know what that was at the time) recorder in our pastor's office... I couldn't believe it! Another recorder player!!!???!!!! So our pastor told me to invest in a decent recorder, learn how to read music, and I could play during worship!!! So it is nothing fancy but now I play for my church and I couldn't be happier :D I now can play sopranino to tenor. And I have plans on making my children recorder players, but my oldest is only 4 so that doesn't look like much yet.
I loved hearing your story. Next installment: How you met your husband? I started piano lessons age 6 and played until I was 13 up to Grade 5 in practical and theory. Next learned violin age 14-17 and played 2nd violin in the school orchestra. I was also in the school choir and girls' choir throughout high school. I taught myself to play guitar, bass, drums, ukulele, Irish Whistle etc. Now I'm a mum a bit like your mum - playing all sorts of instruments and singing often. Recorder only became a part of my life last year when Miss 6 started learning it for Music School lessons, and now I love playing it. I also have a Venova (I think of it as 'Recorder for grown-ups), and I find that much more challenging to play! P.S. When I met my husband he was a knight in shining armour at a ball. Made the helmet and gauntlets himself as he's a metal-worker. I look forward to hearing how you met your husband next :D
Your background is so much like mine. I started with piano and in 6th grade began the flute. I've played flute now for 50 years! Believe that! I've actually taught recorder since 1989 but last year I bought my first wooden recorder and I'm hopelessly addicted. Now, Im playing a Telemann Fantasie in A major, Irish, and Renaissance music. I must be playing 2-3 hours a day now!! I'm loving your channel and it's teaching me so much. This Christmas I played in public twice and was so surprised that people really love it. Thank you for helping me every day.
I too love your story. I am a one-time trumpet player (mainly jazz), took up tenor recorder in my 40s and have now returned to tenor recorder at age 72!
Enjoyed your story. Here's mine: I am currently celebrating my 40th year as an amateur recorder player. I took piano lessons when I was ten, but gave up at 13. If I was going to continue with music, I wanted to play the drums... or the sitar! The recorder wasn't even on my radar. My interest in the recorder was piqued at 20 while sharing a cottage on a bucolic island with two other young people, one of whom I developed a crush on. She entranced me by playing Moondance on a wooden Alto recorder. It was the only song she knew, but I was smitten anyways. To prove to her how simpatico we were, I bought a plastic soprano and taught myself by studying a fingering chart. The first song I (sort-of) learned was Moondance. Neither my renditions of Van Morrison nor my ardor had any impact. Her romantic interest in me was zero. Although heartbroken at the time, I continued to play the recorder. My plan to spark a relationship (and maybe make beautiful music together?) was a bust. But out of this experience, I gained a life-long enchantment with the instrument. Soon after, I began taking lessons, playing with friends and small groups, and accumulating instruments of various sizes and pitches: I'm up to fifteen or sixteen. I have had a number of peak experiences during the past four decades occasioned by my interest in the recorder: - I provided the musical accompaniments for a puppet troupe. - I was the soloist for a Rock-Blues-Funk version of a Klezmer tune at a concert. - I built a reproduction of a Stanesby Jr. Alto during Tim Cranmore's five-day recorder building course. See: www.cantoraccess.com/publications/misc_2012_recorder_making.shtml
Whenever I want to get inspired, I watch this video and I am not a musician! I am studying/working to become a professional surveyor but I am pathologically procrastinating even endangering my entire career. Fear? Uncertainty? I am not sure. Hearing your story somehow gives me the courage to face reports I have to finish and books to study. It’s so weird I can’t even explain, but thank you Sarah!
@@Team_Recorder an update: I became a professional land surveyor last December. :-) thank you Sarah. I watch your videos (including this one regularly) all the time and started practicing recorder.
I listened to this on my way home from taking my husband to work this morning. I have tears in my eyes from such joy hearing your story. I am just so happy for you! I learned how to play in elementary school (United States), and I loved learning. I even went to a scholastic book fair, and found a green glittery recorder WITH a case and NEW sheet music that I didn't already have from school. I loved learning and playing. I practiced so much at home. But my mom hated the sound, and she thought music and the arts were stupid, we should just stick with academics. My dad however tried to back me on my music, I wanted to play the clarinet like my Grandpa. But, my mother stopped that very fast by withholding the checkbook even though my beloved music teacher offered to pay for a rental instead. Broke my heart. I loved Recorder, and wanted desperately to learn Clarinet. So, fast forward 23 years, I have spent this year of my life I'll be 32 in 4 days, desperately wanting to re-learn the Recorder. So, this week I have been looking at Recorder options on Amazon because no music shop within 2 hours of me carries them, and I found your videos. I've created a playlist to watch when I order one. I am definitely being drawn to the alto. But I'd like to learn soprano as well. I'll be ordering wood, and I think I'll like the German style as we learned that as children. I really came to love Bach as a child, and I often listen to his music now. But he was my favorite to practice as a 9 year old. Thank you for your videos, and your testimony of becoming a Record player. ❤️❤️ Much love. XO.
The only opportunity I had to take music in school was in Grade 7 (12 years old). I chose the bass - not sure how I managed it, but I do remember it seemed huge! I loved it. I remember doing a solo in the Christmas concert - O Little Town of Bethlehem. My dad was there - I was so proud to be picked to do that! It was only the one year and no internet back then, so I didn't keep it up. Now, I am 58 and tomorrow, I am going to the music store to get a Yamaha tenor. I'll get a method book there, or online, watch your videos and get started again! Thanks so much for doing these videos - I so enjoy them - you are amazing!
Wow I loove your story. I decided to play the Recorder because I am losing my eyesight and I have become really really depressed. I starting thinking that I am the happiest when I am doing anything with art and music. I want to learn how to play the Recorder by ear which would be awesome for me. I have no clue how to learn but I am happy that I have videos like yours to point me in the right direction. I am learning to take one day at a time and I hope by learning the recorder I can overcome my fears and doubts and gain great confidence. Hey if you can overcome your fears and shyness I know I can. Your video was very inspiring. Thank you very much.
Hi Barbara, thanks for writing to me - and sorry I didn't reply until now! Thanks for sharing your story, that's amazing that you are getting into art and music a lot, and playing the recorder by ear. A good friend and recorder player colleague of mine is actually in a similar situation with losing her eyesight, and we are continuously working out ways to learn music together in our ensemble. If you wanted I could put you in contact so you could share your experiences and be in touch with someone going through something similar? In any case, have a great day! x
Thank you very much. I am grateful for your response. I am doing really good right now. I am taking one day at a time. Learning to play by ear is a challenge but I love it. Thanks again. I hope you have an awesome day too ^_^
It's great to hear a story from someone who wasn't always planning to go into music. When I was 18 I started studying Japanese at university, intending to become a translator and ended up dropping out. I'd done Grade 4 piano at school and decided to start lessons again, fast foward a decade and I'm now a piano teacher with a degree in music from the Open University. My mum is a recorder player and I composed a book of recorder pieces for her as a present, then thought I'd have a go at playing them myself on my old soprano from primary school. I've now also acquired an alto and tenor and I'm teaching myself with help from your videos (which I found via TwoSetViolin, so their recorder parody did some good), I'm excited to see where this new musical journey goes.
I started at 40. I already play guitar, but as my son's school started to teach recorder in their music classes, I did want to help him at home. And it's have been a very good experience!
What a lovely and inspiring story! I especially appreciated how your mother was supportive when you decided to change career path from medicine (high prestige, assured income) to professional recorder player (uncertain income, dubious prestige in mainstream society). And you did it! I discovered your channel while searching for instruction on cleaning and oiling my old recorders - soprano, alto, tenor, all wooden instruments by Moeck. I started playing recorder about 20 years ago because I had discovered early music. Took lessons for about a year but gave it up when my teacher took off for Europe and I began choral singing. Recently retired, I now feel I can take up the recorders again. Fortunately the instruments seem to have survived their years in the closet. I'm slowly going through my Hugh Orr "Basic Recorder Technique" books. Sticking with tenor for now, because I like the lower sound and I don't think my brain can handle re-learning in C and F at the same time! I've been binge-watching your videos and look forward to seeing many more! Thank you for these, and wishing you all the best (from Vancouver, Canada).
I'm a senior music education major in the states. We had to buy recorders for our elementary music class, well I fell in love. Your videos have helped me so much in finding a way to get better at the instrument.
Hi Sarah! I'm a recent subscriber to your channel, and I know this is an older video, but you are so inspiring! I'm sorry to admit that I had thought for the longest time that the recorder was not a difficult, nor "real" instrument, and that there aren't serious recorder players (recorderists?) around. Along with your other video about the recorder in the Middle Ages/Renaissance (900 years of repertoire?), you really opened my eyes up to this world. It's so nice to see someone as passionate as you are to help improve the recorder's reputation! I myself have played piano since I was 5, clarinet through middle and high school, and picked up playing strings as an adult - I've had multiple music teachers, a few of which were unfortunately like your former teacher. It's all in retrospect, but I'm glad that her discouragement at the time didn't get you down! To get into a conservatory, and to do a masters degree after that, is no mean feat. Thank you for sharing with us your journey! :) P.S. Your ability to learn a language, especially as a teenager or older, speaks volumes about how quickly you are able to adapt and thrive!
This is really inspiring. I'm in high school and I play the cello and am thinking about continuing studying it and baroque/early music and this video is amazing thank you so much
Hi Sarah, I love your channel and it was so interesting to hear your story. Im also from the UK, I began playing the Recorder when I was maybe 5? I was also learning Violin and Piano. I had some on and off experiences with all three instruments, focussing on the Violin until I was 18 and leaving school. I always knew in my heart that Recorder was the instrument for me, but I never truly acted on it. Violin was always my first. Always. But NO! I moved to Canada, started studying Sociology (something I knew NOTHING about), took some music classes to work towards a music minor. Decided I missed music, auditioned to another school to study music. They had never had a recorder player before, found me a teacher, and now Id say Recorder is my main instrument by FAR. I am still playing other instruments, since this time I've learnt guitar and oboe and play in many ensembles. I have to say, I do miss the European music scene. It was one of the best and I have wayyyy less opportunities here, but im getting by! I cannot believe your journey, its incredible how you got so far! Also, my mum introduced me to the Recorder too! :)
Thank you for sharing your life with us! I had piano lessons as a boy from age 8 to 18 and played tuba in school band. I was fascinated by the recorder and bought one around age 12 while browsing sheet music. I "taught" myself over the next several years and then...well life happened. Now at age 55 that longing to play has finally returned, yes, in part by being inspired by your wonderful videos. So I bought my Yamaha NSATB set, and have started taking lessons with a really great teacher here in New York City. In one week I will attend my first ARS chapter meeting. Very excited! Self teaching ruined me in a way. For one thing, I only learned the descant. For another, even though I learned to play some rather difficult pieces, my articulation is atrocious! Books cannot teach you good articulation, imho, even Maestro Van Hauwe's excellent Modern Recorder Player can only give you a road map, and his is the best explanation I've ever read. You still need a teacher, imho. I don't want to be you, Sarah. I'm too old now to go to conservatory and begin a new career. I just want to be a really good amateur consort player. But how I envy and admire you! My friends and my partner gave me the old, "The recorder? Isn't that a toy?" routine, and it is getting really annoying. Learning F fingering has been PAINFUL. My everyday practice includes: long tones, scales, arpeggios, broken chords, the Telemann Sonata in Gm and articulation exercises. And, of course, learning to read Alto up, and learning Basset in Bass and Treble. If that's what a toy were, then no child would ever play with a single toy! Anyhoo, I'm not complaining at all. I love playing, and I love the challenge of becoming an amateur consort player. Your videos are a godsend, an inspiration, and a never ending source of education and amusement. Thanks so very much! You're my hero.
I've watched this video a few times - always inspirational! I've played string instruments for 50 years. Now I'm dealing with some joint issues and a hand injury which means I gave up almost all my string playing. Someone gave me 2 recorders many years ago, which I never even took out of their cases until recently. I tried playing and fell in love with it! I especially like renaissance and baroque-period music, and the recorder is so fun to play these pieces with! Having said that, I LOVE listening to jazz on the recorder! I don't fancy myself playing professionally but would love to have the skill to play with our amateur Early Music or Baroque ensembles some day. My hand injury is still problematic but I'm able to play the soprano. The ARS (American Recorder Society) has so many great teachers and free (online) workshops, as well as play-along, and 'music minus one' options - it's fun to learn pieces when you hear the entire ensemble! Thanks Sarah!
Hello fellow traveler! I rarely hit "reply" but your story was so familiar that I couldn't resist. As an older amateur classical guitarist, I also have some left hand issues. My 1 1/2 - 2 hour practice sessions are my daily moment of Zen - something I can't imagine erasing from my life. When my fretting hand started developing issues, I also started playing the recorder on days where I didn't want to push my luck (as in risking further injury etc.). From the sound of your post, it seems that your hand issues are more serious than mine, but I totally get where you are coming from. Herbal anti-inflammatories help my situation; I pray you can find a way to at the very least make your situation satisfactory to your musical demands. Hang in there friend! And good luck with your recorder studies as it really is great fun! Peace and best wishes -R.
Hello, Sarah. I really enjoyed the story of your recorder journey. I'm a full-time musician, voice and guitar, in California. I started playing recorder just before coronavirus hit. I've gotten quite obsessed with it. I've watched many of your wonderful videos. Thank you for all the practical information and encouragement. Recorders are the bomb! Kind regards, Sylvia Herold
love your story!I can identify with the recorder touching your soul!I am too old to be a professional musician as I chose my career path at the age of 12and became a doctor.I started playing the recorder as a young child in Germany on a boxwood with German fingering. I had group tuition in primary school and remained at the level of playing Christmas carols for many years.At the age of 15 I wanted a guitar,thought myself some chords and played at the youth group. My father plays the accordion and did not like the recorder. At the age of 40 I started teaching myself the treble, took lessons on and off and did my first and only exam,grade 5 royal schools at the age of 43.My 3 year old daughter had to accompany me as I did not have a baby sitter! I passed quite well but stopped playing after this for 8 years due to unforseen life events.I started playing again about 2 or 3 yes ago and am taking lessons again.I have aqiured a full consort and am starting to read the bass clef.I am also playing in a beginners ensemble working on scales and working at acquiring a foundation in theory.
That's brilliant you are playing again! I am always slightly jealous of people who have beomce doctors - like "oohh, that might have been me.." But then I'm happy with my path too :)
@@Team_Recorder It is possible to do both well... I feel the need to comment because often people forget about polymathy... And assume that one can only be good at one thing, and the other one is a hobby or something... I have a very dear friend who is both a microbiologist and a classical pianist. She takes both professions really seriously and is recognized in both fields. No, she doesn't have a Nobel, and no, she's not a world-class soloist, but neither are many scientists/musicians that work in only one field. I'm not saying you can work in an ER doing long shifts while trully dedicating to the recorder, because maybe it would be hard to be in the right state of mind... But you could have for instance a family practice while being a great musician and trully dedicate and excel in both fields. It is possible, I've seen it done. And intend to do it as well... It is true that it's very time consuming, but if you love it, you love it. Love your channel, got to know you by the Twoset roast and saw many more of your videos by now.
Such an inspirational story Sarah. It's always wonderful when a person finds their true calling in life. Thank you for sharing your story and your passion and enthusiasm for this delightful family of instruments.
I have been binge watching your videos and have left comments here and there about some of my recorder background. I did NOT study recorder in elementary school. I did play clarinet for a year, piano for 3 or 4 years before that. I took up the accordian for a while (about 4 years) and got pretty good (according to my teacher), but when I auditioned for the jazz band in high school, I didn't make the cut. At about 15, someone introduced me to the soprano recorder and gave me some instruction, a book and a fingering chart. I eventually got good enough to play along with a piano - playing hymns at home for after-dinner sing alongs. I did join a recorder "class" and learned how to play the alto. I played for a group at some historical reenactment events, but never got really good. I stopped playing while raising a family, but would pick it up once in a while, just to keep some of the fingering in my brain. At the age of 58, I was singing in a church choir and playing hand bells and another singer/music theater artist/teacher found out I had played the recorder before and asked me to join a quartet she wanted to form for playing at church. I started out playing the alto for the first year. We switched around the instruments in the 2nd year and I started playing the tenor. I have now been playing it for two years and I must admit we are improving. Sometimes we are almost good! I am the second best player in the group (on the tenor) and am actually better on the soprano, but the group's director is better on the soprano than any of the other recorders, so she gets to play it. :o) I LOVE playing in the group. I am so glad I picked it back up. I have no visions of ever being really good, but I do have fun! I am almost 61 and look forward to maybe getting a really good recorder. I currently have Adlers (Soprano, sopranino and tenor) in pearwood. I have a Schreiber Alto (probably pearwood as well). I have, in plastic, an Aulos sopranino, soprano and tenor and a Yamaha (school grade) soprano. I love the Adlers and Schreiber, but all the other players in the group have plastic recorders and the tone of my wooden tenor was too different from the rest. I also had not taken good care of it, so it wasn't holding pitch very well. I am very happy with the plastic ones, but am thinking about upgrading to the intermediate ones (that I saw you talking about in one of your videos) for the tenor and soprano. This has gotten much longer than I planned. Sorry.
Good recorder life story so far. I was very shy as a pubescent youngster also and hid behind my guitar, bringing it everywhere and always playing it. I bought a Hohner wooden alto recorder about 1975 or so, and learned most of the notes and scales, and jammed on a few other instruments, until I started playing electric guitar in pub bands from 1980-92, did modern rockish church music from 1992-2002, then be ame a special ed teacher and played music for every school occasion with lots of others. I eanred a music degree from community college in 1982. Now 2018-19I have been leaning the chromatic harmonica, and brought out my old recorder to check my notes, because I read much more easily and fleuntly on recorder or guitar. Thank you for the cute and fun videos.
Hello Sarah, we met some years ago in Amsterdam. I was really impressed by your story about becoming a recorder player. Something similar happened to me. When I was 9 or 10 I made a bamboo pipe in a handwork class at school. I fell in love with the sound of the instrument, but its range was a little small, so my parents bought me a recorder and an instruction book in two volumes. I went through all the lessons and found myself playing quite well (in my opinion!). Since the recorder was not a "serious" instrument then, I was given cello lessons and was happy playing chamber music and in various orchestras. However, one day, I realised that I was much more agile on the recorder than on the cello, so I decided to make that my main instrument, and managed to join two early music ensembles, going on courses for tuition whenever that was possible. What made my life change was meeting Claude Monin, who was the first recorder maker to set up a business in France. I had bought a recorder of his, and was constantly questioning him about its acoustics. One day I decided to become a maker. The path was very difficult, like being in a desert, but I received help from some acousticians I had met, from a local cabinetmaker friend and his two wood turners. I also had an engineer in my family who could advise me on machines, particularly the lathe. Thanks to people like Edgar Hunt, Friedrich von Huene, Daniel Bariaux (an Belgian acoustician, John Hanchet and others I managed to get started after several years of research. So here I am now, making recorders and flageolets after 45 years. I visited Ross Winter's class in your Conservatoire in Birmingham some time ago. Perhaps you were there then. I was happy to have made an instrument for him. I still play the cello in a small local orchestra, but the recorder is my main instrument, and I sometimes give concerts. Thanks for your story, which shows that we can follow unusual paths to arrive where we want to.
Hi Philippe, thank you for your message, and for sharing your story! It was lovely to meet you again at ORDA, and I hope our paths cross again in the future. yes, I was there when you visited Birmingham - I remember your presentation about recorder building, including photos of you walking through the forest and examining the wood! It was really inspiring. I hope you are well and all my warm wishes! Sarah
I have watched perhaps 100 of your videos prior to finding this one. I have always been impressed with your skill and cheery nature, but this glimpse into your youth and choices is a treasure beyond the norm. Thank you for sharing these memories.
I also grew up in a musical household, as my father was a professional pianist and organist (he studied organ performance in Germany and modern atonal composition with a student of Charles Ives) and my stepfather a hobbyist in woodwinds, mainly jazz saxophones. I loved playing the recorder from ages 14-20 but after losing my 1960s Adler soprano in Hawaii (long story), I sadly put it aside. I've always had plastic sopranos and altos lying around but now that my own child is grown up, and having recently inherited a harpsichord and an antique music cabinet, baroque recorder is once again calling my name. I enjoyed seeing your video about your instrument collection, especially as I'm shopping around for a mid-range soloist-friendly alto (and also looking to replace my old recorder ensemble-friendly pearwood Adler on Ebay). Thanks for your lovely channel! I imagine your student roster is quite full and deservedly so. Your enthusiasm is very contagious. :)
Great Story, love your delivery and enthusiasm it makes the story. I started with violin, did not like it a time when none of the neighborhood kids played an instrument. My father, got a saxophone in trade from a Carpentry job he did, got it fixed and I started lessons. Wasn't into practicing , sports and fishing and in High School the Band Director needed trumpet. So I tried (with braces, not fun) And then he had Maynard Ferguson's big band at the school for a night concert and I heard Peter King play the Alto Saxophone. That was it!!!! I was hooked. Practicing very hard, I grew quickly making, by audition Area Band, Region Band and All State Band. For those of you don't know, you have to play major scales, Chromatic scale, sections of a major work for your instrument and sight reading. Well, I became very successful this and decided this is what I wanted to do. Being close to NYC, I was able to hear amazing concerts with many legends, hang out on 48th in the music stores running into many famous people. I was accepted at a major Conservatory, but parents had divorced and went to smaller state college where I grew up and studying with great Saxophone, Flute and Clarinet teachers. To make a long story short, I've had a great career, playing subbing on Broadway Shows, legendary Big Bands, teaching music now for 20+ years., traveled all over the world playing "gigs" I've had times when I've made a lot from playing and the feast or famine of the music business. I had to learn recorder for an up and coming Broadway Nat'l tour. So, I bought a soprano and alto and took some lessons and practiced. Also I have studied a lot of jazz, so its been a rewarding life. Sarah, I love your video's, sometimes you go to fast for the younger kids, but I edit and explain to them the information that is above them. Thanks again..
Omg. These videos of yours make one to feel really good. And when you're feeling good then you find them also very inspirational.And this seems to be the right thing for you to do. So Thanks ;D
I love your videos ❣️ I am just starting on my journey to being a recorder player. My son signed up for Band 1, playing trumpet, but due to Covid-19, this year has been all remote classes, not so easy for learning an instrument. He is autistic and got anxiety when it was his turn to play so I decided to learn an instrument along with him. I bought a recorder and started learning his pieces with him. It worked well reducing his anxiety 🎉. He says he is done with music at the end of the term. Finding your channel, was like " waaaa!" I will continue learning recorder after his term ends. Thank you for putting out wonderful content ❣️❣️🎉
Professional recorder player is definitely a new one to me. I never even knew there were that many types of recorders or that people played it out of grade school. Hey, you found something you love that you can make a living from. That's more than can be said for most people, myself included.
Perhaps my path with the recorder might be of use to others who can't or didn't go the Conservatory route as recorder players. I always thought I would be a French Horn player, having played it in High School bands and orchestras, the local youth orchestra, jazz lab ensembles quirky enough to add French horn etc., culminating in a French Horn major in College music school. This was during the Vietnam war, however, and I let my grades slip enough after only one year to lose my draft deferment so off I went to the military repairing airborne avionics. I couldn't NOT play music and so managed to continue playing in semi-pro orchestras wherever I was stationed. I got married and started a family during my time in the military and my Wife surprised me one day with a Hoener soprano recorder she purchased with a book of green stamps (used to be the thing back in the sixties). I couldn't stop playing it! After the military, having a family to support and having liked the technical work I'd done in the military, I went to Engineering school and got several degrees and a job as an engineer, but never stopped being a self taught recorder player for fun at home. I wanted to play with others and so joined a local recorder society but the ensembles there weren't open to new players, so I decided to take lessons hoping that would lead to something. I found a teacher who was very demanding (which I loved) and who started me from scratch undoing my awful technique. I already knew from studying the Horn and my brief stint in Music School how to seriously approach mastering an instrument and wanted that for the recorder. Anyway, after five years studying with him, going to performance workshops and masterclasses, reading everything recorder I could find, playing any gig possible and ultimately learning to some extent how to be my own teacher, I was able to start my own groups, successfully audition for other groups, meet and play with many others through all manner of gigs and thus insinuate myself into the professional early music scene. Music is a meritocracy, after all. If you have what a group needs, you might be able to play with them. My primary group wanted to make a CD and get it into distribution, so being an engineer, I bought the best equipment I could and started recording us. After years of mistakes learned from, mentoring from record company engineers I befriended, and unending investment in better equipment, we managed to record a CD good enough to be picked up by a record company along with a contract for many more. That exposure helped us to get more gigs around the U.S. and even overseas. The recording grew from just recording my own groups to recording others, and it was really rewarding to get to combine the technical with the musical in producing, recording, editing, and mastering for musicians coming from all around the world. I envy and am in awe of the total immersion and dedication I see in those who took a more conventional path, but am grateful for what I've been able to experience in my own way. And I own a lot of recorders, thirty or so of which you blow into. I see from your videos how much you love the recorder and need to, have to, must play it and will do what it takes to do so. I love seeing that in you and in my other musician friends who've dedicated themselves to making it in early music. What I'm trying to say with my long story is that if you're one who also feels driven in such a way, you will find a way to be a recorder player even if it's not through a Conservatory. If you don't see an obvious path, you can make one somehow. In the meantime, you're making music and that's the goal anyway, in the end.
fantastic story, you've done SO much in such a short time! And worked so hard. I find you quite inspiring. Me, I'm a 49 year old recorder newbie who normally plays piano (badly) but I wanted to get back to that little instrument that I used to play as a school kid and show others that it is not just a thing that kids play-that it IS a real instrument. So I bought one, a soprano of course because that's all that the shop had in. I soon realised that I prefer the sound of the bigger instruments, plus being so small it's a bit fiddly for big hands. So I bought a tenor too. Which is lovely but very hard to play! But the thing with the soprano is it has taught me to read music, because I got a proper book and I take myself upstairs every night and learn from it, and I soon realised that I CAN read music. All these years of trying to read music and this little plastic Aulos got me there.
I am also a newbie recorder player who used to play piano and clarinet. I started out with soprano, then, just like you, Larry, bought an Aulos tenor and... fell in love with it. For financial reasons I chose the Aulos and didn't really expect much from it, but was very pleasantly surprised. It takes getting used to but is a fine, warm-sounding instrument and surprisingly easy to handle (I have rather small hands). Best of luck!
Annie Helman thanks Annie. I'm learning from a book, one note at a time. Its slow and tedious (I really don't enjoy the sopranos high sound) but it is helping me read music which will feed back into my piano playing. When I get chance to play piano that is. ..
I was into music as a kid, but got into recorder when they introduced it to use at school like many other people probably did. But we had a system called Recorder Karate and I really enjoyed playing, so I'd go in at recess sometimes to work my way up to a black belt. My music teacher said I was the first one in years to do it, since I come from a small town. So I guess it took an early love of music and encouragement at the right time. Although I moved onto other instruments, your channel has actually renewed my interest. I haven't been able to play guitar or piano since I decided to grow out my nails (I've been more femme lately) and it sounds awesome to have an instrument to play again. And learning is the most fun part.
I have really enjoyed watching your videos, even though I don't currently play the recorder. Your videos along with the performance videos of Lucie Horsch have given me great respect for the recorder. I play clarinet, saxophone and flute, performing on clarinet and tenor sax with amateur groups. Keep doing your videos. They are educational and entertaining. You might just inspire me to take up the recorder again.
I have been so curious about the subject of this video! I am old, and I swear I never even heard of a recorder until maybe a year or two ago, and I never played one, of course. Long story short, I recently bought myself a couple of them, and yours is the main recorder channel I watch. I never dreamed there was such a thing as professional recorder player. I am grateful to have such a good resource available to me!!! You have been brave. I have been brave in my life, but in other fields of course. Now that I am retired I get to play music in spite of my lack of talent... hahaha!
Hello Sarah. I too had an intro to music with a plastic soprano recorder in the first grade. I didn't pursue music however until I was older & then I played acoustic guitar until I finally took up a profession (teaching English & history) & I had no time for myself. I'm now retired (I don't know where the time went) & became bored during the pandemic. I had painted part time over the last 30 years & wanted other things to occupy my time so I began writing a novel which is almost finished; and I took up the alto recorder. I use 2 resin Yamahas -- one's modeled after the Rottenburgh (sp???) which is well-balanced between high & low notes; the other is far cheaper, doesn't have a dual airway or an added layer of resin but has a better tone & is easier to finger. I'm planning on buying my first wooden recorder soon so thanks for your video on that subject. I'm looking forward to watching more Team Recorder videos & playing classical pieces -- at the moment I play British folk songs, rock standards (Strawberry Fields, Thick as a Brick) & of course Amazing Grace. You're an awesome teacher & I greatly enjoy these videos.
"And I was like" Actually I'm envious of your ability to work so hard. I never worked hard until I was in a long term relationship with someone who was doing a PhD. I found it all quite inspiring, having just coasted along all my life doing the minimum necessary. I finally started to enjoy working hard, and realising just what a big %age of achievement work is - strange to say that despite everyone telling me to do some work, I had never got into the habit before. It was a bit late but perhaps not *too* late..
I started in grade school and never gave it up, fiddling around with the recorder for fun. Then my father bought a bass recorder (at a farm auction, of all places!) and it was the first recorder I'd ever owned that actually sounded good. Some years later, when I had a stable job, I began my recorder collection, and started bringing my recorder collection to various Fantasy Conventions.
Hi! A brother of mine taught me to play the recorder (German fingering) at age of 5. At 8 I began to study music in the Conservatory and at 11 I started to study recorder in the Conservatory. Eventually I ended all the courses and started to study the rest of classes needed to get an official degree. I had never the courage to try to live from music, so I had meanwhile started an engineering career that feeds me up today. But perhaps this has allowed me to enjoy the music, to love music without the pressure of trying to make it a way of life because when I was very young I felt that studying music was an imposition that almost made me hate music. I left to play the recorder to play another instruments: I learned by myself to play the guitar, for a short period the electric bass. I took piano lessons for a year or so, but I interrupted it to attend my family. At 45 I began to play tenor sax. Electric bass came again to my life to stay. I played both of them (sax and bass) in a couple of bands, and I still enjoy playing bass (and brief intros with sax) in my actual band. I bought a keyboard to enjoy and learn to play it as an accompanying instrument, not as a solist. And from time to time I play a fantastic green plastic Yamaha baroque soprano recorder! :-D The recorder was the only instrument I have studied in an official way and the key to play the rest of them. Only for this I had to be grateful to it. Every time of the day, every time of the life asks me for a different instrument to express my feelings. So I am happy I can choose the proper one although I am no good player with any of them. My goal is enjoying while playing. And better in a band than alone. And if you have reached to read this, thanks! :-) Greetings and thanks for your channel, Sarah!
it was great to hear your musical journey! I think that you probably helped many people by sharing your experience with burnout & how you coped with it- very healthy, IMO. It is also important to know that not every teacher, however qualified s/he might be, is the right one for every student. Music teachers can make or break their students very early on & it is important to find an instructor who is just the right one for one's particular needs & talents. I began playing the recorder when I was 12- and there was no one in my town (at least of whom I was aware) who played recorder. I brought it to my clarinet lessons with Mr. Hapke, who tolerated rather than encouraged it. I persevered & in my 1st year of medical school, played with the local Collegium Musicum- & was maneuvered into playing one of the Handel recorder sonatas for one of the concerts. The year that I graduated from medical school, I sold my car so that I could purchase a von Huene A 415 sopranino (if I had a nicer car, I might have been able to get a soprano : ). The high water mark in my musical education was tutelage from Mr. Anthony Rowland-Jones in Cambridge, UK. I was serving a 2 year stint in the USAF nearby & casually inquired at the local music shop as to whether there were any recorder teachers lurking about. I was given his number & rang him up. I didn't know that he was actually moderately famous & that years earlier I had actually read his book on the recorder in the library of my undergraduate college (when I was supposed to be reading developmental biology). He had me audition with that same Handel sonata that I played for the concert- initially, he said just the first movement, but then after hearing it, requested that I press on & finish it off. I have a tendency to play really fast when I am nervous; I thought that he had been so enraptured by my blazing performance that he just had to hear more. Not so- he had to assess the damages to see if he had any hope to help me unlearn my poor technique before I shoved off the island. He took me on as a student & I received life lessons from him in addition to honing my recorder technique. He was a wonderful teacher & I will cherish his memory always. I hung up my recorder 'spurs' several years ago when I experienced a herniated cervical disc- lost some control of my left thumb & could no longer play with the alacrity & precision that I had once enjoyed. I have recently taken up Irish whistle & ironically learned recently that Mr. Rowland-Jones started out on that instrument himself before he became interested in the recorder. Sarah, be glad that you didn't go into medicine- you haven't missed anything that you wouldn't want to, you likely would have burned out 5 more times along the way & not had nearly as much fun. I still have all of my recorders- & now, quite a quiver full of whistles- let me know if you need any ; )
I started playing the piano when I was 4 and was classically trained until 18. At that point I absolutely hated classical music and wanted to stop. I took 10 years off to focus on moving countries and starting a family and almost 3 years ago decided to become an audio engineer AND starting composing music in various genres! I just found your videos about a month ago when I became obsessed with the tin whistle and I was really surprised at how awesome the recorder is! So I started learning that as well :) I think learning it enough to play folk and celtic music would be good enough for me, I would like to learn a lot more instruments and since I already "mastered" the piano I'm happy to be average on everything else :)
I started to play recorder when I was about 45 or so. My wife and daughter didn't know what to buy me for my birthday and then it came to me, a recorder! I got a recorder with a plastic headpiece in case my daughter wanted to play it, her wooden recorder suffered with bite marks on the beak and was eventually put down. I got some good lessons from some excellent teachers but eventually moved to an area where teachers were in very short supply and I stopped playing. 10 yrs later I discovered your channel and I really think the time is right to start again. I don't know if I will ever find another teacher but I will persevere with my practice andsee where it gets me. Best wishes and thanks for all your entertaining and inspiration all videos, Curtis
Your story is awesome!!! The way I started playing the recorder was when I saw some of my friends play it then.I was around my first year in secondary school at the time. It fascinated me a lot at the time. I eventually got one for myself. We also used a recorder tutor by a German author. We eventually played pieces in parts. I also joined the choral group in school. My music teacher picked a song and we played the parts in recorder. We sometimes sing in parts as well. I recall we sometimes play Christmas carols in parts as well. Eventually I was through with secondary school. For some reasons music was not offered in the senior school. I eventually took in career in Art. I studied Fine and Applied Art but I continued playing the recorder. Sometimes I solo while I was accompanied with keyboard, guitar and drums and people looked forward to hearing me play mostly in fellowships at the University. Currently I teach Visual Art and Mathematics but I still do play for leisure. I have just the soprano and Alto recorder. I am writing from Lagos, Nigeria. I will be 41 in October...
I've only recently become aware of your recorder channel but subscribed immediately. I'm retired and I mostly have been playing Bach on my rather nice Bluthner 1936 piano I bought myself as a retirement present, but I used to play the recorder years ago. My friend Enid and I played a Handel Fitzwilliam sonata at a college concert in about 1974 I think. Enid played the harpsichord and I was on my plastic Dolmetsch treble (we didn't call them "alto" in those days, but I think it makes more sense). Anyway, watching you has inspired me to learn some more pieces and I've bought a lot of music, much of which is too hard for me but which is great fun! I have also bought a Kung olivewood alto which is lovely, and I'm playing pretty well every day, concentrating on the Bach D minor violin sonata arrangement at the moment. There are lots of lovely recorders out there and I think this might get expensive...
Sarah, thank you so much! At age 10 I played flute in school. I was lukewarm at best. Then at 12 I played alto sax. It was a battle of wills with my mother, lol. I thought Saxophone was the ugliest, worst sounding instrument ever! Who played sax, ever? In the US swing and jazz bands had sax players but country music and rock were what we listened to at home. So, for 3 years I played alto sax then my music teacher had me play baritone sax. I was devastated! It felt like a demotion. About 10 years ago I realized music teachers do not put their worst players on the one single instrument in a section! I quit playing for high school and in my 30,s I discovered recorder through a renaissance group I joined. I had always believed recorder to be below me (little did I know) but I had no money and desperately wanted my music back. I truly loved playing the Irish music that was popular here. Fast forward 25 more years and I dropped my music again, this time for a very sad reason that involved a bad relationship. I am on my own now and was scared to try again but your videos are my amazing inspiration to start again! My cheap Hohner pear wood soprano recorder sounds awful but I am going to clean it using your cleaning and oiling video and we’ll see! I hope to someday be able to hit the high G and A above the treble clef using your videos to learn. And your amazing hack for playing quietly is my ticket to starting to practice. Thank you, thank you, Sarah! All the best in your career and many blessings for gift you give all of us.
I started music with drum lessons in highschool and got in a little metal band and got frustrated with my total inability to improvise as well as my lack of sense of tempo and memory. I realized I liked to keep it simple and joined a batucada (Brazilian drum band) which was simpler and a lot of fun. That was during my university engineering studies and I kept doing this until now at 38. I realized melody was missing in my life and took back the alto recorder i studied in middle school. I am a very intellectual person, with some mild autism spectrum stuff and I was fed up with overthinking music and visualizing sheets and I decided I would mostly play by ear even if this meant I would progress very slowly, all the more that i am quite slow at learning by ear. I was attracted almost exclusively to Bach and learned a few songs and played them over and over for fun. I have now been playing French suite number 3's menuet for over 15 years and I still kind of s*ck at it but damn I love it. I started playing guitar a few years ago, realized how much I loved music and needed more of this. A few months ago I started to feel some mysterious pain in my fingers and doctors don't know why yet. So I have to quitthe guitar at least for now, but I realize I need to make that magic happen with another instrument, and keep having those 4h long evening sessions that make me feel high. Now i decided I am going to learn some theory. I practice scales with the recorder, my tuner app told me I am terribly out of tune, and that my lovely recorder is not 440 Hz and that's why it never worked to play with a CD. That's where I am at today. Also I really like your videos, and your energy!
This is a very inspiring story on how you took up the recorder. Right now, I love to whistle. I realized that the recorder might come closest to. Plus, I can't get a tone out of my head, Abbots Bromley Horn Dance. Right now I bought a resin alto recorder, but wonder if the soprano recorder will better match my two octaves of whistling. I bought the Trapp Family Recorder method books, so my recorder journey has begun.
Rebecca here! Just saying that I absolutely love your enthusiasm and you never fail to make me smile. That is a ton of hard work and you should be extremely proud of it. Things aren't so positive here in the United States, and I am trying my best to live the life I want to live both as a musician and as a chess player but sadly this country doesn't seem to think anybody should pursue these things. My entire life has been filled with amazing teachers who helped build my ability in music but mostly people have discouraged me. I started music like everybody else, singing in choir and learning the recorder. I liked it so much I started trumpet in 4th grade, percussion in 5th grade, then trombone in 8th grade. I played trombone and then Horn all through high school, playing in jazz band as well. They called it jazz band but we never did small combo work, just big band. I had started learning the guitar toward the end of high school and I ended up dropping out. My life has been filled with people discouraging me and punishing me for not being able to live up to their expectations and for pursuing music instead of a "safe" career path. Spoiler: there's no such thing as a safe career path in the United States. I only recently started pursuing mental health support with my doctors and it turns out I am on the autism spectrum, which starts to make everything that happened in school growing up a whole lot more sense, and to be fair to them, the understanding of Autism in the 90s and 2000s was pretty lacking, and of course I had an abusive mother who insisted on screaming at me instead of helping me by actually listening to how I felt and taking me to see doctors. I need to also mention that last year when I started all this(August 2019) I finally started moving forward with treating my gender dysphoria which I had felt basically my entire life but only started putting it into transgender terms around 2008. I started HRT and I am never looking back. I am going for FFS and GRS(SRS) and I have never been happier in my entire life. Going back to 2015(I had been living in homeless shelters from 2010-2014) I started going to the Junior College(Community College) and was doing pretty badly in English and Math courses(not because of the material. I have always been told by teachers and many others that I am brilliant and had scored very well on exams my entire life. It's the social aspects I had trouble with, neglecting to turn in work on time, depression and anxiety causing me to stay home, etc.) but I took a Music Theory class again(I had passed 1st semester Theory in 2007 so I ended up not being able to retake it) but the teacher, Dr. Jerome Fleg, inspired me to get back into music. He played clarinet and saxophones and I had always wanted to play woodwinds. I had been toying around with a flute which had leaky pads but I decided to buy a plastic clarinet the next day. I told him that I had played trombone in high school, however, and so I played in the jazz band(big band) on trombone that semester. I was so excited. This was the first time I was doing music in over ten years and it was past high school level. I ended up learning clarinet rather quickly and I joined the symphonic band after the mid-semester concert the next month and a half or so. I had some trouble playing every single note of fast phrases but I took my section leader's and Jerome's advice to only play the first note of those groupings and I did pretty well. I kept going next semester and signed up to go to MACCC(Music Association of Community Colleges California) Conference in San Francisco which was basically what we would call an "honor band" and we had basically two and a half 6 hour rehearsals before a concert with some pretty tough pieces. I kept pushing myself and in 2016 started taking private lessons on clarinet as part of my college studies. I need to mention that I picked up a tenor sax over the summer of 2015 and learned it, starting jazz combos and improv classes with my teacher Bennett Friedman. I learned so much from 2015-2018 but I sort of burned out around then. I had started teaching chess in a non-profit here called Chess for Kids, and I need to mention that around 2013 I was intently studying chess books and videos, playing many games online and with a friend, recording games, analyzing, etc. I had learned chess when I was young and had a chess computer when I was around 10-11 years old. I am still pretty low rated online but I have been told by several professional players that I am a lot stronger than my rating indicates. I am currently making a huge effort to fix some mental holdups that are causing me to make game losing mistakes and I do believe they are closely related to my mental health issues that have been preventing me from succeeding in other areas of my life as well. Recently I've been focusing on flute but I am excited to learn recorder as well, as I feel the two are closely related in the history of flute pedagogy. I love the flute and I love clarinet and I love saxophone and I have no doubt I will love the recorder. I am a musician, not a flutist, not a clarinetist, not a saxophonist, or a ... recordist? An instrument is only a medium for our own music ability to travel through, although woodwinds will always be close to my soul. I feel that flute fits me closest but perhaps recorder might end up being even closer. I can't wait to find out what happens next!
Omg...not only r u the absolute best at explaining everything about the recorder.....(I have taken my recorder out again & am loving it)....u r so funny. Tk u 4all u contribute...ur such a little sweetheart . 🌹
Thanks for this. It was very nice. I'm finishing my master's myself in a couple of months, and one of the rewards I've set for myself after finishing is to finally try to learn to play the recorder. Because of that I found your channel. Your videos have been very helpful and inspiring. Thanks for that too.
Ahhh... Consider your self lucky, my friend... Imagine living in Greece, where people see the recorder only as a toy for kids, confusing it all of the time with the Greek shepherds flute called the "floghera", while the only conservatory for proper studies is in Athens and that's more than 300 kilometers away (6 hours driving) from Thessaloniki where you live! But then again, there are some good people like yourself who upload tutorial videos, thank God(s)!... :))
You really seems to be a nice person....😊! Just started yesterday...because my son asked me to found out how to play better the recorder for school....☺ I'm a classic guitarist and I like to sing....I'm a doctor and waterman (kitesurfer-windsurfer-SUPer)...so I'm interested also for a breath exercises....!Ciao😊😊
Such a lovely story. I started playing recorder when I was 20, inspired to a large extent, I think, by Kieslowski's film Three Colours: Blue, which features the recorder as an orchestral instrument as well as on its own. I bought a Moeck Rottenburgh maple soprano and since I had a summer job away from home that year, I spent much of my spare time in my room playing the recorder, learning the recorder, and progressing past what I had learnt in primary school probably within a few days. That is 18 years ago, and since then I've been playing a bit on and off, sometimes several years passing between each time, partly because I do so many other creative things, such as poetry, photography, painting and ballroom dancing, but I always come back to the recorder. I don't foresee my recorder playing ever progressing past the hobby stage, but I really enjoy it. It is such an expressive instrument.
Hello Sarah! I loved re-watching your story, and you're so lucky to have had a supportive mom growing up (my Dad had an excellent ear for music, but he was the boss, and didn't approve of my "rock and roll")... I've played several instruments all my life, all by ear (as a kid, I took piano lessons in 2nd grade, but had no patience to practice church tunes, which my teacher, the church organist, insisted on giving me to learn, just to suck up to my Dad, the Deacon, so I quit)...Fast forward to last year, October - I took my guitar in to get fixed and saw Yamaha recorders for $8, so I bought one. I haven't stopped playing it. I play it at stop lights! I absolutely love the way it sounds (once I learned how to cover the holes properly), and have amassed over 200 songs, which I have tried, have written down, and am in the process of ironing out all mistakes. Because of your inspiration, I started my own TH-cam channel! BELIEVE ME - I'm not one to be modeled after, like yourself - that's why I call myself Donrock the Imposter. So far I have 2 hands full (?) of videos, one of Xmas tunes, and one of patriotic (USA) Americana-type tunes, as the melodies just lend themselves to recorder, I think. MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE THING about the recorder, over other instruments I've played, is the way you literally breathe life into it, as opposed to striking the strings or the skins or the keys. My first inspiration to give the recorder a shot was Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek. I loved the notion that this Starship captain, with all his responsibilities, hid away from time to time to ground himself and regain his sanity by playing his recorder (actually the Ressikan flute, which looks like a recorder)...My second inspiration is you, with your very accessible videos and obvious love of the instrument. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING, SARAH!
Love the path that you took to your career. I'm an amateur musician, and I primarily played brass, cornet through tuba, but I also love playing the recorder. I got to the recorder while I was studying at an engineering school and they had little one week classes between semesters. One was on ensemble recorder playing. The only requirement was buying a recorder and learning how to play it. Being a brass player, I chose to buy a n inexpensive tenor, figuring that it would take more air and I wouldn't be too uncomfortable with it. I loved it! We did the week, and tried to keep the group together at least for a while, and we stayed together for about six months. I ended up with six or seven instruments, all commercially made, which were two tenors, two altos, two soprano and a sopranino. I had a mold infestation at the house I lived in, and as a result, I lost them all, but I still love the sound of the recorder. Thank you for your channel that I can at least experience it vicariously.
Hi! I've been binge watching your videos for almost a whole day. I love the recorder, I used to play it in school many many years ago but now that I have kids that are soon both in school, I bought myself my own soprano and alto recorders two years ago. I started by learning the song called Scarborough Fair by ear. Then I got bored. (My problem is that I seem to over-work myself over one thing for a few weeks, until I get tired and find something else to tire myself over with.) So I did a bit of everything; photography, computers, crypto currencies, playing the game of Go, vlogging, blogging, programming, even self teaching myself some piano using TH-cam videos. Eventually the circle has closed (again) and I'm here watching your videos "full of energy" to start playing the recorder again. My boys are 6 and 10 years of age, both are immensely interested in music, and while they are currently having piano courses, they both are keen to learning other instruments as well, so I am kinda making the effort of coaching them through over the piano, and whenever they ask me anything about the recorder. (They both have their own recorders, but it's too bad they are all in German fingering instead of Baroque as mine are. Bad school rule I'd say.) What now? Well, sleep for first, but I think I'll be back watching your videos. And uhm, I ordered the "3 Exercises: for Alto Recorder" from Amazon after watching a video of yours. I think I want to learn quickly so I decided that'd be a difficult enough book for me to learn. After all I want to learn to play all those high notes. Either I'll learn them, or I get burn-out while doing it and we'll meet again in six months or a year. ;) It's been nice to meet you so... See ya!
Thanks for your sharing. I love your honesty and positively! I guess I'm like your mom.... A serious music hobby. I played competitive classical piano in high school and college. Eventually I took a non music job. With my second son being a special needs child, I took up ukulele then guitar to do music therapy with him. At 40, I've always wanted to play flute. I've been following you and cutie pie learning recorder and whistle . As a Mom of two and a puppy, I practice in 5 minute increments throughout the day. Music is a magical portal bringing me from the chaotic mom life to the younger me, the artistic creative spirit. Thank you for what you do. I appreciate it so very much!
All the Dutch I've met and worked with speak better English than most English-born, so I'm quite sure not speaking Dutch in The Netherlands wasn't a biggy (even with a Midlands accent ;) ). Fascinating video. I particularly loved that the faculty said you had improved after a year off: that's a lesson we could all learn from, no matter what our calling.
I started playing about 1,5 years ago (right after my 37th birthday), inspired by my Czech language teacher. I come from Poland, but I currently live in Brazil, and when I had nothing better to do here, I started dancing traditional Polish dances and learning Czech. My teacher played the recorder in the Czech folk group and we used to meet at festivals, too. When I started working, I found a music school next to my workplace, and I take classes of one hour once a week (and also theory classes). Unfortunately, I can't practise daily, but I do so at the weekends. In October 2015 my students and I had an idea of playing and singing Christmas carols in the streets and so we did! We created a band and at the beginning of this year I also started playing the tin whistle, as we decided to organise the Irish Night and play traditional tunes. Currently, we're rehearsing for the British Night. If you'd like to have a look at some of our videos, here's our Facebook profile: facebook.com/TheAskYBand/. We're not any professionals, but it feels pretty great to be part of it, after all what a recorder would be without an ensemble.
I am fourteen years old and I have played the recorder for maybe 7 years now. I started in a group with two other girls and I played with them for about 5 years, but after that time both of them put the recorder down and I ended up playing the recorder alone with my teacher. That was the best thing I ever done because I actually went from only playing the soprano, kind of basic and easy stuff, to master the soprano and learning the alto and master that one to. In only a year! I did practice everyday. The second year I started to learn playing the tenor. I'm still doing that. I really love to play music and my dream is to become a professional musician, but I don't know if I can make it. I want to study music but it is such a big risk to take, what if I'm not good enough. My teacher says I'm special, that I learn very fast and that I can play barely anything and that I am one of few recorder players that has this thing, you actually sound good. I guess I have no confidence at all. What do you think? Would you follow the stream and do what you SHOULD do and what you're suppose to do or would you take the risk and give everything? It's my biggest dream to live on my music... (I'm from Sweden so my English maybe isn't perfect hahah)
+Lova Ekstrm Hi Lova, thanks for taking the time to write to me! That's great you're enjoying the recorder so much- keep going!! As for studying music and making it into your career, it is totally possible. It seems more risky as there isn't always one clear career path, but there are maaaany things you can do with a music degree. My friends and colleagues do so many different cool jobs! Music teaches you so many good and useful skills. For now, learn all you can and stay passionate. If it is your dream, go for it!!!! (and let me know how you are getting on :) )
I may be late to the party, but anyways, I just started learning the recorder a week or two ago. Due to my background as a violinist, I already fluent in treble, so it really wasn't too hard for me to learn. Within a few days, I was playing go tell aunt rhody. I really enjoy playing it. Even though I will likely never become a professional, I hope to become good at it and possibly join a recorder club or group.
I love this, as always!!! I also have a bit strange recorder story, I took lessons since I have been 10 years old, but did a lot of stuff during school especially in my gymnastics club where I was involved a lot as a trainer etc and my recorder playing was basically one out of many things I loved. I never really practiced very regulary. As I liked maths and physics I decided to study some natural science and chose geophysics. At the same time I got a job as a recorder teacher in a private music school (thanks to my teacher!) and started with 3 students, after 4 years they had become a really nice class of 8, what kind of forced me to play a bit and thinking about technique etc. As I had a wonderful recorder teacher myself she helped me a lot and I learned a lot by myself, too. So I became more and more motivated and started to organise concerts in the church where i was teaching, mostly with my " recorder friend" (another student of my teacher and the only one "seriously" playing an instrument of my age I knew) and harpsicord, and one with a small recorder ensemble. It was always a lot of work but I liked it a lot. Then in the last year of my bachelors in geophysics, my boyfriend applied for erasmus at the conservatory in Paris. I didn't know what to do next year so I however had the idea of also going to a conservatory for that one year and searching for a geophysics internship at the same time. I felt more and more sure that I had to give it a try and study music, but even when I was sure about it inside and had already talked about my plan to many people, it took me about 5 months until I was courageous enough to tell my recorder teacher about it. She absolutely wanted me to go to salzburg, but I wanted to go to France of course, and i didń't make the audition in salzburg anyway. after about 2 months in Versailles I started slowly to realise that I didn't want to do anything else (or let's say not only something completely different!!) in my life so here I am future recorder player :-)
you are so amazing musical girl, and i'm so glad to know you. i play guitar for many years, and two days ago, i just bought a Yamaha Alto Recorder. i'm starting my new journey, and 2025 will be my wonderfull whole year with a new self-learning thing, the recorder. just thank you ever so much, for your inspired vidoes. i do love it. i wish to meet you, someday. ❤
Thankyou Sarah Jeffery for this channel and for sharing your story with us. I'm a classical guitarist and I play the alto sax in a brass band. After I came across your channel I ordered a recorder and I love it. I practice on it every free time I get. Thanks for this channel.
Im 36..and im on the begining on the long road to Heaven! In high school I was playing on classic guitar, so reading notes is not so dificult for me. You are my inspire and guru in a recorder's world. I always dream to play recorder, so now is time for making it's true! I hope to keep try practise every day, and after one year my dream is to play in the same time with you- One of your film is good for it I mean Morlay fanatasies. So I wish you the best! Thank you for your chanel!
Thank you, Sarah, for being such an open, giving person! Your vids have inspired me to pick up the recorder again. I bought a Mollenhauer descant when I was 16 and played with a large amateur consort in California, but moved away, eventually taking up the harp. Recently I came upon Team Recorder and realized I wanted to make room again for recorder. I just ordered an economy tenor to see if my hands can make the stretch. I'm excited about the new instrument and look forward to continuing to watch your fun and helpful vids. All the best to you.
I started playing the recorder in elementary school too, but I'm a pianist. For many years I didn't play the recorder anymore, then I found out again how fun it is just few weeks ago. Actually I was just trying to annoy my bunny rabbit with some loud noise to make her stop chewing at my shoes and I picked up again my sopranino recorder. Then I thought "what if I play it siriously?" Now me and one friend of mine are studying together some baroque dances for two recorders, lol
Aw, we went to Derbyshire for our school trip when I was nine and became obsessed with "Blue John". I tried recorder for a year, but ended up with melodica!!
I just started playing for enjoyment as I love the sound! I've learn so much from you. I am going to go buy me a plastic alto now as I have a soprano I love the way you play and I love how you are so real and beautiful, wish I was young again.Hope your silly boyfriend realizes what a lucky man he is! God Bless you.
Aw, yay for a fellow queer recorder player! I've been watching your videos for ages, and I just had a feeling, somehow. Happy to see it vindicated. I started on violin at age 3, picked up trumpet and bassoon in elementary school, and played all three through college, even landing a semiprofessional gig in the pit of a musical theater company, which became my summer job for four years. I taught myself recorder in my freshman year of college and played it off and on over the years with various people, but never received any formal instruction on it until about four years ago, when I started studying under John De Lucia, a professional recorder player who got his degree from the Hague Conservatory. Sadly he died a little over two years later, and since then I've been somewhat adrift. I've been to a few workshops and gatherings, and I really want to get an informal consort going here in NYC, but my wife just gave birth to our son last month, so time is kinda short these days. I've already decided to start our kid on recorder and hope to eventually put him on cornetto (I own one but play it very badly), since he has huge hands, and I think I could help him with both the recorder-style fingerings and the trumpet-style embouchure. We'll see what happens!
Ahh, yes it's always nice to meet other queer recorder players! :D I wondered slightly how the recorder world would react but everyone just seems super happy..! Huge congrats on the birth of your son, and good luck with the consort (and cornetto lessons!!) :)
@@Team_Recorder I caught the girlfriend reference and was also instantly so happy for you. I was also really worried about coming out, but it was my musical theater and orchestra peeps who were completely welcoming and non-judgmental. 🥰
I started playing an alto recorder on my lunch breaks at work. I love the lower range. It was a musical necessity because I am addicted to playing and learning music and most of my other musical instruments will not fit in my backpack(piano, guitar, mandolin, clarinet, etc.) My brother had a tenor recorder that wasn't really getting played and after I tried it I think his wife insisted that I borrow it and put it to good use. Now I switch between them and transpose between them by A. keeping the fingering the same or B. changing the fingering to stay in the same key. When I first learned the upper octave notes I considered them theoretical rather than useful. I thought well that's interesting but I need a better recorder to make them sound good. Then as I practiced the sound improved. Now I can play two octaves chromatically and comfortably. The more I play the more I learn and discover on the recorder. I am most addicted to the recorder. I love when people make comments when I play. Some people ask what I am playing especially when I am playing the tenor. Some people call it a flute. I am not a recorder snob and don't correct them after all its a fipple flute. Rarely someone identifies it as a recorder. Once someone called it a baroque flute and I nearly exclaimed "Hallelujah" I can't wait to get a bass and upgrade my tenor and alto.
Listening to this was enlightening. I've decided to change my career to study music and I'm still in the process since I've only started playing my instrument my instrument one year and a half ago. Anyway, thank you for sharing!
Hi Sarah, having just found your channel through your 'how to play folk' video (on which I confess to leaving a mildly critical comment!) and watched some others including this one and 'Gesti', perhaps I should introduce myself. Like you (but many years before) I left school aiming to be a recorder player, studying music at Edinburgh University from 1982-6 and recorder as a one-year 'guest student' of Koninklijk Conservatorium, Den Haag, from 1986-7 (diploma courses were two years, but I got a post-grad scholarship from Edinburgh to finance the one-year option, for which I still had to get in). While in fourth year at Edinburgh, I used to travel monthly to Birmingham for a lesson from Alan Davis, who I'm guessing you might know? Then I got some sporadic work on my return to Scotland, but nothing like enough, so looked for other avenues rather than take the advice of some and head to London (where I did not want to spend my life) and have now been teaching music in Highland schools for 28 years. While I still love the recorder and its music, I now play mostly trad/folk on a variety of instruments, so rarely serious recorder these days and am nothing like as good as I was. But I could really relate to your story because I also played flute (Grade 8), piano (Grade 7) and recorder (Grade 8) at school with few recorder lessons, and was actually 'made' to do my performing for O Grade (summer 1980) on flute rather than recorder because I wasn't yet taking recorder lessons!
I’m so happy to have found your channel! I play the piano which is my first love but always had a recorder but hidden initially because it gets such a bad wrap! People either don’t take it seriously as an instrument but a toy, or it is viewed as annoying. I always thought It sounded beautiful and it IS a music instrument. I appreciate that you made this channel because I do not know anyone that plays the recorder. Anyway, I decided to take it out of my closet this week and started playing with it and I realized it might become something that I can seriously get into. It is a very intuitive instrument. I feel that it needs more recognition and people should be proud to pursue mastering it. I am looking forward to watching your tutorials and thank you for inspiring!!
I have been playing the piano and singing since I was in 4th grade. In 8th grade I started playing the guitar, by 9th I had started writing my own song. For years 10, 11 and 12 in Sweden you choose a school and sort of a field to specialize in, much like I understand college works. So I applied for and was accepted into a music school in Stockholm where I studied the singer/songwriter program, composing, singing and playing mostly acoustic guitar. I also had a tin whistle that I got as a birthday present when I turned thirteen. This tin whistle led me to join an ensemble that would smelt into a band playing Irish traditional music, and I spent a lot of time doing that throughout the second half of this three year education. The four of us in the band all applied for a half year long course in Irish trad the autumn after our graduation, and suddenly tin whistle was my instrument. That summer break, I bought a cheap second hand plastic recorder when I was with my family in Barcelona. We spent the next week on Menorca, and while the others would go sunbathing, I would walk to a nice secluded spot on a rocky shore where the sound of my playing wouldn't disturb anyone. So that summer I learned to play the recorder, and I really loved it. The Irish music course began and I started focusing on my whistle playing again, but a few months into the course, all I would do when the lessons were over was head back to the room and play renaissance music on my recorder, with my friend who plays the crumhorn. I had begun thinking seriously about studying music on the recorder in the near future. This was last autumn, and since spring I have worked as a Swedish teacher while continuing to practice at home, along with practicing the many other instruments I play. This spring I took lessons on the tenor horn. It was great for my tenor horn playing, but I couldn't help but wonder why I wasn't putting that time and effort into the recorder instead, since I had begun to feel really passionate about it. And now I've moved, I've got a more serious teacher's job than I had in spring, and it takes a lot of my time and energy. But, I am finally taking recorder lessons! Which feels like a great step towards pursuing a career as a recorder player. I don't know if it's the only thing I want to do - since I am also a singer, a composer, a folk musician and multi-instrumentalist (as well as a few things not related to music) - but it is most definitely A thing I want to do! So, short for a story but long for a comment, that's my "story". And for that dream, you are a great inspiration!
That's great!! I also love folk music, it's very close to my heart... Thanks for your story! And I don't think you have to decide - if you love playing, composing, singing... keep them all :)
I am a 37-year-old man from India facing an early onset of mid-life crisis or whatever people call it.
At this age, I wanted to start learning a musical instrument and wanted it to be something soothing to my ears.
Searched on youtube for many days and finally got stuck with this instrument's soul-filling sound.
Have no music knowledge in the past except for some self-learned piano basics.
I am in a country where nobody has even heard of this instrument called recorder, even though flute is highly popular and ubiquitous here. If you want to buy a recorder in India, the options are very few and only Soprano ones. If we need Alto or above, we may have to import from some other country. This is due to very low awareness and lower demand for recorders.
The only easily available model of the recorder in my country is Yamaha YRS-24B. I got one of them, just blew into it and instantly fell in love with the instrument. Started learning with the aid of your videos and some books.
It is almost two months and I am pretty happy with my progress.
Thanks a ton!
There's a video in Sarah talking more about how, from a shy introvert who couldn't talk to people in her group, she transformed into someone who obviously has an explosive personality and confidence. I watch her videos because she's such a bright force of nature and cheers me up.
Thank you Alan! Music helped with my confidence a lot!
I went to the videos tab to look for the video but couldn't find it. Do you remember its title (even vaguely) or when it was posted (estimate) so I know how to refine my search?
@@oxoelfoxo Not sure . . . but this upload is all about confidence
th-cam.com/video/3wkzPwBg1_E/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=SarahJeffery%2FTeamRecorder
Where do you live? I just really wanted to have recorder classes, that's why I am asking you.😅
aged 67 with four grandsons I decided to revisit the recorder to give them a musical start in life. i am loving it. I bought an aulos treble recorder on line and it turned up from a lakedistrict age concern charity shop. It was only after a few weeks of struggling with the low notes that I realised they had sent me a tenor recorder but one without a key for the low notes (made for small hands??). any way I carry on, and love the online recorder community and you are definitely the queen bee. Thanks for being so enthusiastic and outgoing!
Dear Sarah. I'm a 71 year old from Liverpool. I have a houseful (exaggeration) of guitars and have also ticlked the ivories. My friend's 5 year old daughter picked up my old (Schott) recorder last week. That led me to recorders on youtube and hey presto, by magic, I came across your channel. Marvelous. So inspiring. I'm now looking for an alto recorder to continue my recorder journey after a sixty year gap 😊 Your enthusiasm is infectious. Thanks again David
I began music at around the age of 10. I started in "strings" class playing the bass. I played bass until 6th grade when it turned out we had many bass players and no cello's. Since Cello is also in bass clef the transition wasn't difficult. I continued playing cello for many years. In 1984 I was involved in an automobile accident and it resulted in a serious seizure disorder. I didn't play anything for a couple decades. My wife of many years had played brass instruments and flute for years. I told her how much I missed making music. I didn't dare purchase a new cello as they are expensive and would break should I have a seizure while playing. At first I started learning to play the harmonica. I truly enjoy the harmonica but it just didn't meet the need. Eventually I came across some truly beautiful recorder music. I met a man who was trying to sell his children's old recorders. (all early student recorders) The thought was if I have a seizure and the recorder ended up flying through the air and broke it could relatively easily be replaced. My wife and I have been playing since then (3 years ago). I'm not sure if this will go any farther than out bedroom but we sure are having a lot of fun. So far we are playing the Sopranino, the Soprano and the Alto. I only wish we had started earlier.
Thanks for your story :-)
Sarah with grade 8 recorder: I'm not a real musician
Me with grade 2 piano: I am Mozart reincarnated
Oh!sama I:
Me with grade 4 violin: I'm Paganini reborn.
Edit: Forget what I said, I am an American and I have no idea how the grade system works.
@@Machodave2020 and i'm indonesian, grade or no grade it's not important because any powerfull method, it's called "orang dalam" hahahaha
I'm fifth grade in classical guitar and still strugling with some Bach's pieces.
Me learning my first three guitar chords in 10th grade: I am literally Jimi Hendrix, not reborn, but the actual same guy. And also Mick Ronson.
I refused to learn recorder at primary school because the teacher was a horrible bully. I’m so glad I did so because he probably would have put me off for life. Then I taught myself when I was about 14 and I love it. My pear-wood treble goes everywhere with me, even to Everest base camp. I play sax too. I regularly played scales and arpeggios on the descant to my two offspring when they were still in the womb. The younger one is now training as a piano teacher. 😊Thanks for your brilliant, fun and inspiring videos. ❤️
I started playing during the Covid-19 lockdown, and it is so much fun. I had a recorder in the back of a drawer. I used to play classical guitar, and wanted to buy a guitar, but that is hard to do when the music stores are closed. Recorders are overlooked, and they are beautiful.
I feel like a rainbow would pop out of nowhere if I sat next to you; you're absolutely bubbly!
Sending love~
I found your channel after your response to two set. (I play violin)
And now im very tempted to get a recorder.
Theyre sooooo much cooler after watching your channel.
As a recorder player, this comment makes me soo happy! I feel like the recorder is being much more appreciated since recorder gang has been established lol. definitely get one, I say, but I might be biased ;D
Exact same story here - luckily I've kept my 20 year old recorder from elementary school music class, so it was a bit of a blast from the past aswel.
@@Die__Ene same i dug out my decade-old childhood recorder. Been really enjoying it so far~
99% of recorder players stop playing after about 3 months.
You decided to never stop playing it because you love it so much. That is magical.
Hi Sarah! Thank you for sharing your story and please thank your mother for raising such a charming and brave daughter and encouraging her to live her own life! I'm a, almost, 65 year old semi retired lady living in Boulder, Colorado, USA. I have a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and have spent my life working with folks struggling with anxiety and emotional trauma. And now, I'm done with that! I live in a "senior" apartment building and one of my neighbors has a recorder group. She tried and tried to get me to participate but I didn't think I liked recorders. Then I gave in and joined and discovered, at this late age, that I am a true lover of everything recorder! I'm a bit sad that I didn't find this out sooner. I struggle a bit with some arthritis in my thumbs (not terrible yet and hopefully won't get terrible). My goal is to just be able to play something beautiful for my more senior neighbors and my family. I believe that music is a requirement for well-being and I'm grateful that I've realized this before it was too late! :) Any hints for an aging newbie?
Hi Stacey, thank you for your nice message! That's wonderful you are enjoying the recorder, and that you discovered you did love it after all :D As for tips, I would say blow nice and strong with a healthy air stream, don't be afraid of making sound :) Enjoy everything you are playing, and if there are mistakes - that's life. If you're playing in a group it can be fun to listen to the others playing around you (or pick one person) instead of listening to yourself, then you get to know the piece in a different way. And enjoy it!
Thank you Sarah! I love your lessons!
Hello Stacey, I'm a, almost, 40 year old Brazilian English teacher with a Psychology degree who discovered some years ago that I love woodworking. Well, I started teaching English during college and that eventually made me give up working as a psychologist. I am now trying to become a literature teacher besides an EFL teacher and the thing I actually love the most is reading and listening to people's stories. I had an anxiety episode in 2017 and after some great therapy sessions I spent one month studying EFL teaching in Greeley. Well, my radar is obviously sensitive to anything Colorado now, but the superstitious me keeps wondering about it. I am learning how to play the recorder, because a student of mine is a professional singer and a lot of what he wants to talk about makes absolutely no sense to me. I chose the recorder because it's really handy and inexpensive, and I'm really surprised with how fun it is and wow, learning music "hurts" the same part of the brain that learning languages do, it's a good feeling and I'm so glad to be doing that. My student/teacher - yeah, I "use" him as my recorder teacher in exchange for talking to him in English - also got burnout, by the end of his graduation. One thing I realized is that working with your hands and having something to share, especially if it's a physical object, is very rewarding, and that when your job does not give you something like that it's more difficult to get over that feeling. Good luck with the elections, I love your country and Sarah's too. Your people and your countries are awesome, thank you for sharing your stories.
I was very inspired by your story. After watching your video, I seriously thought about my future. I can't live without a recorder. Unfortunately, we do not have professional recorder teachers in Russia.
Awesome story! My first instrument was the recorder as well! We were introduced to it in 3rd grade and I looooved it. Nobody else did, though. I played the trombone for 4 years but it just wasn't like the recorder. I was a closet recorder player for 14 years, unable to read music and playing only by ear. Grew up, got married, started my family, moved around. I tried a clarinet and the flute as an adult but as you said, they just didn't speak to my soul like the recorder. Long story short, when we moved back to Maryland and had joined our new church at the time, my husband saw a giant (tenor--I didn't know what that was at the time) recorder in our pastor's office... I couldn't believe it! Another recorder player!!!???!!!! So our pastor told me to invest in a decent recorder, learn how to read music, and I could play during worship!!! So it is nothing fancy but now I play for my church and I couldn't be happier :D I now can play sopranino to tenor. And I have plans on making my children recorder players, but my oldest is only 4 so that doesn't look like much yet.
I loved hearing your story. Next installment: How you met your husband?
I started piano lessons age 6 and played until I was 13 up to Grade 5 in practical and theory. Next learned violin age 14-17 and played 2nd violin in the school orchestra. I was also in the school choir and girls' choir throughout high school. I taught myself to play guitar, bass, drums, ukulele, Irish Whistle etc. Now I'm a mum a bit like your mum - playing all sorts of instruments and singing often. Recorder only became a part of my life last year when Miss 6 started learning it for Music School lessons, and now I love playing it. I also have a Venova (I think of it as 'Recorder for grown-ups), and I find that much more challenging to play!
P.S. When I met my husband he was a knight in shining armour at a ball. Made the helmet and gauntlets himself as he's a metal-worker. I look forward to hearing how you met your husband next :D
Your background is so much like mine. I started with piano and in 6th grade began the flute. I've played flute now for 50 years! Believe that! I've actually taught recorder since 1989 but last year I bought my first wooden recorder and I'm hopelessly addicted. Now, Im playing a Telemann Fantasie in A major, Irish, and Renaissance music. I must be playing 2-3 hours a day now!! I'm loving your channel and it's teaching me so much. This Christmas I played in public twice and was so surprised that people really love it. Thank you for helping me every day.
+Rhonda Martin You are welcome Rhonda! Funny how our stories are similar 😀 Glad you enjoying playing now!
I too love your story. I am a one-time trumpet player (mainly jazz), took up tenor recorder in my 40s and have now returned to tenor recorder at age 72!
Wow...
Damm wassup boomer
Enjoyed your story. Here's mine:
I am currently celebrating my 40th year as an amateur recorder player. I took piano lessons when I was ten, but gave up at 13. If I was going to continue with music, I wanted to play the drums... or the sitar! The recorder wasn't even on my radar.
My interest in the recorder was piqued at 20 while sharing a cottage on a bucolic island with two other young people, one of whom I developed a crush on. She entranced me by playing Moondance on a wooden Alto recorder. It was the only song she knew, but I was smitten anyways.
To prove to her how simpatico we were, I bought a plastic soprano and taught myself by studying a fingering chart. The first song I (sort-of) learned was Moondance.
Neither my renditions of Van Morrison nor my ardor had any impact. Her romantic interest in me was zero. Although heartbroken at the time, I continued to play the recorder.
My plan to spark a relationship (and maybe make beautiful music together?) was a bust. But out of this experience, I gained a life-long enchantment with the instrument. Soon after, I began taking lessons, playing with friends and small groups, and accumulating instruments of various sizes and pitches: I'm up to fifteen or sixteen.
I have had a number of peak experiences during the past four decades occasioned by my interest in the recorder:
- I provided the musical accompaniments for a puppet troupe.
- I was the soloist for a Rock-Blues-Funk version of a Klezmer tune at a concert.
- I built a reproduction of a Stanesby Jr. Alto during Tim Cranmore's five-day recorder building course. See: www.cantoraccess.com/publications/misc_2012_recorder_making.shtml
That sounds great! I want to learn Moondance! :D
Whenever I want to get inspired, I watch this video and I am not a musician! I am studying/working to become a professional surveyor but I am pathologically procrastinating even endangering my entire career. Fear? Uncertainty? I am not sure. Hearing your story somehow gives me the courage to face reports I have to finish and books to study. It’s so weird I can’t even explain, but thank you Sarah!
That is so nice to hear Lee!!
@@Team_Recorder an update: I became a professional land surveyor last December. :-) thank you Sarah. I watch your videos (including this one regularly) all the time and started practicing recorder.
C@@hhhaemmm congratulations!!!
I listened to this on my way home from taking my husband to work this morning. I have tears in my eyes from such joy hearing your story. I am just so happy for you!
I learned how to play in elementary school (United States), and I loved learning. I even went to a scholastic book fair, and found a green glittery recorder WITH a case and NEW sheet music that I didn't already have from school. I loved learning and playing. I practiced so much at home. But my mom hated the sound, and she thought music and the arts were stupid, we should just stick with academics. My dad however tried to back me on my music, I wanted to play the clarinet like my Grandpa. But, my mother stopped that very fast by withholding the checkbook even though my beloved music teacher offered to pay for a rental instead. Broke my heart. I loved Recorder, and wanted desperately to learn Clarinet.
So, fast forward 23 years, I have spent this year of my life I'll be 32 in 4 days, desperately wanting to re-learn the Recorder. So, this week I have been looking at Recorder options on Amazon because no music shop within 2 hours of me carries them, and I found your videos. I've created a playlist to watch when I order one. I am definitely being drawn to the alto. But I'd like to learn soprano as well. I'll be ordering wood, and I think I'll like the German style as we learned that as children. I really came to love Bach as a child, and I often listen to his music now. But he was my favorite to practice as a 9 year old.
Thank you for your videos, and your testimony of becoming a Record player. ❤️❤️ Much love. XO.
Thank you for your lovely comment 🥹 And I’m so happy you’ve found your way back to music! ❤️
The only opportunity I had to take music in school was in Grade 7 (12 years old). I chose the bass - not sure how I managed it, but I do remember it seemed huge! I loved it. I remember doing a solo in the Christmas concert - O Little Town of Bethlehem. My dad was there - I was so proud to be picked to do that! It was only the one year and no internet back then, so I didn't keep it up. Now, I am 58 and tomorrow, I am going to the music store to get a Yamaha tenor. I'll get a method book there, or online, watch your videos and get started again! Thanks so much for doing these videos - I so enjoy them - you are amazing!
Wow I loove your story. I decided to play the Recorder because I am losing my eyesight and I have become really really depressed. I starting thinking that I am the happiest when I am doing anything with art and music. I want to learn how to play the Recorder by ear which would be awesome for me. I have no clue how to learn but I am happy that I have videos like yours to point me in the right direction. I am learning to take one day at a time and I hope by learning the recorder I can overcome my fears and doubts and gain great confidence. Hey if you can overcome your fears and shyness I know I can. Your video was very inspiring. Thank you very much.
Hi Barbara, thanks for writing to me - and sorry I didn't reply until now! Thanks for sharing your story, that's amazing that you are getting into art and music a lot, and playing the recorder by ear. A good friend and recorder player colleague of mine is actually in a similar situation with losing her eyesight, and we are continuously working out ways to learn music together in our ensemble. If you wanted I could put you in contact so you could share your experiences and be in touch with someone going through something similar? In any case, have a great day! x
Thank you very much. I am grateful for your response. I am doing really good right now. I am taking one day at a time. Learning to play by ear is a challenge but I love it. Thanks again. I hope you have an awesome day too ^_^
Ditto!
I just lost my drivers license because of my eyesight...i paint portraits and make silver jewelry...im thinking of taking up music now
It's great to hear a story from someone who wasn't always planning to go into music. When I was 18 I started studying Japanese at university, intending to become a translator and ended up dropping out. I'd done Grade 4 piano at school and decided to start lessons again, fast foward a decade and I'm now a piano teacher with a degree in music from the Open University. My mum is a recorder player and I composed a book of recorder pieces for her as a present, then thought I'd have a go at playing them myself on my old soprano from primary school. I've now also acquired an alto and tenor and I'm teaching myself with help from your videos (which I found via TwoSetViolin, so their recorder parody did some good), I'm excited to see where this new musical journey goes.
You have a fantastic personality, Sarah
I started at 40. I already play guitar, but as my son's school started to teach recorder in their music classes, I did want to help him at home. And it's have been a very good experience!
What a lovely and inspiring story! I especially appreciated how your mother was supportive when you decided to change career path from medicine (high prestige, assured income) to professional recorder player (uncertain income, dubious prestige in mainstream society). And you did it!
I discovered your channel while searching for instruction on cleaning and oiling my old recorders - soprano, alto, tenor, all wooden instruments by Moeck. I started playing recorder about 20 years ago because I had discovered early music. Took lessons for about a year but gave it up when my teacher took off for Europe and I began choral singing.
Recently retired, I now feel I can take up the recorders again. Fortunately the instruments seem to have survived their years in the closet. I'm slowly going through my Hugh Orr "Basic Recorder Technique" books. Sticking with tenor for now, because I like the lower sound and I don't think my brain can handle re-learning in C and F at the same time! I've been binge-watching your videos and look forward to seeing many more! Thank you for these, and wishing you all the best (from Vancouver, Canada).
Hi George, welcome to the channel! Glad you are taking up the recorder again, and I hope you enjoy it :)
I'm a senior music education major in the states. We had to buy recorders for our elementary music class, well I fell in love. Your videos have helped me so much in finding a way to get better at the instrument.
Hi Sarah! I'm a recent subscriber to your channel, and I know this is an older video, but you are so inspiring! I'm sorry to admit that I had thought for the longest time that the recorder was not a difficult, nor "real" instrument, and that there aren't serious recorder players (recorderists?) around. Along with your other video about the recorder in the Middle Ages/Renaissance (900 years of repertoire?), you really opened my eyes up to this world. It's so nice to see someone as passionate as you are to help improve the recorder's reputation! I myself have played piano since I was 5, clarinet through middle and high school, and picked up playing strings as an adult - I've had multiple music teachers, a few of which were unfortunately like your former teacher. It's all in retrospect, but I'm glad that her discouragement at the time didn't get you down! To get into a conservatory, and to do a masters degree after that, is no mean feat.
Thank you for sharing with us your journey! :)
P.S. Your ability to learn a language, especially as a teenager or older, speaks volumes about how quickly you are able to adapt and thrive!
This is really inspiring. I'm in high school and I play the cello and am thinking about continuing studying it and baroque/early music and this video is amazing thank you so much
Hi Sarah, I love your channel and it was so interesting to hear your story. Im also from the UK, I began playing the Recorder when I was maybe 5? I was also learning Violin and Piano. I had some on and off experiences with all three instruments, focussing on the Violin until I was 18 and leaving school. I always knew in my heart that Recorder was the instrument for me, but I never truly acted on it. Violin was always my first. Always. But NO! I moved to Canada, started studying Sociology (something I knew NOTHING about), took some music classes to work towards a music minor. Decided I missed music, auditioned to another school to study music. They had never had a recorder player before, found me a teacher, and now Id say Recorder is my main instrument by FAR. I am still playing other instruments, since this time I've learnt guitar and oboe and play in many ensembles. I have to say, I do miss the European music scene. It was one of the best and I have wayyyy less opportunities here, but im getting by!
I cannot believe your journey, its incredible how you got so far! Also, my mum introduced me to the Recorder too! :)
You're so cute and personable, what a great spokesperson for the Recorder. Keep up the good work. :-)
+Rob Davis ☺️
Thank you for sharing your life with us! I had piano lessons as a boy from age 8 to 18 and played tuba in school band. I was fascinated by the recorder and bought one around age 12 while browsing sheet music. I "taught" myself over the next several years and then...well life happened.
Now at age 55 that longing to play has finally returned, yes, in part by being inspired by your wonderful videos. So I bought my Yamaha NSATB set, and have started taking lessons with a really great teacher here in New York City. In one week I will attend my first ARS chapter meeting. Very excited!
Self teaching ruined me in a way. For one thing, I only learned the descant. For another, even though I learned to play some rather difficult pieces, my articulation is atrocious! Books cannot teach you good articulation, imho, even Maestro Van Hauwe's excellent Modern Recorder Player can only give you a road map, and his is the best explanation I've ever read. You still need a teacher, imho.
I don't want to be you, Sarah. I'm too old now to go to conservatory and begin a new career. I just want to be a really good amateur consort player. But how I envy and admire you!
My friends and my partner gave me the old, "The recorder? Isn't that a toy?" routine, and it is getting really annoying. Learning F fingering has been PAINFUL. My everyday practice includes: long tones, scales, arpeggios, broken chords, the Telemann Sonata in Gm and articulation exercises. And, of course, learning to read Alto up, and learning Basset in Bass and Treble. If that's what a toy were, then no child would ever play with a single toy! Anyhoo, I'm not complaining at all. I love playing, and I love the challenge of becoming an amateur consort player. Your videos are a godsend, an inspiration, and a never ending source of education and amusement. Thanks so very much! You're my hero.
Hey, fellow NYC recorder amateur! Get in touch! :'D
Thank you so much for your kind comments, Paul! Keep playing and keep finding joy in it :)
I've watched this video a few times - always inspirational! I've played string instruments for 50 years. Now I'm dealing with some joint issues and a hand injury which means I gave up almost all my string playing. Someone gave me 2 recorders many years ago, which I never even took out of their cases until recently. I tried playing and fell in love with it! I especially like renaissance and baroque-period music, and the recorder is so fun to play these pieces with! Having said that, I LOVE listening to jazz on the recorder! I don't fancy myself playing professionally but would love to have the skill to play with our amateur Early Music or Baroque ensembles some day. My hand injury is still problematic but I'm able to play the soprano. The ARS (American Recorder Society) has so many great teachers and free (online) workshops, as well as play-along, and 'music minus one' options - it's fun to learn pieces when you hear the entire ensemble! Thanks Sarah!
Hello fellow traveler! I rarely hit "reply" but your story was so familiar that I couldn't resist. As an older amateur classical guitarist, I also have some left hand issues. My 1 1/2 - 2 hour practice sessions are my daily moment of Zen - something I can't imagine erasing from my life. When my fretting hand started developing issues, I also started playing the recorder on days where I didn't want to push my luck (as in risking further injury etc.). From the sound of your post, it seems that your hand issues are more serious than mine, but I totally get where you are coming from. Herbal anti-inflammatories help my situation; I pray you can find a way to at the very least make your situation satisfactory to your musical demands. Hang in there friend! And good luck with your recorder studies as it really is great fun! Peace and best wishes -R.
@@robertd3564 thanks for the encouragement! Pressing on!
Hello, Sarah. I really enjoyed the story of your recorder journey. I'm a full-time musician, voice and guitar, in California. I started playing recorder just before coronavirus hit. I've gotten quite obsessed with it. I've watched many of your wonderful videos. Thank you for all the practical information and encouragement. Recorders are the bomb! Kind regards, Sylvia Herold
love your story!I can identify with the recorder touching your soul!I am too old to be a professional musician as I chose my career path at the age of 12and became a doctor.I started playing the recorder as a young child in Germany on a boxwood with German fingering. I had group tuition in primary school and remained at the level of playing Christmas carols for many years.At the age of 15 I wanted a guitar,thought myself some chords and played at the youth group. My father plays the accordion and did not like the recorder. At the age of 40 I started teaching myself the treble, took lessons on and off and did my first and only exam,grade 5 royal schools at the age of 43.My 3 year old daughter had to accompany me as I did not have a baby sitter! I passed quite well but stopped playing after this for 8 years due to unforseen life events.I started playing again about 2 or 3 yes ago and am taking lessons again.I have aqiured a full consort and am starting to read the bass clef.I am also playing in a beginners ensemble working on scales and working at acquiring a foundation in theory.
That's brilliant you are playing again! I am always slightly jealous of people who have beomce doctors - like "oohh, that might have been me.." But then I'm happy with my path too :)
Where can recorder players find a beginners ensemble? Great life story, i'm impressed :)
beate setzer . inspiring story. thanks for sharing
@@Team_Recorder It is possible to do both well... I feel the need to comment because often people forget about polymathy... And assume that one can only be good at one thing, and the other one is a hobby or something... I have a very dear friend who is both a microbiologist and a classical pianist. She takes both professions really seriously and is recognized in both fields. No, she doesn't have a Nobel, and no, she's not a world-class soloist, but neither are many scientists/musicians that work in only one field. I'm not saying you can work in an ER doing long shifts while trully dedicating to the recorder, because maybe it would be hard to be in the right state of mind... But you could have for instance a family practice while being a great musician and trully dedicate and excel in both fields. It is possible, I've seen it done. And intend to do it as well... It is true that it's very time consuming, but if you love it, you love it. Love your channel, got to know you by the Twoset roast and saw many more of your videos by now.
Such an inspirational story Sarah. It's always wonderful when a person finds their true calling in life. Thank you for sharing your story and your passion and enthusiasm for this delightful family of instruments.
I have been binge watching your videos and have left comments here and there about some of my recorder background. I did NOT study recorder in elementary school. I did play clarinet for a year, piano for 3 or 4 years before that. I took up the accordian for a while (about 4 years) and got pretty good (according to my teacher), but when I auditioned for the jazz band in high school, I didn't make the cut. At about 15, someone introduced me to the soprano recorder and gave me some instruction, a book and a fingering chart. I eventually got good enough to play along with a piano - playing hymns at home for after-dinner sing alongs. I did join a recorder "class" and learned how to play the alto. I played for a group at some historical reenactment events, but never got really good. I stopped playing while raising a family, but would pick it up once in a while, just to keep some of the fingering in my brain. At the age of 58, I was singing in a church choir and playing hand bells and another singer/music theater artist/teacher found out I had played the recorder before and asked me to join a quartet she wanted to form for playing at church. I started out playing the alto for the first year. We switched around the instruments in the 2nd year and I started playing the tenor. I have now been playing it for two years and I must admit we are improving. Sometimes we are almost good! I am the second best player in the group (on the tenor) and am actually better on the soprano, but the group's director is better on the soprano than any of the other recorders, so she gets to play it. :o) I LOVE playing in the group. I am so glad I picked it back up. I have no visions of ever being really good, but I do have fun! I am almost 61 and look forward to maybe getting a really good recorder. I currently have Adlers (Soprano, sopranino and tenor) in pearwood. I have a Schreiber Alto (probably pearwood as well). I have, in plastic, an Aulos sopranino, soprano and tenor and a Yamaha (school grade) soprano. I love the Adlers and Schreiber, but all the other players in the group have plastic recorders and the tone of my wooden tenor was too different from the rest. I also had not taken good care of it, so it wasn't holding pitch very well. I am very happy with the plastic ones, but am thinking about upgrading to the intermediate ones (that I saw you talking about in one of your videos) for the tenor and soprano. This has gotten much longer than I planned. Sorry.
Good recorder life story so far. I was very shy as a pubescent youngster also and hid behind my guitar, bringing it everywhere and always playing it. I bought a Hohner wooden alto recorder about 1975 or so, and learned most of the notes and scales, and jammed on a few other instruments, until I started playing electric guitar in pub bands from 1980-92, did modern rockish church music from 1992-2002, then be ame a special ed teacher and played music for every school occasion with lots of others. I eanred a music degree from community college in 1982. Now 2018-19I have been leaning the chromatic harmonica, and brought out my old recorder to check my notes, because I read much more easily and fleuntly on recorder or guitar. Thank you for the cute and fun videos.
Hello Sarah, we met some years ago in Amsterdam. I was really impressed by your story about becoming a recorder player. Something similar happened to me. When I was 9 or 10 I made a bamboo pipe in a handwork class at school. I fell in love with the sound of the instrument, but its range was a little small, so my parents bought me a recorder and an instruction book in two volumes. I went through all the lessons and found myself playing quite well (in my opinion!).
Since the recorder was not a "serious" instrument then, I was given cello lessons and was happy playing chamber music and in various orchestras.
However, one day, I realised that I was much more agile on the recorder than on the cello, so I decided to make that my main instrument, and managed to join two early music ensembles, going on courses for tuition whenever that was possible.
What made my life change was meeting Claude Monin, who was the first recorder maker to set up a business in France. I had bought a recorder of his, and was constantly questioning him about its acoustics.
One day I decided to become a maker. The path was very difficult, like being in a desert, but I received help from some acousticians I had met, from a local cabinetmaker friend and his two wood turners. I also had an engineer in my family who could advise me on machines, particularly the lathe.
Thanks to people like Edgar Hunt, Friedrich von Huene, Daniel Bariaux (an Belgian acoustician, John Hanchet and others I managed to get started after several years of research.
So here I am now, making recorders and flageolets after 45 years.
I visited Ross Winter's class in your Conservatoire in Birmingham some time ago. Perhaps you were there then. I was happy to have made an instrument for him.
I still play the cello in a small local orchestra, but the recorder is my main instrument, and I sometimes give concerts.
Thanks for your story, which shows that we can follow unusual paths to arrive where we want to.
Hi Philippe, thank you for your message, and for sharing your story! It was lovely to meet you again at ORDA, and I hope our paths cross again in the future. yes, I was there when you visited Birmingham - I remember your presentation about recorder building, including photos of you walking through the forest and examining the wood! It was really inspiring. I hope you are well and all my warm wishes! Sarah
I have watched perhaps 100 of your videos prior to finding this one.
I have always been impressed with your skill and cheery nature, but this glimpse into your youth and choices is a treasure beyond the norm.
Thank you for sharing these memories.
This story was great, Sarah! I am 61 and totally new to the recorder. I just bought a Mollenhauer modern alto in grenadilla.
Sarah, you have fantastic energy! Love watching your videos. Well done for pursuing your dream and not giving up!!!
I also grew up in a musical household, as my father was a professional pianist and organist (he studied organ performance in Germany and modern atonal composition with a student of Charles Ives) and my stepfather a hobbyist in woodwinds, mainly jazz saxophones. I loved playing the recorder from ages 14-20 but after losing my 1960s Adler soprano in Hawaii (long story), I sadly put it aside. I've always had plastic sopranos and altos lying around but now that my own child is grown up, and having recently inherited a harpsichord and an antique music cabinet, baroque recorder is once again calling my name. I enjoyed seeing your video about your instrument collection, especially as I'm shopping around for a mid-range soloist-friendly alto (and also looking to replace my old recorder ensemble-friendly pearwood Adler on Ebay). Thanks for your lovely channel! I imagine your student roster is quite full and deservedly so. Your enthusiasm is very contagious. :)
Great Story, love your delivery and enthusiasm it makes the story. I started with violin, did not like it a time when none of the neighborhood kids played an instrument. My father, got a saxophone in trade from a Carpentry job he did, got it fixed and I started lessons. Wasn't into practicing , sports and fishing and in High School the Band Director needed trumpet. So I tried (with braces, not fun) And then he had Maynard Ferguson's big band at the school for a night concert and I heard Peter King play the Alto Saxophone. That was it!!!! I was hooked. Practicing very hard, I grew quickly making, by audition Area Band, Region Band and All State Band. For those of you don't know, you have to play major scales, Chromatic scale, sections of a major work for your instrument and sight reading. Well, I became very successful this and decided this is what I wanted to do. Being close to NYC, I was able to hear amazing concerts with many legends, hang out on 48th in the music stores running into many famous people. I was accepted at a major Conservatory, but parents had divorced and went to smaller state college where I grew up and studying with great Saxophone, Flute and Clarinet teachers. To make a long story short, I've had a great career, playing subbing on Broadway Shows, legendary Big Bands, teaching music now for 20+ years., traveled all over the world playing "gigs" I've had times when I've made a lot from playing and the feast or famine of the music business. I had to learn recorder for an up and coming Broadway Nat'l tour. So, I bought a soprano and alto and took some lessons and practiced. Also I have studied a lot of jazz, so its been a rewarding life. Sarah, I love your video's, sometimes you go to fast for the younger kids, but I edit and explain to them the information that is above them. Thanks again..
You’re very welcome 😊
Omg. These videos of yours make one to feel really good. And when you're feeling good then you find them also very inspirational.And this seems to be the right thing for you to do. So Thanks ;D
I love your videos ❣️ I am just starting on my journey to being a recorder player. My son signed up for Band 1, playing trumpet, but due to Covid-19, this year has been all remote classes, not so easy for learning an instrument. He is autistic and got anxiety when it was his turn to play so I decided to learn an instrument along with him. I bought a recorder and started learning his pieces with him. It worked well reducing his anxiety 🎉. He says he is done with music at the end of the term. Finding your channel, was like " waaaa!" I will continue learning recorder after his term ends. Thank you for putting out wonderful content ❣️❣️🎉
Professional recorder player is definitely a new one to me. I never even knew there were that many types of recorders or that people played it out of grade school. Hey, you found something you love that you can make a living from. That's more than can be said for most people, myself included.
Perhaps my path with the recorder might be of use to others who can't or didn't go the Conservatory route as recorder players. I always thought I would be a French Horn player, having played it in High School bands and orchestras, the local youth orchestra, jazz lab ensembles quirky enough to add French horn etc., culminating in a French Horn major in College music school. This was during the Vietnam war, however, and I let my grades slip enough after only one year to lose my draft deferment so off I went to the military repairing airborne avionics. I couldn't NOT play music and so managed to continue playing in semi-pro orchestras wherever I was stationed. I got married and started a family during my time in the military and my Wife surprised me one day with a Hoener soprano recorder she purchased with a book of green stamps (used to be the thing back in the sixties). I couldn't stop playing it!
After the military, having a family to support and having liked the technical work I'd done in the military, I went to Engineering school and got several degrees and a job as an engineer, but never stopped being a self taught recorder player for fun at home. I wanted to play with others and so joined a local recorder society but the ensembles there weren't open to new players, so I decided to take lessons hoping that would lead to something. I found a teacher who was very demanding (which I loved) and who started me from scratch undoing my awful technique. I already knew from studying the Horn and my brief stint in Music School how to seriously approach mastering an instrument and wanted that for the recorder. Anyway, after five years studying with him, going to performance workshops and masterclasses, reading everything recorder I could find, playing any gig possible and ultimately learning to some extent how to be my own teacher, I was able to start my own groups, successfully audition for other groups, meet and play with many others through all manner of gigs and thus insinuate myself into the professional early music scene. Music is a meritocracy, after all. If you have what a group needs, you might be able to play with them.
My primary group wanted to make a CD and get it into distribution, so being an engineer, I bought the best equipment I could and started recording us. After years of mistakes learned from, mentoring from record company engineers I befriended, and unending investment in better equipment, we managed to record a CD good enough to be picked up by a record company along with a contract for many more. That exposure helped us to get more gigs around the U.S. and even overseas. The recording grew from just recording my own groups to recording others, and it was really rewarding to get to combine the technical with the musical in producing, recording, editing, and mastering for musicians coming from all around the world. I envy and am in awe of the total immersion and dedication I see in those who took a more conventional path, but am grateful for what I've been able to experience in my own way. And I own a lot of recorders, thirty or so of which you blow into.
I see from your videos how much you love the recorder and need to, have to, must play it and will do what it takes to do so. I love seeing that in you and in my other musician friends who've dedicated themselves to making it in early music.
What I'm trying to say with my long story is that if you're one who also feels driven in such a way, you will find a way to be a recorder player even if it's not through a Conservatory. If you don't see an obvious path, you can make one somehow. In the meantime, you're making music and that's the goal anyway, in the end.
fantastic story, you've done SO much in such a short time! And worked so hard. I find you quite inspiring. Me, I'm a 49 year old recorder newbie who normally plays piano (badly) but I wanted to get back to that little instrument that I used to play as a school kid and show others that it is not just a thing that kids play-that it IS a real instrument. So I bought one, a soprano of course because that's all that the shop had in. I soon realised that I prefer the sound of the bigger instruments, plus being so small it's a bit fiddly for big hands. So I bought a tenor too. Which is lovely but very hard to play! But the thing with the soprano is it has taught me to read music, because I got a proper book and I take myself upstairs every night and learn from it, and I soon realised that I CAN read music. All these years of trying to read music and this little plastic Aulos got me there.
haha hi Larry I recognize you from the recorder group on facebook
I am also a newbie recorder player who used to play piano and clarinet. I started out with soprano, then, just like you, Larry, bought an Aulos tenor and... fell in love with it. For financial reasons I chose the Aulos and didn't really expect much from it, but was very pleasantly surprised. It takes getting used to but is a fine, warm-sounding instrument and surprisingly easy to handle (I have rather small hands). Best of luck!
Annie Helman thanks Annie. I'm learning from a book, one note at a time. Its slow and tedious (I really don't enjoy the sopranos high sound) but it is helping me read music which will feed back into my piano playing. When I get chance to play piano that is. ..
Hats of Knit wow fun user name ;)
I was into music as a kid, but got into recorder when they introduced it to use at school like many other people probably did. But we had a system called Recorder Karate and I really enjoyed playing, so I'd go in at recess sometimes to work my way up to a black belt. My music teacher said I was the first one in years to do it, since I come from a small town. So I guess it took an early love of music and encouragement at the right time. Although I moved onto other instruments, your channel has actually renewed my interest. I haven't been able to play guitar or piano since I decided to grow out my nails (I've been more femme lately) and it sounds awesome to have an instrument to play again. And learning is the most fun part.
I have really enjoyed watching your videos, even though I don't currently play the recorder. Your videos along with the performance videos of Lucie Horsch have given me great respect for the recorder. I play clarinet, saxophone and flute, performing on clarinet and tenor sax with amateur groups. Keep doing your videos. They are educational and entertaining. You might just inspire me to take up the recorder again.
Wow, now I love you even more. Congrats girl, you deserved it! I'd love to have you as a teacher!
I have been so curious about the subject of this video! I am old, and I swear I never even heard of a recorder until maybe a year or two ago, and I never played one, of course. Long story short, I recently bought myself a couple of them, and yours is the main recorder channel I watch. I never dreamed there was such a thing as professional recorder player. I am grateful to have such a good resource available to me!!! You have been brave. I have been brave in my life, but in other fields of course. Now that I am retired I get to play music in spite of my lack of talent... hahaha!
Hello Sarah. I too had an intro to music with a plastic soprano recorder in the first grade. I didn't pursue music however until I was older & then I played acoustic guitar until I finally took up a profession (teaching English & history) & I had no time for myself. I'm now retired (I don't know where the time went) & became bored during the pandemic. I had painted part time over the last 30 years & wanted other things to occupy my time so I began writing a novel which is almost finished; and I took up the alto recorder. I use 2 resin Yamahas -- one's modeled after the Rottenburgh (sp???) which is well-balanced between high & low notes; the other is far cheaper, doesn't have a dual airway or an added layer of resin but has a better tone & is easier to finger. I'm planning on buying my first wooden recorder soon so thanks for your video on that subject. I'm looking forward to watching more Team Recorder videos & playing classical pieces -- at the moment I play British folk songs, rock standards (Strawberry Fields, Thick as a Brick) & of course Amazing Grace. You're an awesome teacher & I greatly enjoy these videos.
"And I was like"
Actually I'm envious of your ability to work so hard. I never worked hard until I was in a long term relationship with someone who was doing a PhD. I found it all quite inspiring, having just coasted along all my life doing the minimum necessary.
I finally started to enjoy working hard, and realising just what a big %age of achievement work is - strange to say that despite everyone telling me to do some work, I had never got into the habit before. It was a bit late but perhaps not *too* late..
I started in grade school and never gave it up, fiddling around with the recorder for fun. Then my father bought a bass recorder (at a farm auction, of all places!) and it was the first recorder I'd ever owned that actually sounded good. Some years later, when I had a stable job, I began my recorder collection, and started bringing my recorder collection to various Fantasy Conventions.
Hi!
A brother of mine taught me to play the recorder (German fingering) at age of 5. At 8 I began to study music in the Conservatory and at 11 I started to study recorder in the Conservatory. Eventually I ended all the courses and started to study the rest of classes needed to get an official degree.
I had never the courage to try to live from music, so I had meanwhile started an engineering career that feeds me up today.
But perhaps this has allowed me to enjoy the music, to love music without the pressure of trying to make it a way of life because when I was very young I felt that studying music was an imposition that almost made me hate music.
I left to play the recorder to play another instruments: I learned by myself to play the guitar, for a short period the electric bass. I took piano lessons for a year or so, but I interrupted it to attend my family. At 45 I began to play tenor sax. Electric bass came again to my life to stay. I played both of them (sax and bass) in a couple of bands, and I still enjoy playing bass (and brief intros with sax) in my actual band. I bought a keyboard to enjoy and learn to play it as an accompanying instrument, not as a solist. And from time to time I play a fantastic green plastic Yamaha baroque soprano recorder! :-D
The recorder was the only instrument I have studied in an official way and the key to play the rest of them. Only for this I had to be grateful to it.
Every time of the day, every time of the life asks me for a different instrument to express my feelings. So I am happy I can choose the proper one although I am no good player with any of them. My goal is enjoying while playing. And better in a band than alone.
And if you have reached to read this, thanks! :-)
Greetings and thanks for your channel, Sarah!
it was great to hear your musical journey! I think that you probably helped many people by sharing your experience with burnout & how you coped with it- very healthy, IMO. It is also important to know that not every teacher, however qualified s/he might be, is the right one for every student. Music teachers can make or break their students very early on & it is important to find an instructor who is just the right one for one's particular needs & talents.
I began playing the recorder when I was 12- and there was no one in my town (at least of whom I was aware) who played recorder. I brought it to my clarinet lessons with Mr. Hapke, who tolerated rather than encouraged it. I persevered & in my 1st year of medical school, played with the local Collegium Musicum- & was maneuvered into playing one of the Handel recorder sonatas for one of the concerts. The year that I graduated from medical school, I sold my car so that I could purchase a von Huene A 415 sopranino (if I had a nicer car, I might have been able to get a soprano : ). The high water mark in my musical education was tutelage from Mr. Anthony Rowland-Jones in Cambridge, UK. I was serving a 2 year stint in the USAF nearby & casually inquired at the local music shop as to whether there were any recorder teachers lurking about. I was given his number & rang him up. I didn't know that he was actually moderately famous & that years earlier I had actually read his book on the recorder in the library of my undergraduate college (when I was supposed to be reading developmental biology).
He had me audition with that same Handel sonata that I played for the concert- initially, he said just the first movement, but then after hearing it, requested that I press on & finish it off. I have a tendency to play really fast when I am nervous; I thought that he had been so enraptured by my blazing performance that he just had to hear more. Not so- he had to assess the damages to see if he had any hope to help me unlearn my poor technique before I shoved off the island. He took me on as a student & I received life lessons from him in addition to honing my recorder technique. He was a wonderful teacher & I will cherish his memory always. I hung up my recorder 'spurs' several years ago when I experienced a herniated cervical disc- lost some control of my left thumb & could no longer play with the alacrity & precision that I had once enjoyed. I have recently taken up Irish whistle & ironically learned recently that Mr. Rowland-Jones started out on that instrument himself before he became interested in the recorder.
Sarah, be glad that you didn't go into medicine- you haven't missed anything that you wouldn't want to, you likely would have burned out 5 more times along the way & not had nearly as much fun. I still have all of my recorders- & now, quite a quiver full of whistles- let me know if you need any ; )
I started playing the piano when I was 4 and was classically trained until 18. At that point I absolutely hated classical music and wanted to stop. I took 10 years off to focus on moving countries and starting a family and almost 3 years ago decided to become an audio engineer AND starting composing music in various genres!
I just found your videos about a month ago when I became obsessed with the tin whistle and I was really surprised at how awesome the recorder is! So I started learning that as well :) I think learning it enough to play folk and celtic music would be good enough for me, I would like to learn a lot more instruments and since I already "mastered" the piano I'm happy to be average on everything else :)
I started to play recorder when I was about 45 or so. My wife and daughter didn't know what to buy me for my birthday and then it came to me, a recorder! I got a recorder with a plastic headpiece in case my daughter wanted to play it, her wooden recorder suffered with bite marks on the beak and was eventually put down. I got some good lessons from some excellent teachers but eventually moved to an area where teachers were in very short supply and I stopped playing. 10 yrs later I discovered your channel and I really think the time is right to start again. I don't know if I will ever find another teacher but I will persevere with my practice andsee where it gets me. Best wishes and thanks for all your entertaining and inspiration all videos, Curtis
That's great Curtis, I hope you keep playing and it brings you lots of enjoyment :)
Fabulous presentation. 😊
Your story is awesome!!! The way I started playing the recorder was when I saw some of my friends play it then.I was around my first year in secondary school at the time. It fascinated me a lot at the time. I eventually got one for myself. We also used a recorder tutor by a German author. We eventually played pieces in parts. I also joined the choral group in school. My music teacher picked a song and we played the parts in recorder. We sometimes sing in parts as well. I recall we sometimes play Christmas carols in parts as well. Eventually I was through with secondary school. For some reasons music was not offered in the senior school. I eventually took in career in Art. I studied Fine and Applied Art but I continued playing the recorder. Sometimes I solo while I was accompanied with keyboard, guitar and drums and people looked forward to hearing me play mostly in fellowships at the University.
Currently I teach Visual Art and Mathematics but I still do play for leisure. I have just the soprano and Alto recorder. I am writing from Lagos, Nigeria. I will be 41 in October...
I've only recently become aware of your recorder channel but subscribed immediately.
I'm retired and I mostly have been playing Bach on my rather nice Bluthner 1936 piano I bought myself as a retirement present, but I used to play the recorder years ago. My friend Enid and I played a Handel Fitzwilliam sonata at a college concert in about 1974 I think. Enid played the harpsichord and I was on my plastic Dolmetsch treble (we didn't call them "alto" in those days, but I think it makes more sense). Anyway, watching you has inspired me to learn some more pieces and I've bought a lot of music, much of which is too hard for me but which is great fun! I have also bought a Kung olivewood alto which is lovely, and I'm playing pretty well every day, concentrating on the Bach D minor violin sonata arrangement at the moment.
There are lots of lovely recorders out there and I think this might get expensive...
Sarah, thank you so much! At age 10 I played flute in school. I was lukewarm at best. Then at 12 I played alto sax. It was a battle of wills with my mother, lol. I thought Saxophone was the ugliest, worst sounding instrument ever! Who played sax, ever? In the US swing and jazz bands had sax players but country music and rock were what we listened to at home. So, for 3 years I played alto sax then my music teacher had me play baritone sax. I was devastated! It felt like a demotion. About 10 years ago I realized music teachers do not put their worst players on the one single instrument in a section! I quit playing for high school and in my 30,s I discovered recorder through a renaissance group I joined. I had always believed recorder to be below me (little did I know) but I had no money and desperately wanted my music back. I truly loved playing the Irish music that was popular here. Fast forward 25 more years and I dropped my music again, this time for a very sad reason that involved a bad relationship.
I am on my own now and was scared to try again but your videos are my amazing inspiration to start again! My cheap Hohner pear wood soprano recorder sounds awful but I am going to clean it using your cleaning and oiling video and we’ll see! I hope to someday be able to hit the high G and A above the treble clef using your videos to learn. And your amazing hack for playing quietly is my ticket to starting to practice.
Thank you, thank you, Sarah! All the best in your career and many blessings for gift you give all of us.
Yess I’m so happy to read you’re getting back into the recorder, all the best with it!
I started music with drum lessons in highschool and got in a little metal band and got frustrated with my total inability to improvise as well as my lack of sense of tempo and memory. I realized I liked to keep it simple and joined a batucada (Brazilian drum band) which was simpler and a lot of fun. That was during my university engineering studies and I kept doing this until now at 38. I realized melody was missing in my life and took back the alto recorder i studied in middle school. I am a very intellectual person, with some mild autism spectrum stuff and I was fed up with overthinking music and visualizing sheets and I decided I would mostly play by ear even if this meant I would progress very slowly, all the more that i am quite slow at learning by ear. I was attracted almost exclusively to Bach and learned a few songs and played them over and over for fun. I have now been playing French suite number 3's menuet for over 15 years and I still kind of s*ck at it but damn I love it. I started playing guitar a few years ago, realized how much I loved music and needed more of this. A few months ago I started to feel some mysterious pain in my fingers and doctors don't know why yet. So I have to quitthe guitar at least for now, but I realize I need to make that magic happen with another instrument, and keep having those 4h long evening sessions that make me feel high.
Now i decided I am going to learn some theory. I practice scales with the recorder, my tuner app told me I am terribly out of tune, and that my lovely recorder is not 440 Hz and that's why it never worked to play with a CD. That's where I am at today.
Also I really like your videos, and your energy!
This is a very inspiring story on how you took up the recorder.
Right now, I love to whistle. I realized that the recorder might come closest to. Plus, I can't get a tone out of my head, Abbots Bromley Horn Dance. Right now I bought a resin alto recorder, but wonder if the soprano recorder will better match my two octaves of whistling. I bought the Trapp Family Recorder method books, so my recorder journey has begun.
Rebecca here! Just saying that I absolutely love your enthusiasm and you never fail to make me smile.
That is a ton of hard work and you should be extremely proud of it. Things aren't so positive here in the United States, and I am trying my best to live the life I want to live both as a musician and as a chess player but sadly this country doesn't seem to think anybody should pursue these things. My entire life has been filled with amazing teachers who helped build my ability in music but mostly people have discouraged me.
I started music like everybody else, singing in choir and learning the recorder. I liked it so much I started trumpet in 4th grade, percussion in 5th grade, then trombone in 8th grade. I played trombone and then Horn all through high school, playing in jazz band as well. They called it jazz band but we never did small combo work, just big band.
I had started learning the guitar toward the end of high school and I ended up dropping out. My life has been filled with people discouraging me and punishing me for not being able to live up to their expectations and for pursuing music instead of a "safe" career path. Spoiler: there's no such thing as a safe career path in the United States. I only recently started pursuing mental health support with my doctors and it turns out I am on the autism spectrum, which starts to make everything that happened in school growing up a whole lot more sense, and to be fair to them, the understanding of Autism in the 90s and 2000s was pretty lacking, and of course I had an abusive mother who insisted on screaming at me instead of helping me by actually listening to how I felt and taking me to see doctors.
I need to also mention that last year when I started all this(August 2019) I finally started moving forward with treating my gender dysphoria which I had felt basically my entire life but only started putting it into transgender terms around 2008. I started HRT and I am never looking back. I am going for FFS and GRS(SRS) and I have never been happier in my entire life.
Going back to 2015(I had been living in homeless shelters from 2010-2014) I started going to the Junior College(Community College) and was doing pretty badly in English and Math courses(not because of the material. I have always been told by teachers and many others that I am brilliant and had scored very well on exams my entire life. It's the social aspects I had trouble with, neglecting to turn in work on time, depression and anxiety causing me to stay home, etc.) but I took a Music Theory class again(I had passed 1st semester Theory in 2007 so I ended up not being able to retake it) but the teacher, Dr. Jerome Fleg, inspired me to get back into music. He played clarinet and saxophones and I had always wanted to play woodwinds. I had been toying around with a flute which had leaky pads but I decided to buy a plastic clarinet the next day. I told him that I had played trombone in high school, however, and so I played in the jazz band(big band) on trombone that semester.
I was so excited. This was the first time I was doing music in over ten years and it was past high school level. I ended up learning clarinet rather quickly and I joined the symphonic band after the mid-semester concert the next month and a half or so. I had some trouble playing every single note of fast phrases but I took my section leader's and Jerome's advice to only play the first note of those groupings and I did pretty well. I kept going next semester and signed up to go to MACCC(Music Association of Community Colleges California) Conference in San Francisco which was basically what we would call an "honor band" and we had basically two and a half 6 hour rehearsals before a concert with some pretty tough pieces. I kept pushing myself and in 2016 started taking private lessons on clarinet as part of my college studies. I need to mention that I picked up a tenor sax over the summer of 2015 and learned it, starting jazz combos and improv classes with my teacher Bennett Friedman.
I learned so much from 2015-2018 but I sort of burned out around then. I had started teaching chess in a non-profit here called Chess for Kids, and I need to mention that around 2013 I was intently studying chess books and videos, playing many games online and with a friend, recording games, analyzing, etc. I had learned chess when I was young and had a chess computer when I was around 10-11 years old. I am still pretty low rated online but I have been told by several professional players that I am a lot stronger than my rating indicates. I am currently making a huge effort to fix some mental holdups that are causing me to make game losing mistakes and I do believe they are closely related to my mental health issues that have been preventing me from succeeding in other areas of my life as well.
Recently I've been focusing on flute but I am excited to learn recorder as well, as I feel the two are closely related in the history of flute pedagogy. I love the flute and I love clarinet and I love saxophone and I have no doubt I will love the recorder. I am a musician, not a flutist, not a clarinetist, not a saxophonist, or a ... recordist? An instrument is only a medium for our own music ability to travel through, although woodwinds will always be close to my soul. I feel that flute fits me closest but perhaps recorder might end up being even closer. I can't wait to find out what happens next!
Hi Rebecca, thanks so much for sharing your story with me! Sending a big hug and I wish you all the best in music and chess. ☀️
Omg...not only r u the absolute best at explaining everything about the recorder.....(I have taken my recorder out again & am loving it)....u r so funny.
Tk u 4all u contribute...ur such a little sweetheart . 🌹
You're an effective music teacher, just by watching your videos it motivate me to start learning recorder :) thank you!
Thanks for this. It was very nice. I'm finishing my master's myself in a couple of months, and one of the rewards I've set for myself after finishing is to finally try to learn to play the recorder. Because of that I found your channel. Your videos have been very helpful and inspiring. Thanks for that too.
Ahhh... Consider your self lucky, my friend... Imagine living in Greece, where people see the recorder only as a toy for kids, confusing it all of the time with the Greek shepherds flute called the "floghera", while the only conservatory for proper studies is in Athens and that's more than 300 kilometers away (6 hours driving) from Thessaloniki where you live! But then again, there are some good people like yourself who upload tutorial videos, thank God(s)!... :))
Its possible to learn it yourself if you find the sheet musics and have the basic knowledge!
You really seems to be a nice person....😊!
Just started yesterday...because my son asked me to found out how to play better the recorder for school....☺
I'm a classic guitarist and I like to sing....I'm a doctor and waterman (kitesurfer-windsurfer-SUPer)...so I'm interested also for a breath exercises....!Ciao😊😊
Such a lovely story.
I started playing recorder when I was 20, inspired to a large extent, I think, by Kieslowski's film Three Colours: Blue, which features the recorder as an orchestral instrument as well as on its own. I bought a Moeck Rottenburgh maple soprano and since I had a summer job away from home that year, I spent much of my spare time in my room playing the recorder, learning the recorder, and progressing past what I had learnt in primary school probably within a few days.
That is 18 years ago, and since then I've been playing a bit on and off, sometimes several years passing between each time, partly because I do so many other creative things, such as poetry, photography, painting and ballroom dancing, but I always come back to the recorder.
I don't foresee my recorder playing ever progressing past the hobby stage, but I really enjoy it. It is such an expressive instrument.
Hello Sarah! I loved re-watching your story, and you're so lucky to have had a supportive mom growing up (my Dad had an excellent ear for music, but he was the boss, and didn't approve of my "rock and roll")... I've played several instruments all my life, all by ear (as a kid, I took piano lessons in 2nd grade, but had no patience to practice church tunes, which my teacher, the church organist, insisted on giving me to learn, just to suck up to my Dad, the Deacon, so I quit)...Fast forward to last year, October - I took my guitar in to get fixed and saw Yamaha recorders for $8, so I bought one. I haven't stopped playing it. I play it at stop lights! I absolutely love the way it sounds (once I learned how to cover the holes properly), and have amassed over 200 songs, which I have tried, have written down, and am in the process of ironing out all mistakes. Because of your inspiration, I started my own TH-cam channel! BELIEVE ME - I'm not one to be modeled after, like yourself - that's why I call myself Donrock the Imposter. So far I have 2 hands full (?) of videos, one of Xmas tunes, and one of patriotic (USA) Americana-type tunes, as the melodies just lend themselves to recorder, I think. MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE THING about the recorder, over other instruments I've played, is the way you literally breathe life into it, as opposed to striking the strings or the skins or the keys. My first inspiration to give the recorder a shot was Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek. I loved the notion that this Starship captain, with all his responsibilities, hid away from time to time to ground himself and regain his sanity by playing his recorder (actually the Ressikan flute, which looks like a recorder)...My second inspiration is you, with your very accessible videos and obvious love of the instrument. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING, SARAH!
Love the path that you took to your career. I'm an amateur musician, and I primarily played brass, cornet through tuba, but I also love playing the recorder. I got to the recorder while I was studying at an engineering school and they had little one week classes between semesters. One was on ensemble recorder playing. The only requirement was buying a recorder and learning how to play it. Being a brass player, I chose to buy a n inexpensive tenor, figuring that it would take more air and I wouldn't be too uncomfortable with it. I loved it! We did the week, and tried to keep the group together at least for a while, and we stayed together for about six months. I ended up with six or seven instruments, all commercially made, which were two tenors, two altos, two soprano and a sopranino. I had a mold infestation at the house I lived in, and as a result, I lost them all, but I still love the sound of the recorder. Thank you for your channel that I can at least experience it vicariously.
Hi!
I've been binge watching your videos for almost a whole day. I love the recorder, I used to play it in school many many years ago but now that I have kids that are soon both in school, I bought myself my own soprano and alto recorders two years ago. I started by learning the song called Scarborough Fair by ear.
Then I got bored. (My problem is that I seem to over-work myself over one thing for a few weeks, until I get tired and find something else to tire myself over with.)
So I did a bit of everything; photography, computers, crypto currencies, playing the game of Go, vlogging, blogging, programming, even self teaching myself some piano using TH-cam videos. Eventually the circle has closed (again) and I'm here watching your videos "full of energy" to start playing the recorder again.
My boys are 6 and 10 years of age, both are immensely interested in music, and while they are currently having piano courses, they both are keen to learning other instruments as well, so I am kinda making the effort of coaching them through over the piano, and whenever they ask me anything about the recorder. (They both have their own recorders, but it's too bad they are all in German fingering instead of Baroque as mine are. Bad school rule I'd say.)
What now? Well, sleep for first, but I think I'll be back watching your videos. And uhm, I ordered the "3 Exercises: for Alto Recorder" from Amazon after watching a video of yours. I think I want to learn quickly so I decided that'd be a difficult enough book for me to learn. After all I want to learn to play all those high notes. Either I'll learn them, or I get burn-out while doing it and we'll meet again in six months or a year. ;)
It's been nice to meet you so... See ya!
Thanks for your sharing. I love your honesty and positively! I guess I'm like your mom.... A serious music hobby. I played competitive classical piano in high school and college. Eventually I took a non music job. With my second son being a special needs child, I took up ukulele then guitar to do music therapy with him. At 40, I've always wanted to play flute. I've been following you and cutie pie learning recorder and whistle . As a Mom of two and a puppy, I practice in 5 minute increments throughout the day. Music is a magical portal bringing me from the chaotic mom life to the younger me, the artistic creative spirit. Thank you for what you do. I appreciate it so very much!
All the Dutch I've met and worked with speak better English than most English-born, so I'm quite sure not speaking Dutch in The Netherlands wasn't a biggy (even with a Midlands accent ;) ). Fascinating video. I particularly loved that the faculty said you had improved after a year off: that's a lesson we could all learn from, no matter what our calling.
I started playing about 1,5 years ago (right after my 37th birthday), inspired by my Czech language teacher. I come from Poland, but I currently live in Brazil, and when I had nothing better to do here, I started dancing traditional Polish dances and learning Czech. My teacher played the recorder in the Czech folk group and we used to meet at festivals, too. When I started working, I found a music school next to my workplace, and I take classes of one hour once a week (and also theory classes). Unfortunately, I can't practise daily, but I do so at the weekends.
In October 2015 my students and I had an idea of playing and singing Christmas carols in the streets and so we did! We created a band and at the beginning of this year I also started playing the tin whistle, as we decided to organise the Irish Night and play traditional tunes. Currently, we're rehearsing for the British Night. If you'd like to have a look at some of our videos, here's our Facebook profile: facebook.com/TheAskYBand/. We're not any professionals, but it feels pretty great to be part of it, after all what a recorder would be without an ensemble.
I am fourteen years old and I have played the recorder for maybe 7 years now. I started in a group with two other girls and I played with them for about 5 years, but after that time both of them put the recorder down and I ended up playing the recorder alone with my teacher. That was the best thing I ever done because I actually went from only playing the soprano, kind of basic and easy stuff, to master the soprano and learning the alto and master that one to. In only a year! I did practice everyday. The second year I started to learn playing the tenor. I'm still doing that.
I really love to play music and my dream is to become a professional musician, but I don't know if I can make it. I want to study music but it is such a big risk to take, what if I'm not good enough. My teacher says I'm special, that I learn very fast and that I can play barely anything and that I am one of few recorder players that has this thing, you actually sound good. I guess I have no confidence at all. What do you think? Would you follow the stream and do what you SHOULD do and what you're suppose to do or would you take the risk and give everything? It's my biggest dream to live on my music...
(I'm from Sweden so my English maybe isn't perfect hahah)
+Lova Ekstrm Hi Lova, thanks for taking the time to write to me! That's great you're enjoying the recorder so much- keep going!! As for studying music and making it into your career, it is totally possible. It seems more risky as there isn't always one clear career path, but there are maaaany things you can do with a music degree. My friends and colleagues do so many different cool jobs! Music teaches you so many good and useful skills. For now, learn all you can and stay passionate. If it is your dream, go for it!!!! (and let me know how you are getting on :) )
Piano does not reside within my soul! 😂 so well articulated. For me - my soul instrument is the mezzo irish whistle 😊❤
I have so much respect for you! Thank you for your story.
I may be late to the party, but anyways, I just started learning the recorder a week or two ago. Due to my background as a violinist, I already fluent in treble, so it really wasn't too hard for me to learn. Within a few days, I was playing go tell aunt rhody. I really enjoy playing it. Even though I will likely never become a professional, I hope to become good at it and possibly join a recorder club or group.
I love this, as always!!!
I also have a bit strange recorder story, I took lessons since I have been 10 years old, but did a lot of stuff during school especially in my gymnastics club where I was involved a lot as a trainer etc and my recorder playing was basically one out of many things I loved. I never really practiced very regulary. As I liked maths and physics I decided to study some natural science and chose geophysics. At the same time I got a job as a recorder teacher in a private music school (thanks to my teacher!) and started with 3 students, after 4 years they had become a really nice class of 8, what kind of forced me to play a bit and thinking about technique etc. As I had a wonderful recorder teacher myself she helped me a lot and I learned a lot by myself, too. So I became more and more motivated and started to organise concerts in the church where i was teaching, mostly with my " recorder friend" (another student of my teacher and the only one "seriously" playing an instrument of my age I knew) and harpsicord, and one with a small recorder ensemble. It was always a lot of work but I liked it a lot. Then in the last year of my bachelors in geophysics, my boyfriend applied for erasmus at the conservatory in Paris. I didn't know what to do next year so I however had the idea of also going to a conservatory for that one year and searching for a geophysics internship at the same time. I felt more and more sure that I had to give it a try and study music, but even when I was sure about it inside and had already talked about my plan to many people, it took me about 5 months until I was courageous enough to tell my recorder teacher about it. She absolutely wanted me to go to salzburg, but I wanted to go to France of course, and i didń't make the audition in salzburg anyway. after about 2 months in Versailles I started slowly to realise that I didn't want to do anything else (or let's say not only something completely different!!) in my life so here I am future recorder player :-)
haha so this is a really long story, I'm sorry :D
Ah no it's great! I love reading all your stories!
you are so amazing musical girl, and i'm so glad to know you. i play guitar for many years, and two days ago, i just bought a Yamaha Alto Recorder. i'm starting my new journey, and 2025 will be my wonderfull whole year with a new self-learning thing, the recorder. just thank you ever so much, for your inspired vidoes. i do love it. i wish to meet you, someday. ❤
Ahh congratulations on your new recorder!
Thankyou Sarah Jeffery for this channel and for sharing your story with us. I'm a classical guitarist and I play the alto sax in a brass band. After I came across your channel I ordered a recorder and I love it. I practice on it every free time I get. Thanks for this channel.
Im 36..and im on the begining on the long road to Heaven! In high school I was playing on classic guitar, so reading notes is not so dificult for me. You are my inspire and guru in a recorder's world. I always dream to play recorder, so now is time for making it's true! I hope to keep try practise every day, and after one year my dream is to play in the same time with you- One of your film is good for it I mean Morlay fanatasies. So I wish you the best! Thank you for your chanel!
Thank you, Sarah, for being such an open, giving person! Your vids have inspired me to pick up the recorder again. I bought a Mollenhauer descant when I was 16 and played with a large amateur consort in California, but moved away, eventually taking up the harp. Recently I came upon Team Recorder and realized I wanted to make room again for recorder. I just ordered an economy tenor to see if my hands can make the stretch. I'm excited about the new instrument and look forward to continuing to watch your fun and helpful vids. All the best to you.
Loved your story, you're so animated. I have a 12 year old with similar enthusiasm, I'll share this with him.
It was fun hearing your story. Reminds me fondly of my music school years. I'm also a music nerd and I loved it! 🤗💖💃
I started playing the recorder in elementary school too, but I'm a pianist. For many years I didn't play the recorder anymore, then I found out again how fun it is just few weeks ago. Actually I was just trying to annoy my bunny rabbit with some loud noise to make her stop chewing at my shoes and I picked up again my sopranino recorder. Then I thought "what if I play it siriously?"
Now me and one friend of mine are studying together some baroque dances for two recorders, lol
Awesome!!!
Aw, we went to Derbyshire for our school trip when I was nine and became obsessed with "Blue John". I tried recorder for a year, but ended up with melodica!!
Blue John mine! So many school trips there as a kid 😂
I just started playing for enjoyment as I love the sound! I've learn so much from you. I am going to go buy me a plastic alto now as I have a soprano I love the way you play and I love how you are so real and beautiful, wish I was young again.Hope your silly boyfriend realizes what a lucky man he is! God Bless you.
Aw, yay for a fellow queer recorder player! I've been watching your videos for ages, and I just had a feeling, somehow. Happy to see it vindicated. I started on violin at age 3, picked up trumpet and bassoon in elementary school, and played all three through college, even landing a semiprofessional gig in the pit of a musical theater company, which became my summer job for four years. I taught myself recorder in my freshman year of college and played it off and on over the years with various people, but never received any formal instruction on it until about four years ago, when I started studying under John De Lucia, a professional recorder player who got his degree from the Hague Conservatory. Sadly he died a little over two years later, and since then I've been somewhat adrift. I've been to a few workshops and gatherings, and I really want to get an informal consort going here in NYC, but my wife just gave birth to our son last month, so time is kinda short these days. I've already decided to start our kid on recorder and hope to eventually put him on cornetto (I own one but play it very badly), since he has huge hands, and I think I could help him with both the recorder-style fingerings and the trumpet-style embouchure. We'll see what happens!
Ahh, yes it's always nice to meet other queer recorder players! :D I wondered slightly how the recorder world would react but everyone just seems super happy..! Huge congrats on the birth of your son, and good luck with the consort (and cornetto lessons!!) :)
@@Team_Recorder I caught the girlfriend reference and was also instantly so happy for you. I was also really worried about coming out, but it was my musical theater and orchestra peeps who were completely welcoming and non-judgmental. 🥰
Jessi4JC 🥰🥰
A totally inspiring story of following one's dreams, regardless of difficulties!
I started playing an alto recorder on my lunch breaks at work. I love the lower range. It was a musical necessity because I am addicted to playing and learning music and most of my other musical instruments will not fit in my backpack(piano, guitar, mandolin, clarinet, etc.) My brother had a tenor recorder that wasn't really getting played and after I tried it I think his wife insisted that I borrow it and put it to good use. Now I switch between them and transpose between them by A. keeping the fingering the same or B. changing the fingering to stay in the same key. When I first learned the upper octave notes I considered them theoretical rather than useful. I thought well that's interesting but I need a better recorder to make them sound good. Then as I practiced the sound improved. Now I can play two octaves chromatically and comfortably. The more I play the more I learn and discover on the recorder. I am most addicted to the recorder. I love when people make comments when I play. Some people ask what I am playing especially when I am playing the tenor. Some people call it a flute. I am not a recorder snob and don't correct them after all its a fipple flute. Rarely someone identifies it as a recorder. Once someone called it a baroque flute and I nearly exclaimed "Hallelujah" I can't wait to get a bass and upgrade my tenor and alto.
Listening to this was enlightening. I've decided to change my career to study music and I'm still in the process since I've only started playing my instrument my instrument one year and a half ago. Anyway, thank you for sharing!
Hi Sarah, having just found your channel through your 'how to play folk' video (on which I confess to leaving a mildly critical comment!) and watched some others including this one and 'Gesti', perhaps I should introduce myself. Like you (but many years before) I left school aiming to be a recorder player, studying music at Edinburgh University from 1982-6 and recorder as a one-year 'guest student' of Koninklijk Conservatorium, Den Haag, from 1986-7 (diploma courses were two years, but I got a post-grad scholarship from Edinburgh to finance the one-year option, for which I still had to get in). While in fourth year at Edinburgh, I used to travel monthly to Birmingham for a lesson from Alan Davis, who I'm guessing you might know? Then I got some sporadic work on my return to Scotland, but nothing like enough, so looked for other avenues rather than take the advice of some and head to London (where I did not want to spend my life) and have now been teaching music in Highland schools for 28 years. While I still love the recorder and its music, I now play mostly trad/folk on a variety of instruments, so rarely serious recorder these days and am nothing like as good as I was. But I could really relate to your story because I also played flute (Grade 8), piano (Grade 7) and recorder (Grade 8) at school with few recorder lessons, and was actually 'made' to do my performing for O Grade (summer 1980) on flute rather than recorder because I wasn't yet taking recorder lessons!
I’m so happy to have found your channel! I play the piano which is my first love but always had a recorder but hidden initially because it gets such a bad wrap! People either don’t take it seriously as an instrument but a toy, or it is viewed as annoying. I always thought It sounded beautiful and it IS a music instrument. I appreciate that you made this channel because I do not know anyone that plays the recorder. Anyway, I decided to take it out of my closet this week and started playing with it and I realized it might become something that I can seriously get into. It is a very intuitive instrument. I feel that it needs more recognition and people should be proud to pursue mastering it. I am looking forward to watching your tutorials and thank you for inspiring!!
I have been playing the piano and singing since I was in 4th grade. In 8th grade I started playing the guitar, by 9th I had started writing my own song. For years 10, 11 and 12 in Sweden you choose a school and sort of a field to specialize in, much like I understand college works. So I applied for and was accepted into a music school in Stockholm where I studied the singer/songwriter program, composing, singing and playing mostly acoustic guitar. I also had a tin whistle that I got as a birthday present when I turned thirteen. This tin whistle led me to join an ensemble that would smelt into a band playing Irish traditional music, and I spent a lot of time doing that throughout the second half of this three year education.
The four of us in the band all applied for a half year long course in Irish trad the autumn after our graduation, and suddenly tin whistle was my instrument. That summer break, I bought a cheap second hand plastic recorder when I was with my family in Barcelona. We spent the next week on Menorca, and while the others would go sunbathing, I would walk to a nice secluded spot on a rocky shore where the sound of my playing wouldn't disturb anyone. So that summer I learned to play the recorder, and I really loved it.
The Irish music course began and I started focusing on my whistle playing again, but a few months into the course, all I would do when the lessons were over was head back to the room and play renaissance music on my recorder, with my friend who plays the crumhorn.
I had begun thinking seriously about studying music on the recorder in the near future.
This was last autumn, and since spring I have worked as a Swedish teacher while continuing to practice at home, along with practicing the many other instruments I play. This spring I took lessons on the tenor horn. It was great for my tenor horn playing, but I couldn't help but wonder why I wasn't putting that time and effort into the recorder instead, since I had begun to feel really passionate about it.
And now I've moved, I've got a more serious teacher's job than I had in spring, and it takes a lot of my time and energy. But, I am finally taking recorder lessons! Which feels like a great step towards pursuing a career as a recorder player. I don't know if it's the only thing I want to do - since I am also a singer, a composer, a folk musician and multi-instrumentalist (as well as a few things not related to music) - but it is most definitely A thing I want to do! So, short for a story but long for a comment, that's my "story".
And for that dream, you are a great inspiration!
That's great!! I also love folk music, it's very close to my heart... Thanks for your story! And I don't think you have to decide - if you love playing, composing, singing... keep them all :)