It is genuinely a reason so many kids quit violin viola and cello. Because we don't have frets, holes, buttons. We have to find the note it if the entire string, and that takes years to get down perfect.
I bought a tiny xylophone for my daughter she hasn't studied music ever and found out a note out of tune. She was like... mommy this sounds weird! So don't toy with children, they notice
in all honesty, I don't think that would get you anywhere. Remember that the people working in Lidl supermarket, will not be professional musicians. So in all honesty, they won't actually understand what you're talking about. they wouldn't see it as a product that doesn't work, as far as they're concerned, it's fine. Only usmusicians would actually know the difference,
They’ll just send a replacement and it will be same problem, would cost mfg more to fix then then it’s worth. This is cheap crap meant for kids what are people expecting here?
@@Crimsy3000 Lower quality accepted. But not this out of tune. I would have expected a few prototypes until the holes and hole diameters were reasonably close to expected.
I'm a male on the wrong side of 55 and, on the spur of the moment, bought this recorder two days ago for myself while late-night shopping and feeling a bit bored. I'd always struggled with music at school and learnt absolutely nothing. I went on TH-cam today, to see if I could find a really basic starter lesson and the first site I came across was Sarah's where I completed her introductory lesson where I learnt to play "Au Clair de la Lune" (I recall it as "Jesus' Hands Are Kind Hands"). I felt really proud of myself at having completed the lesson, although I can't see myself having much of a musical career in the future. I've absolutely no idea whether my recorder is in tune or whether it's just me! If I was 10-years-old again (which is probably the last time I blew into a recorder) I'd probably have a little cry now! I'll persevere with it but, if it turns out to be out of tune, I'll have to use it as an emergency whistle for when I go walking in The Lakes next.
After doing my research, I landed confidently on Yamaha plastic recorders for me and all my students in the Baroque fingering system. Then I found an eBay seller in Washington state that offers them new in bulk for between $6 and $9 (in 2023). At all times, I am assured that everyone is able to play in tune. Wishing you the best.
You might be seriously the most pleasant and enjoyable person on TH-cam. Glad to have recently found your channel (I imagine I am one of the many who enjoy your channel who are musicians but don’t play the recorder -yet - but still come for the wonderful content).
Thanks for this review! I and my wife bought this Lidl recorder a few days ago and the tuning seems to be OK. Certainly no problem with the second octave C which is out of tune in your case. Maybe your model is defective? I’ll try to find another one and see how it works. Excellent review!
Every year I’ve lived in Europe I have considered buying this at Christmas, and every year convinced myself it was too cheap to be good. I’m so glad I never gave in. I bought the Eastar on a whim years ago when I decided to learn recorder and I quite like it, but the high notes are a bit fluffy sounding. I also have the wooden alto from your wish video, and I absolutely love that one.
Funny story: Two years ago I bought a Lidl recorder, German fingering and not too bad at first sight. As the recorder was my first instrument as a child, it was for nostalgic reasons. However, I found out it was completely out of tune. As you had already infected me, dear Sarah, with your recorder passion, I now have a fine Mollenhauer and Moeck ( which I already had as a child) and I am working on "Doen Daphne..". I play the piano and the flute and it was easy for me to find it out. But what about a child or somebody who just wanted to start with music? I think it is essential for beginners to have a solid instrument especially if you start with music, so parents should buy a good instrument and not try to save money at the wrong end. Nevertheless, my invest of 14 € was not in vain: I restarted with the recorder, found your channel and enjoy recorder playing every day...
Maybe these recorders were meant to sell for a much higher price, then somebody messed up the manufacture (e.g. got a hole in the wrong place on the drilling layout) and they got a batch of out-of-tune instruments. Solution - sell them off cheap to Liddle?
My neighbour just knocked at the wall, most likely thinking it was me playing out of tune. And it's fun to hear you pronounce Lidl almost like "little". At least in Austria we say Leedle.
I would say that the danish pronouncation is a bit like “little” but with a d instead of the tt. Just as it’s written basically. Is the correct way like “Leedle”?
@@kasperkjrsgaard1447 Seeing that the whole chain is based in Germany, I would think Leedle was how they pronounced it first. But it's so international now, probably anything goes.
On the ads in Ireland they drill home the Leedle pronunciation, but I'm just going to stick with being wrong as it 1/ feels like too much effort, kind of a mouthful in my accent and 2/ it sounds like someone getting it wrong in a twee way. Often I'd hear people rhyme Lidl with idle. Also someone made a trad song you should check out (the ballad of lidl and aldi) where the chorus is "Lidl-dee Aldi, Lid-dee Addly doo". Makes more sense sung!
In the UK we pronounce it Liddle - in fact, Lidl themselves uses the tag line "Big on quality, Lidl on price". They did try and get UK consumers to say Leedle, but it never worked so they gave up. It's actually now worked in their favour, firstly because of the tag line mentioned above, but also the random stuff in the middle of the shop is now marketed as "The middle of Lidl". Neither of which would work if we pronounced it the correct German way.
Thanks! I’m going for an Aura and a Dream Recorder. This is based on one of your videos and my musical needs. You have the best Recorder channel on TH-cam & the Internet! Happy holidays! 🎅🏻🌞🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Great review 👍. Admittedly I was in junior school when I last played a recorder but we were taught the thumb method for the C# on our nasty 1970s plastic recorders (though they were 3 section 😀).
That was fantastic to watch! I had one when I was 7, 8 years old. For a living, later, I started to play the guitar though. As a German UK resident, I shop at Lidl often because of some of the products but, honestly, a musical instrument is not something I'd buy in any supermarket! 😁
Now, I exactly know what not to give as a present - it hurts to hear the melodies out of tune if you are deeply musical, and it hinders you developing a proper musicality if you are not. Thank you, Sarah! My sympathy for going through this experience!
Good review there Sarah. I haven't played recorder for many centuries now! But I started on one of those black n white o-vision Alus ones, made from real genuine 100% plastic, but at least my teeth didn't turn yellow. Always tuning, tuning, tuning. The no.1. I think the Lidl recorder was designed by the same ape who designed the Selmer Series 80 saxophone, which fit my feet a lot closer than my fingers. Oh, what a Polly-Whally Doodle all the Day🤣
I am not a real order player. I usually only watch the first few seconds of your videos for the brilliant intros. But I watched this one all the way through. It did not dissapoint. Most informative and entertaining. I think I'm in love.
I started following you a few weeks back and became interested in playing the recorder again. I was scouring my local charity shops and popped into Lidl and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Lidl was selling that recorder (Lidl does this a lot, scary). I remembered you saying "it was better to have a good plastic one than a bad wooden one" and thought (perhaps unfairly) that it wouldn't be a good purchase. Anyway, I purchased the Yamaha YRS-402B, one week in and very pleased. My 4 year old is loving "the whistle" and I'm enjoying the mindfulness that comes with playing a wind instrument again (used to play sax). Anyway, really appreciate your videos and the channel generally.
I would love to have a go at playing a sax. I have a duduk and it's a beautiful sounding instrument. I don't like recorders much lol. Glorified penny whistles
I also have a Yamaha YRS-402B (Ecodear), and it is my favorite plastic recorder. It's very easy to play and sounds better than other plastic recorders. I also played sax for many years, which was an advantage when I began to play recorder, due to the many sax fingerings which are similar on recorder. If you decide to upgrade to a wooden recorder, I really like my Mollenhauer Denner soprano, chosen due to Sarah's recommendations in her videos.
I have had my wooden recorder for close to 40 year! It is an Ariel Sproano . I don't think I paid a lot for it. The mouthpiece is wearing down. The tuning is still great. It came with a cleaning swab. There is cork between the joints and it came with grease! The recorder is in 2 pieces only.
Reminds me of a harmonica I bought once - so leaky it could be used as a sound effect for a whoopie cushion! Mind you - I was comparing it to promasters and bluesmasters - which are a dream to play!
Love the video and the warning. The recorder was the first instrument I learned to play (barring the triangle at junior school, which I think was in tune). I went on to play clarinet and sax, guitar and now learning keyboards. The one thing you must have in an instrument is tuning. Unforgiveable!
@@oxoelfoxo actually, yes. The position isnt as important as the size and shape of the holes. It might become impossible to fix the holes if the proportion in relation to each other is way too wrong. But theoretically, one could fix the tuning by working on the holes.
@@pedrohbrinck Indeed - You can retune a recorder to older temperaments like 1/4 comma Meantone with bits of tape. But still, out of the box, it should be ready to play! However those instructions I think may be the biggest clue. I used to have a clarinet that was made with a very rare tuning system.
@@oxoelfoxo You can under-cut the holes or (if really necessary ) plug them or use some sort of filling compound. Pretty much anything can be fixed when it comes to it. However economically speaking it's simply not viable unless you just happen to like messing around with these things. I think the tone is pretty good, a bit more complex than the plastic recorder.
I learned recorder only in school (kindergarden teacher) in Austria and we all initially learned the c# the same way the instruction book shows it. Never knew that this is not an "official" way to Play it. And my teacher had a major in Recorder. Very interesting...
I got the Eastar and I agree with your assessment. Compared to my plastic Yamaha, it is better in tone and slightly worse in tuning. But the tuning is not too bad. It is a little difficult getting certain notes to speak sometimes.
After a little more practicing and comparing, I have to say that I am very pleased with the Eastar overall. The tuning and responsiveness of mine are fantastic.
Hello Sarah, I'm brazilian and I'm a recorder player too (amateur). In Brazil I bought a wooden recorder very similar to your, but the block part is made of a darker wood thar your recorder and is a little bit more tuned. This make me think that this recorder model is produced in a big quantity and sold to differents brands. Mine, for exemple, is marked with the name ''Schieffer'' and came with an plastic quadrangular case (well produced, by the way). Here, this recorder cost arround 90,00- 100,00 Reais (15 to 16 punds). My recorder sounds good in the most part of the time, but as you said, the tune of F is not too great and the sound is a little bit ''unregulated'', talking about the high notes. In the future, maybe I buy a Mueck or another good brand of wooden recorders. Thank you by all and please, continue making good videos ^^
Wow, that is super-out-of-tune. Not just a tiny bit that only trained ears pick up. Toe-clenchingly awful. I find it odd, actually. I'd think that having the holes drilled to be the right size and position to be approximately in tune was a simpler machining task than getting the good-looking finish and accurate shaping to get that sweet clear sound.
I wonder if it would be possible to have it re-tuned by adjusting/enlarging the holes or making slight modifications, or if that would be a waste of time/money?
Thanks Sarah, for another good demo.👌 These flutes are not on sale here, but sure wouldn't buy one, as one can't tune a flute like a guitar or piano! Alas, it has to come perfectly tuned. Thanks again. 👍
We got one of these for our (now) 9 year old a few years ago. The intonation is the same as other recorders we have - it sounds pretty good. The photos in the book are identical for c, cs and d. Just the wording is different. So it seems like the book has its faults but they're not necessarily there to deal with a duff instrument. Looks more like incompetence than malign intent. A table-of-blobs would have been useful in the book instead of a lot of photos to decode to make the notes. When we got it I noticed that the windway is fairly square, which I have read is a sign of a not-so-good instrument. So I'm interested to hear that you don't hold this feature against it. Our Yamaha has a much more letterbox-shaped windway.
I *have* just sent them an eMail, in German, pointing to and explaining this video and offering to translate their response back into English for you, if they don’t want to contact you directly. We’ll see.
So, apparently they’re now on the shelves of LℹDL Germany, for 18 €… same make, though. And no, I have not yet gotten any response to the eMail I sent three months ago, so I fear they’ve not yet addressed the problem. That being said, I could, in theory, buy one and test it…
Hello Ms. Jeffery, I love your videos and have learned a lot from them! Question: is there an edition of the Bach Suite No. 2 in b minor, BWV 1067, for (alto) recorder? It would almost certainly be in d minor. If so, I would appreciate your letting me know the publisher, etc. Thank you!
omg that tuning, it hurts us, it hurts us! When you played My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, I literally cringed in pain and said "oh my God, Jesus, ow" out loud. That was like nails on a chalkboard.
The Pied-Piper will be looking for that after Xmas. Come-on, some on this forum must be able to suggest a way to modify the structure to correct the tone . . . A nice little Christmas project . . Even if it involves the use of a fine file, expoxy resin and an oscilloscope !
Is there a cool calculator that would give pretty good hack for fixing the tuning? slightly enlarging one of the holes? (sorry to be ignorant, just excited about the options...) so fun to learn, and fun to watch
Thanks for the review, let's not rush to the middle of Lidl! I hope you're sending yours back, I'd like to know how they handle a return on grounds of being horribly out of tune/ afgrijselijk vals.
The people in Lidl are not musicians. They won't actually be able to tell the difference, and probably won't even understand what you're talking about. When you say it's out of tune.They would probably only take it back if the instrument was physically damaged, i.e. a crack in the mouthpiece or something.
@@stefaniedecoster2772 even though they are a German manufacturer, I doubt that they will care either. Nowadays, if you can sell junk, it won’t matter as long as you can make a profit. Companies today are not out for quality but for quantity which reflects on the garbage we create. And for the consumer: it was cheap, so let’s just get a new one… those two interactions are the main problem of today’s marketplace.
I still don't trust my ear very much, but when you played it for the first time I couldn't help but saying "what's this mess?" I'm glad I wasn't wrong. Also, I didn't particularly like the low notes. I still think that the plastic Yamaha 300 is the best option for someone who wants to learn but is on a budget. Here in Italy Amazon sells it for 26,00 Euros which is fairly affordable. I'm fairly sure that even the Yamaha 20 (the colourful, transparent ones) has better tuning and it retails for 10,00 Euros. Browsing on Amazon, I also saw alto maple recorders in three pieces for 48 Euros... thanks, but no thanks.
Oh dear! It's of LIDL use? Ba-dum. Not sure how the algorithm recommended your channel when I'm so heavily into synthesisers, but I'm sure glad it did. I just love your knowledge and enthusiam and I am contemplating starting with a beginner's alto - not played a recorder since junior school in the '70s. Hoping my arthritis/lack of talent won't restrict me, but you've got to start somewhere. Love your channel Sarah, subbed.
I'm not professionally and I have a Pan Pipe that I've learned decently on my own . I've only played with instruments if a friend had a flute or pipe . After taking sometime to play with the Recorder I noticed changing notes and sounds was a bit awkward and a little inconsistent. I do have fun with my Recorder mimicking Owl sounds lol
I was given a broken recorder to play at school. Never got over it, and this is the reason I play electric guitar now. Shame you can't put new strings on a recorder and use a tuner LOL.
Hi Sarah, thank you for doing this video in such a thorough and charming style, it does seem to have fallen rather short of its claims, and while that is clearly why it is so cheap it is still not acceptable!. Fortunately the consumer protection laws we have mean that anything that is clearly and demonstrably not fit for purpose! just the claim that it is a 'musical' instrument that is not musical in the strict mathematical sense means that it is not fit for purpose, they must not only repay what you spent on it Lidl must also withdraw it from sale!, they could re-label it as a toy but that would have to be displayed very clearly to prevent misrepresentation. In the unlikely event that Lidl give you any grief a subsequent report to the local trading standards office should do the the trick. Cheers, Richard.
Great video!! From hearing that recorder, I 100% agree with your observations. Everything works well except for the tuning, which is easily the most important thing, especially if playing with others. The book, on its own, sounds interesting, except for the C# hack fingering. Am I allowed to borrow your phrase "pedagogically responsible"? I could have used that about a week ago when reviewing a beginner-level piano instruction series replete with long unhelpful rambles and rants. Hopefully LIDL will heed your recommendation to retool their tuning, and switch to a three-piece design.
It's only a little more money, but a soprano Mollenhauer 'Adri's Dream' in pearwood with the wood mouthpiece is a great alternative. A plastic mouthpiece is available for it also as a 'kick-around' option. I'd never gift anyone a musical instrument that was inherently out-of-tune.
I bought a Yamaha YRS402b. It's made from plant based material and the sound and tuning are great. It's a little more expensive at £22 but a much better bet than the Lidl instrument. It has an arched windway and baroque fingering.
I've fallen for that too :)! But only 30% of the plastic is plant based. The rest is still the same ABS resin. Most retailers like A... are still selling it like it would be completely oil free. But it's not true.
@@marcusmicksch yes I know that, but carbon emissions are about 20% less in the production of this instrument. It's more eco friendly than the plastic recorders on offer and it has a better sound. I can't afford an expensive wooden one yet but they do need more care than the plastic ones.
Ongeveer 4 of 5 jaar geleden kwam een leerling bij mij heel trots op les met een Lidl fluit.Vreselijk vals. Maar blaasde ook niet goed door. De toon op jou fluit is in iedergeval vele malen verbeterd!
About 30 years ago I bought a wooden 3-pc alto recorder "Zamir". After a couple years the cork started cracking - I took it off, cut thin some wine corks, glued them onto the both connectors with a rubberband overnight, sanded it down with my nail file in the morning, put on the grease, and - still working. In addition, I olive-oiled the entire outside - and inside all the holes, bells and mouthpiece - it is SO mellow now. I do this every few years. I suggest you do same (or - buy another one) - take olive oil and smooth it over everything, it will change the tone! (I don't know if it will fix your C#!). Unfortunately Zamir went out of business over 10 years ago.
@@Revener666 I've had this wooden recorder for over 30 years, 28 years with the olive oil, and re-oiled it maybe 2 more times - I haven't seen any "problems"!
@@Revener666 I very much "buffed" the coating after I put on the olive oil so it shouldn't 'cake'! Like I wrote, the recorder still looks great after 30 years. Thanks for the video about the guitar olive-oil coating ruining the original coating.
At least the recorder has a nice sound to it, even tho loosely tuned, and generally decent quality. Here in Denmark, Lidl also sells digital keyboards and they are painful to look at and to touch. On a side note, this thing breaks the general trend of the Lidl mid aisle. Stuff sold there usually has poor build quality but gets the job done. My 3-bulb floorstanding lamp is wobbly but it lights up my room and looks passably good. My ratcheting screwdriver set is creaky and the extension does not mount completely securely, but it screws in and out without issue. The tips for my nailcare set aren't very precisely machined: some are a bit loose, some are difficult to put in, and yet the machine works well. And then comes this instrument: beautifully made, does not work.
Today while playing with ChatGPT on one monitor and watching youtube at the same time, I saw your video and asked to ChatGPT "How can I tune my recorder?" and it says... "To tune a recorder, you will need a tuning device such as an electronic tuner or a pitch pipe. First, make sure your recorder is assembled correctly and that all holes are uncovered. Next, blow into the mouthpiece and adjust the tuning bead or screw on the bottom of the recorder until the tuner indicates that the note is in tune. Repeat this process for the other notes on the recorder until it is in tune. It may take some practice to develop a good ear for tuning your recorder, so be patient and keep practicing."
Yes, it has its problems, but, as I have always said, sometimes it is better to have something rather than nothing, especially if its all that can be afforded. Fingers crossed, yours could be the exception to the rule when it comes to the tuning. LOL. Gutted really. Oh well. Goes with the flute, trumpet and clarinet that Argos were selling a few years back for £50 for the three!
I just bought this for £9 in the Lidl middle reduced. Mine is totally in tune, and I’m thrilled with it. Just wanted to give good press where it’s warranted.
Well I don't try recorder from Lidl XD But when it comes to flute, my flute teacher recommends it :D I also heard a good opinions about the clarinet, but right now Lidl sells only recorders in my country :c Referring to your video, it's puzzling XD
I remember a £1 wood recorder. it had a ton of sawdust in it that took some effort getting out. was dreadfully out of tune but ... after some DIY was "playable". I imagine for parents just trying to see if a kid was willing to actually learn it's a "it'll do"
Lidl? As a Brass player seeing that name attached to a recorder raises eyebrows. There is a brass instrument manufacturer called Josef Lidl from Czech Republic. Modern Lidl instruments are mid-tier in terms of quality (IMO still better than similarly-priced instruments from Japan and the US), but the instruments made by Josef Lidl himself in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were excellent. I have an 1890s Lidl Flugelhorn that produces the sweetest timbre you could possibly imagine.
It looks like a Hohner recorder but the windway is slightly different. Any chance you can review the Hohner soprano? I personally found it to be much better in-tune than my Eastar.
The Eastar I have is slightly out of tune, but only when you are playing in the key of C#, which makes me think that it is a just-intonation recorder, which I am fine with. If you use the German F when playing in C# and the regular fingering in every other key, the tuning is awesome.
I brought this recorder years ago when it was cheaper plus it was in the Lidl clearance bin and I was looking to introduce my kid to music. Since the first instrument I was introduced to was the recorder, I thought why not. The wood felt nice and smooth but, yes, even tone deaf me noticed that certain notes were not right. Or what I'd expected. My kid ended up on the drums and a few years on, does sound too too bad 🤔
Some of the most glorious pieces of music ever performed, like: Graveyard Scene in "Good Bad and the Ugly", or "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty - were performed with instruments that were not in tune. Which is why they sound _wrong_ when a professional performs the piece from the score. Hopefuilly a timeless classic may yet come out of this Lidl bargain.
The company I buy violin parts from once remarked that there had been a quality drop off in their violins and they were rejecting a large number. They then remarked that they were being sold somewhere. Lidl suddenly started selling violins at very low cost ... . Is that what is happening here?
I know it probably sounds horrifying to you, but I also learned the sharp c the way the booklet described it. Even my mom learned it that way at school, before she moved on to the flute
I just found a vintage Mollenhauer student soprano I couldn't say no to. The box has a picture of the pied Piper with all the children following along! 😄 Hopefully the tuning works out better than this lidl one...
From about 1977 to 2000 I had a piano which was a semi tone below concert pitch. Great for solo playing not to good for everything else. But then I don’t have perfect pitch more relative pitch. The tuning on the recorder is a tad out!
Funnily enough it being out of tune makes it endearing to me :P I do appreciate that it shows just how absurdly overpriced wooden recorders are. A relatively minor additional expenditure should be able to make it play the right notes.
I'm not a recorder player, I make & play quena though. Well at that price from an online shop, I think you pretty much got what you paid for. If you had paid that much at say a craft fair where the vendor made the instrument, I think you could expect better, because most people who are doing that are actually enthusiasts & trying to do a good job. I can hear that the C# isn't the same as C, though not where it should be. The deal with tuning is that tone hole position has a greater influence on the 1st octave while tone hole size dominates overblown tone. However, both position & size do affect pitch in both octaves. So, it's a tricky balance to get right. What I do initially to design a new model is place a tone hole where I think it should be, then widen it till it overblows correctly. This will be off pitch, so I then replace that section of fill the hole & calculate a corrected position based on those previous results and try again, measure the pitch & repeat till its right. I usually get it right in 2-3 attempts. Then I have a model that works for that key & bore size. If you go for a third octave as some quenas do, then bore size & taper are important for the 3rd octave. It's complicated & time consuming to come up with a new design like this. Most flute makers just copy an existing design. Recorder is a type of flute (fipple flute), so I am just using flute in a very broad sense of course. However, there are some other critically important points, such as bore smoothness, blowing hole or fipple accuracy & finish, rounding sharp edges & accuracy of course. The rounding of the blowing edge affect the timbre very greatly. So, making wind instruments is no simple thing. There is a lot that goes into producing a quality flute. So, you bought a wooden recorder, something that requires a lot of marching in many separate steps, unlike a 1 step injection moulded plastic one & you paid only 18 GBP. I think its a fair price.
Regardless of what kind of instrument is being played, intonation is very, very, important. Playing an out of tune recorderc with other musicians will make everybody wince. As with any instruments you should 'try before you buy', and if possible, ask an experienced recorder player to try out the instrument. As a violinist of many years I have been asked to try out family heirlooms. Some have been dreadful and nothing could be done to make them sound better. Others have been in poor condition but sound excellent. I was once asked to tune a violin that was in a very sad condition.. It was badly scratched and the peg box was badly worn. BUT I managed to set it up to play and could tell that the instrument had great potential and was worth spending £320 for a Luthier to repair. it and bought it from the owner for £500. It's now my favourite violin. It's not an antique violin but it sounds much better than many antique violins that I tried. Whether it's a vioin or a recorder or any other instrument, it's appearance, age, or manufacturer's label do not define the quality of an instrument. An experienced musician can tell immediately whether an instrument sounds good or bad. So, ask a recorder teacher or experienced player to give their opinion, and if the Lidl recorder fails to please, then use the Lidl no quibble guarantee. Be assured Lidl will not question whether the recorder is out of tune, they will give a refund simply because a customer is not satisfied with the product. .
I have a very similar looking recorder in maple - and it is from Carlton. I will have to check the tuning but playing along to this video… Mine definitely sounds MORE in tune compared to that one. And it was only $10 Canadian… I will check my tuning and see.
@@lcoleman1961 OKay I have just checked - mine runs between a quarter tone flat and in tune - so I think perhaps I lucked out here! I can barely tell by ear - had to use a tuner
One of the worst musical crimes you can do to the new player is giving something that's terribly out of tune.
It is genuinely a reason so many kids quit violin viola and cello. Because we don't have frets, holes, buttons. We have to find the note it if the entire string, and that takes years to get down perfect.
@@astridposey I think you just taught me part of why many more people learn the traverse bass guitar than the contra bass.
@@lua-nya exactly
Inconsistently out of tune - no way to fix it.
I bought a tiny xylophone for my daughter she hasn't studied music ever and found out a note out of tune. She was like... mommy this sounds weird! So don't toy with children, they notice
Why don't you take advantage of the warranty and return it as a "clearly out of tune" instrument? It would be interesting to see their response!
in all honesty, I don't think that would get you anywhere. Remember that the people working in Lidl supermarket, will not be professional musicians. So in all honesty, they won't actually understand what you're talking about. they wouldn't see it as a product that doesn't work, as far as they're concerned, it's fine. Only usmusicians would actually know the difference,
it's not like any part of the instrument is damaged or cracked, it plays, it's just out of tune. They won't have the ear for music.
They’ll just send a replacement and it will be same problem, would cost mfg more to fix then then it’s worth. This is cheap crap meant for kids what are people expecting here?
I returned stuff to Lidl in the past and they didn't even ask why just gave my money back. So no worries on that front.
@@Crimsy3000 Lower quality accepted. But not this out of tune. I would have expected a few prototypes until the holes and hole diameters were reasonably close to expected.
I'm a male on the wrong side of 55 and, on the spur of the moment, bought this recorder two days ago for myself while late-night shopping and feeling a bit bored. I'd always struggled with music at school and learnt absolutely nothing. I went on TH-cam today, to see if I could find a really basic starter lesson and the first site I came across was Sarah's where I completed her introductory lesson where I learnt to play "Au Clair de la Lune" (I recall it as "Jesus' Hands Are Kind Hands"). I felt really proud of myself at having completed the lesson, although I can't see myself having much of a musical career in the future. I've absolutely no idea whether my recorder is in tune or whether it's just me! If I was 10-years-old again (which is probably the last time I blew into a recorder) I'd probably have a little cry now! I'll persevere with it but, if it turns out to be out of tune, I'll have to use it as an emergency whistle for when I go walking in The Lakes next.
Smartphone tuner apps work really well to check the tune of instruments.
Embrace mediocrity!!! The most important thing about music playing is you enjoy it
After doing my research, I landed confidently on Yamaha plastic recorders for me and all my students in the Baroque fingering system. Then I found an eBay seller in Washington state that offers them new in bulk for between $6 and $9 (in 2023).
At all times, I am assured that everyone is able to play in tune.
Wishing you the best.
Lidl middle aisle is like a random object generator
You might be seriously the most pleasant and enjoyable person on TH-cam. Glad to have recently found your channel (I imagine I am one of the many who enjoy your channel who are musicians but don’t play the recorder -yet - but still come for the wonderful content).
I totally agree :-)
I wish there is a Sarah for every instrument out there.
wierdo creep
Thanks for this review! I and my wife bought this Lidl recorder a few days ago and the tuning seems to be OK. Certainly no problem with the second octave C which is out of tune in your case. Maybe your model is defective? I’ll try to find another one and see how it works. Excellent review!
Every year I’ve lived in Europe I have considered buying this at Christmas, and every year convinced myself it was too cheap to be good. I’m so glad I never gave in. I bought the Eastar on a whim years ago when I decided to learn recorder and I quite like it, but the high notes are a bit fluffy sounding. I also have the wooden alto from your wish video, and I absolutely love that one.
Funny story: Two years ago I bought a Lidl recorder, German fingering and not too bad at first sight. As the recorder was my first instrument as a child, it was for nostalgic reasons. However, I found out it was completely out of tune. As you had already infected me, dear Sarah, with your recorder passion, I now have a fine Mollenhauer and Moeck ( which I already had as a child) and I am working on "Doen Daphne..". I play the piano and the flute and it was easy for me to find it out. But what about a child or somebody who just wanted to start with music? I think it is essential for beginners to have a solid instrument especially if you start with music, so parents should buy a good instrument and not try to save money at the wrong end. Nevertheless, my invest of 14 € was not in vain: I restarted with the recorder, found your channel and enjoy recorder playing every day...
Maybe these recorders were meant to sell for a much higher price, then somebody messed up the manufacture (e.g. got a hole in the wrong place on the drilling layout) and they got a batch of out-of-tune instruments. Solution - sell them off cheap to Liddle?
Exactly what I was thinking
They sold them in the Lidl's in Romania half a year ago, so I think it's a serious produced-for-Lidl product.
Always the best advice Sarah - keep the reviews coming, it really truly helps to get the best recorder! 😊😊
My neighbour just knocked at the wall, most likely thinking it was me playing out of tune.
And it's fun to hear you pronounce Lidl almost like "little". At least in Austria we say Leedle.
I would say that the danish pronouncation is a bit like “little” but with a d instead of the tt. Just as it’s written basically.
Is the correct way like “Leedle”?
@@kasperkjrsgaard1447 Seeing that the whole chain is based in Germany, I would think Leedle was how they pronounced it first. But it's so international now, probably anything goes.
On the ads in Ireland they drill home the Leedle pronunciation, but I'm just going to stick with being wrong as it 1/ feels like too much effort, kind of a mouthful in my accent and 2/ it sounds like someone getting it wrong in a twee way. Often I'd hear people rhyme Lidl with idle. Also someone made a trad song you should check out (the ballad of lidl and aldi) where the chorus is "Lidl-dee Aldi, Lid-dee Addly doo". Makes more sense sung!
In The Netherlands we say 'liddol'.
In the UK we pronounce it Liddle - in fact, Lidl themselves uses the tag line "Big on quality, Lidl on price". They did try and get UK consumers to say Leedle, but it never worked so they gave up. It's actually now worked in their favour, firstly because of the tag line mentioned above, but also the random stuff in the middle of the shop is now marketed as "The middle of Lidl". Neither of which would work if we pronounced it the correct German way.
Always a delight to watch a well informed video with no nonsense. Ta very much.
Thanks! I’m going for an Aura and a Dream Recorder. This is based on one of your videos and my musical needs. You have the best Recorder channel on TH-cam & the Internet! Happy holidays! 🎅🏻🌞🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Perfect Christmas present for a child, gives a subtle hint to their parents that you're no longer interested in pursuing a friendly relationship !
Great review 👍. Admittedly I was in junior school when I last played a recorder but we were taught the thumb method for the C# on our nasty 1970s plastic recorders (though they were 3 section 😀).
Your tiktok of this popped up on my feed yesterday, I was so happy to see you
Amazing to see your review - thank you. I saw them in my local Lidl too but hadn’t bought one
That was fantastic to watch! I had one when I was 7, 8 years old. For a living, later, I started to play the guitar though. As a German UK resident, I shop at Lidl often because of some of the products but, honestly, a musical instrument is not something I'd buy in any supermarket! 😁
Now, I exactly know what not to give as a present - it hurts to hear the melodies out of tune if you are deeply musical, and it hinders you developing a proper musicality if you are not. Thank you, Sarah! My sympathy for going through this experience!
Good review there Sarah. I haven't played recorder for many centuries now! But I started on one of those black n white o-vision Alus ones, made from real genuine 100% plastic, but at least my teeth didn't turn yellow. Always tuning, tuning, tuning. The no.1. I think the Lidl recorder was designed by the same ape who designed the Selmer Series 80 saxophone, which fit my feet a lot closer than my fingers. Oh, what a Polly-Whally Doodle all the Day🤣
I am not a real order player. I usually only watch the first few seconds of your videos for the brilliant intros. But I watched this one all the way through. It did not dissapoint. Most informative and entertaining. I think I'm in love.
I started following you a few weeks back and became interested in playing the recorder again. I was scouring my local charity shops and popped into Lidl and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Lidl was selling that recorder (Lidl does this a lot, scary). I remembered you saying "it was better to have a good plastic one than a bad wooden one" and thought (perhaps unfairly) that it wouldn't be a good purchase. Anyway, I purchased the Yamaha YRS-402B, one week in and very pleased. My 4 year old is loving "the whistle" and I'm enjoying the mindfulness that comes with playing a wind instrument again (used to play sax). Anyway, really appreciate your videos and the channel generally.
I would love to have a go at playing a sax. I have a duduk and it's a beautiful sounding instrument. I don't like recorders much lol. Glorified penny whistles
I also have a Yamaha YRS-402B (Ecodear), and it is my favorite plastic recorder. It's very easy to play and sounds better than other plastic recorders. I also played sax for many years, which was an advantage when I began to play recorder, due to the many sax fingerings which are similar on recorder. If you decide to upgrade to a wooden recorder, I really like my Mollenhauer Denner soprano, chosen due to Sarah's recommendations in her videos.
I have had my wooden recorder for close to 40 year! It is an Ariel Sproano . I don't think I paid a lot for it. The mouthpiece is wearing down. The tuning is still great. It came with a cleaning swab. There is cork between the joints and it came with grease! The recorder is in 2 pieces only.
Reminds me of a harmonica I bought once - so leaky it could be used as a sound effect for a whoopie cushion! Mind you - I was comparing it to promasters and bluesmasters - which are a dream to play!
Your humour is fantastic. Great video 🙏
My whole life is pedagogically responsible. Great review, Sarah!
I don't watch you for a while cuz before I watched all videos. I'm so enjoy to content, brilliant person and recored is my favourite instrument!
Love the video and the warning. The recorder was the first instrument I learned to play (barring the triangle at junior school, which I think was in tune). I went on to play clarinet and sax, guitar and now learning keyboards. The one thing you must have in an instrument is tuning. Unforgiveable!
The look on your face when you slid that bag down. I won't tell you what I was thinking 😂🤪
Sarah, I'd love to see what a instrument builder would do if they go this instrument. Maybe it'll be salvageable...
how is that possible? they can't relocate the holes, can they?
@@oxoelfoxo actually, yes. The position isnt as important as the size and shape of the holes. It might become impossible to fix the holes if the proportion in relation to each other is way too wrong. But theoretically, one could fix the tuning by working on the holes.
@@pedrohbrinck aah, very interesting. Thanks!
@@pedrohbrinck Indeed - You can retune a recorder to older temperaments like 1/4 comma Meantone with bits of tape. But still, out of the box, it should be ready to play! However those instructions I think may be the biggest clue. I used to have a clarinet that was made with a very rare tuning system.
@@oxoelfoxo You can under-cut the holes or (if really necessary ) plug them or use some sort of filling compound. Pretty much anything can be fixed when it comes to it. However economically speaking it's simply not viable unless you just happen to like messing around with these things. I think the tone is pretty good, a bit more complex than the plastic recorder.
You are amazing to listen to and watch, thanks!
I learned recorder only in school (kindergarden teacher) in Austria and we all initially learned the c# the same way the instruction book shows it. Never knew that this is not an "official" way to Play it. And my teacher had a major in Recorder. Very interesting...
I got the Eastar and I agree with your assessment. Compared to my plastic Yamaha, it is better in tone and slightly worse in tuning. But the tuning is not too bad. It is a little difficult getting certain notes to speak sometimes.
After a little more practicing and comparing, I have to say that I am very pleased with the Eastar overall. The tuning and responsiveness of mine are fantastic.
Hello Sarah, I'm brazilian and I'm a recorder player too (amateur). In Brazil I bought a wooden recorder very similar to your, but the block part is made of a darker wood thar your recorder and is a little bit more tuned. This make me think that this recorder model is produced in a big quantity and sold to differents brands. Mine, for exemple, is marked with the name ''Schieffer'' and came with an plastic quadrangular case (well produced, by the way). Here, this recorder cost arround 90,00- 100,00 Reais (15 to 16 punds). My recorder sounds good in the most part of the time, but as you said, the tune of F is not too great and the sound is a little bit ''unregulated'', talking about the high notes. In the future, maybe I buy a Mueck or another good brand of wooden recorders. Thank you by all and please, continue making good videos ^^
When I learned recorder in the early 70s, we were taught the C# as mentioned in the book.
Wow, that is super-out-of-tune. Not just a tiny bit that only trained ears pick up. Toe-clenchingly awful.
I find it odd, actually. I'd think that having the holes drilled to be the right size and position to be approximately in tune was a simpler machining task than getting the good-looking finish and accurate shaping to get that sweet clear sound.
I wonder if it would be possible to have it re-tuned by adjusting/enlarging the holes or making slight modifications, or if that would be a waste of time/money?
Thank you for being honest. Yes, playing in tune with standard fingerings is important to me.
What a great recorder for beginning recorder makers to practice things like voicing on and to attempt to make it sound better!
your face while your play was epic...🤣
Thanks Sarah, for another good demo.👌 These flutes are not on sale here, but sure wouldn't buy one, as one can't tune a flute like a guitar or piano! Alas, it has to come perfectly tuned. Thanks again. 👍
We got one of these for our (now) 9 year old a few years ago. The intonation is the same as other recorders we have - it sounds pretty good.
The photos in the book are identical for c, cs and d. Just the wording is different. So it seems like the book has its faults but they're not necessarily there to deal with a duff instrument. Looks more like incompetence than malign intent.
A table-of-blobs would have been useful in the book instead of a lot of photos to decode to make the notes.
When we got it I noticed that the windway is fairly square, which I have read is a sign of a not-so-good instrument. So I'm interested to hear that you don't hold this feature against it. Our Yamaha has a much more letterbox-shaped windway.
Ouch!!! This made me laugh so hard 🤣🤣
Completely dug this!
You're allowed to dream a lidl... oh diddle diddle, they should make... a fiddle!
I *have* just sent them an eMail, in German, pointing to and explaining this video and offering to translate their response back into English for you, if they don’t want to contact you directly. We’ll see.
So, apparently they’re now on the shelves of LℹDL Germany, for 18 €… same make, though. And no, I have not yet gotten any response to the eMail I sent three months ago, so I fear they’ve not yet addressed the problem.
That being said, I could, in theory, buy one and test it…
Hello Ms. Jeffery, I love your videos and have learned a lot from them! Question: is there an edition of the Bach Suite No. 2 in b minor, BWV 1067, for (alto) recorder? It would almost certainly be in d minor. If so, I would appreciate your letting me know the publisher, etc. Thank you!
omg that tuning, it hurts us, it hurts us! When you played My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, I literally cringed in pain and said "oh my God, Jesus, ow" out loud. That was like nails on a chalkboard.
I love how expressive your face gets. :)
What about seeing if you can make Sarah's Frankenstein recorder using the head from this instrument and the body from an in-tune plastic model?
The Pied-Piper will be looking for that after Xmas.
Come-on, some on this forum must be able to suggest a way to modify the structure to correct the tone . . . A nice little Christmas project . . Even if it involves the use of a fine file, expoxy resin and an oscilloscope !
I also bought it week ago. It was looking so good. In Poland is 99 pln. My recorder is also out of tune.
Is there a cool calculator that would give pretty good hack for fixing the tuning? slightly enlarging one of the holes? (sorry to be ignorant, just excited about the options...)
so fun to learn, and fun to watch
You just made me laugh, your dissapointment face is amazing!!
Thanks for the review, let's not rush to the middle of Lidl! I hope you're sending yours back, I'd like to know how they handle a return on grounds of being horribly out of tune/ afgrijselijk vals.
The people in Lidl are not musicians. They won't actually be able to tell the difference, and probably won't even understand what you're talking about. When you say it's out of tune.They would probably only take it back if the instrument was physically damaged, i.e. a crack in the mouthpiece or something.
@@chrismills2012 I'd hope the warranty should get it back to the manufacturer/wholesaler
@@stefaniedecoster2772 even though they are a German manufacturer, I doubt that they will care either. Nowadays, if you can sell junk, it won’t matter as long as you can make a profit. Companies today are not out for quality but for quantity which reflects on the garbage we create. And for the consumer: it was cheap, so let’s just get a new one… those two interactions are the main problem of today’s marketplace.
@@RobiBue True! Also, these recorders probably aren't made in Germany and I bet the same is true for the other Shefflield instruments
I still don't trust my ear very much, but when you played it for the first time I couldn't help but saying "what's this mess?"
I'm glad I wasn't wrong. Also, I didn't particularly like the low notes.
I still think that the plastic Yamaha 300 is the best option for someone who wants to learn but is on a budget. Here in Italy Amazon sells it for 26,00 Euros which is fairly affordable. I'm fairly sure that even the Yamaha 20 (the colourful, transparent ones) has better tuning and it retails for 10,00 Euros.
Browsing on Amazon, I also saw alto maple recorders in three pieces for 48 Euros... thanks, but no thanks.
Oh dear! It's of LIDL use? Ba-dum. Not sure how the algorithm recommended your channel when I'm so heavily into synthesisers, but I'm sure glad it did. I just love your knowledge and enthusiam and I am contemplating starting with a beginner's alto - not played a recorder since junior school in the '70s. Hoping my arthritis/lack of talent won't restrict me, but you've got to start somewhere. Love your channel Sarah, subbed.
Oh cool, hi!
I'm not professionally and I have a Pan Pipe that I've learned decently on my own . I've only played with instruments if a friend had a flute or pipe . After taking sometime to play with the Recorder I noticed changing notes and sounds was a bit awkward and a little inconsistent. I do have fun with my Recorder mimicking Owl sounds lol
We have a Lidl just up the road I am now waiting in terror for all the kids with musical aspirations to get these for Christmas.
I was given a broken recorder to play at school. Never got over it, and this is the reason I play electric guitar now. Shame you can't put new strings on a recorder and use a tuner LOL.
Hi Sarah, thank you for doing this video in such a thorough and charming style, it does seem to have fallen rather short of its claims, and while that is clearly why it is so cheap it is still not acceptable!. Fortunately the consumer protection laws we have mean that anything that is clearly and demonstrably not fit for purpose! just the claim that it is a 'musical' instrument that is not musical in the strict mathematical sense means that it is not fit for purpose, they must not only repay what you spent on it Lidl must also withdraw it from sale!, they could re-label it as a toy but that would have to be displayed very clearly to prevent misrepresentation.
In the unlikely event that Lidl give you any grief a subsequent report to the local trading standards office should do the the trick.
Cheers, Richard.
Great video!! From hearing that recorder, I 100% agree with your observations. Everything works well except for the tuning, which is easily the most important thing, especially if playing with others. The book, on its own, sounds interesting, except for the C# hack fingering. Am I allowed to borrow your phrase "pedagogically responsible"? I could have used that about a week ago when reviewing a beginner-level piano instruction series replete with long unhelpful rambles and rants. Hopefully LIDL will heed your recommendation to retool their tuning, and switch to a three-piece design.
It's only a little more money, but a soprano Mollenhauer 'Adri's Dream' in pearwood with the wood mouthpiece is a great alternative. A plastic mouthpiece is available for it also as a 'kick-around' option. I'd never gift anyone a musical instrument that was inherently out-of-tune.
I bought a Yamaha YRS402b. It's made from plant based material and the sound and tuning are great. It's a little more expensive at £22 but a much better bet than the Lidl instrument. It has an arched windway and baroque fingering.
I've fallen for that too :)! But only 30% of the plastic is plant based. The rest is still the same ABS resin. Most retailers like A... are still selling it like it would be completely oil free. But it's not true.
@@marcusmicksch yes I know that, but carbon emissions are about 20% less in the production of this instrument. It's more eco friendly than the plastic recorders on offer and it has a better sound. I can't afford an expensive wooden one yet but they do need more care than the plastic ones.
I also have the Yamaha alto "ecodear". It has a nice throaty sound.
@@flumpaustin1994 Yes, that's my experience too. I really like it.
I totally agree. My Yamaha soprano YRS402b Ecodear is one of my favorite recorders. It's easy to play and sounds great.
To be fair that sounds exactly like I remember recorder's sounding like at infant school! 😁
We actually have one of those recorders at home...bought it some years ago at Lidl...
I love this video , funny content 🙂
Ongeveer 4 of 5 jaar geleden kwam een leerling bij mij heel trots op les met een Lidl fluit.Vreselijk vals. Maar blaasde ook niet goed door. De toon op jou fluit is in iedergeval vele malen verbeterd!
I'm not really interested in recorders but I could listen to you talking about them for hours.
About 30 years ago I bought a wooden 3-pc alto recorder "Zamir". After a couple years the cork started cracking - I took it off, cut thin some wine corks, glued them onto the both connectors with a rubberband overnight, sanded it down with my nail file in the morning, put on the grease, and - still working. In addition, I olive-oiled the entire outside - and inside all the holes, bells and mouthpiece - it is SO mellow now. I do this every few years. I suggest you do same (or - buy another one) - take olive oil and smooth it over everything, it will change the tone! (I don't know if it will fix your C#!).
Unfortunately Zamir went out of business over 10 years ago.
I would NEVER use olive oil on an instrument. It is a bad oil for that due to its properties.
@@Revener666 I've had this wooden recorder for over 30 years, 28 years with the olive oil, and re-oiled it maybe 2 more times - I haven't seen any "problems"!
@@chayawitkin6374 th-cam.com/video/3U8J2AK1Ctw/w-d-xo.html
@@Revener666 I very much "buffed" the coating after I put on the olive oil so it shouldn't 'cake'! Like I wrote, the recorder still looks great after 30 years. Thanks for the video about the guitar olive-oil coating ruining the original coating.
@@chayawitkin6374 It also made a mess out of the fret board, the fret board is not coated. Anyway that guy probably used way more oil. :)
I have a $3 Yamaha soprano recorder made in USA not new but acts just like it is!🙂
At least the recorder has a nice sound to it, even tho loosely tuned, and generally decent quality. Here in Denmark, Lidl also sells digital keyboards and they are painful to look at and to touch.
On a side note, this thing breaks the general trend of the Lidl mid aisle. Stuff sold there usually has poor build quality but gets the job done. My 3-bulb floorstanding lamp is wobbly but it lights up my room and looks passably good. My ratcheting screwdriver set is creaky and the extension does not mount completely securely, but it screws in and out without issue. The tips for my nailcare set aren't very precisely machined: some are a bit loose, some are difficult to put in, and yet the machine works well.
And then comes this instrument: beautifully made, does not work.
Seeing the title of this video already made me laugh! :)
Today while playing with ChatGPT on one monitor and watching youtube at the same time, I saw your video and asked to ChatGPT "How can I tune my recorder?" and it says... "To tune a recorder, you will need a tuning device such as an electronic tuner or a pitch pipe. First, make sure your recorder is assembled correctly and that all holes are uncovered. Next, blow into the mouthpiece and adjust the tuning bead or screw on the bottom of the recorder until the tuner indicates that the note is in tune. Repeat this process for the other notes on the recorder until it is in tune. It may take some practice to develop a good ear for tuning your recorder, so be patient and keep practicing."
Hilarious
Bellend
Yes, it has its problems, but, as I have always said, sometimes it is better to have something rather than nothing, especially if its all that can be afforded.
Fingers crossed, yours could be the exception to the rule when it comes to the tuning. LOL.
Gutted really. Oh well. Goes with the flute, trumpet and clarinet that Argos were selling a few years back for £50 for the three!
I got one of those from my school in 1964; cost me five shillings (25p); if it costs £18 now that's one HELL of a mark-up! Even for Johannes Adler!
I just bought this for £9 in the Lidl middle reduced. Mine is totally in tune, and I’m thrilled with it. Just wanted to give good press where it’s warranted.
Oh cool! I guess I got unlucky
Well I don't try recorder from Lidl XD But when it comes to flute, my flute teacher recommends it :D I also heard a good opinions about the clarinet, but right now Lidl sells only recorders in my country :c Referring to your video, it's puzzling XD
I remember a £1 wood recorder. it had a ton of sawdust in it that took some effort getting out. was dreadfully out of tune but ... after some DIY was "playable".
I imagine for parents just trying to see if a kid was willing to actually learn it's a "it'll do"
Lidl? As a Brass player seeing that name attached to a recorder raises eyebrows. There is a brass instrument manufacturer called Josef Lidl from Czech Republic. Modern Lidl instruments are mid-tier in terms of quality (IMO still better than similarly-priced instruments from Japan and the US), but the instruments made by Josef Lidl himself in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were excellent. I have an 1890s Lidl Flugelhorn that produces the sweetest timbre you could possibly imagine.
Lidl ain't the manufacturer but a discounter chain originating in Germany, like Aldi.
What are the pieces used in the 03:30 play test? They sound hella familiar, but I cant think what they are..
Fill the holes in with wood glue and cocktail sticks, then re-drill the holes. 😊
It looks like a Hohner recorder but the windway is slightly different. Any chance you can review the Hohner soprano? I personally found it to be much better in-tune than my Eastar.
The Eastar I have is slightly out of tune, but only when you are playing in the key of C#, which makes me think that it is a just-intonation recorder, which I am fine with. If you use the German F when playing in C# and the regular fingering in every other key, the tuning is awesome.
I am learning how to play the piano and wondered if there was any music for the piano and recorder.
I bought Eastar several years back. I think the cost was $20.00 (USD).
Maybe after this excellent review they may fix the tuning with these.
I brought this recorder years ago when it was cheaper plus it was in the Lidl clearance bin and I was looking to introduce my kid to music. Since the first instrument I was introduced to was the recorder, I thought why not. The wood felt nice and smooth but, yes, even tone deaf me noticed that certain notes were not right. Or what I'd expected. My kid ended up on the drums and a few years on, does sound too too bad 🤔
Some of the most glorious pieces of music ever performed, like: Graveyard Scene in "Good Bad and the Ugly", or "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty - were performed with instruments that were not in tune. Which is why they sound _wrong_ when a professional performs the piece from the score.
Hopefuilly a timeless classic may yet come out of this Lidl bargain.
I learned the half lifting of the thumb with my first flute in school and even my mother learned it this way.
The company I buy violin parts from once remarked that there had been a quality drop off in their violins and they were rejecting a large number. They then remarked that they were being sold somewhere. Lidl suddenly started selling violins at very low cost ... . Is that what is happening here?
The LIDL recorder sounds quite nice. I would buy it if it is better tuned.
Sounded good to me, but Mama also told me I could never carry a tune in a bucket.
I think I'll get one just to practice taking the block out.
That's a good idea!
That’s a good plan!
I know it probably sounds horrifying to you, but I also learned the sharp c the way the booklet described it. Even my mom learned it that way at school, before she moved on to the flute
I just found a vintage Mollenhauer student soprano I couldn't say no to. The box has a picture of the pied Piper with all the children following along! 😄 Hopefully the tuning works out better than this lidl one...
From about 1977 to 2000 I had a piano which was a semi tone below concert pitch. Great for solo playing not to good for everything else. But then I don’t have perfect pitch more relative pitch. The tuning on the recorder is a tad out!
Funnily enough it being out of tune makes it endearing to me :P I do appreciate that it shows just how absurdly overpriced wooden recorders are. A relatively minor additional expenditure should be able to make it play the right notes.
I'm not a recorder player, I make & play quena though. Well at that price from an online shop, I think you pretty much got what you paid for. If you had paid that much at say a craft fair where the vendor made the instrument, I think you could expect better, because most people who are doing that are actually enthusiasts & trying to do a good job. I can hear that the C# isn't the same as C, though not where it should be. The deal with tuning is that tone hole position has a greater influence on the 1st octave while tone hole size dominates overblown tone. However, both position & size do affect pitch in both octaves. So, it's a tricky balance to get right. What I do initially to design a new model is place a tone hole where I think it should be, then widen it till it overblows correctly. This will be off pitch, so I then replace that section of fill the hole & calculate a corrected position based on those previous results and try again, measure the pitch & repeat till its right. I usually get it right in 2-3 attempts. Then I have a model that works for that key & bore size. If you go for a third octave as some quenas do, then bore size & taper are important for the 3rd octave. It's complicated & time consuming to come up with a new design like this. Most flute makers just copy an existing design. Recorder is a type of flute (fipple flute), so I am just using flute in a very broad sense of course.
However, there are some other critically important points, such as bore smoothness, blowing hole or fipple accuracy & finish, rounding sharp edges & accuracy of course. The rounding of the blowing edge affect the timbre very greatly. So, making wind instruments is no simple thing. There is a lot that goes into producing a quality flute.
So, you bought a wooden recorder, something that requires a lot of marching in many separate steps, unlike a 1 step injection moulded plastic one & you paid only 18 GBP. I think its a fair price.
Regardless of what kind of instrument is being played, intonation is very, very, important.
Playing an out of tune recorderc with other musicians will make everybody wince.
As with any instruments you should 'try before you buy', and if possible, ask an experienced recorder player to try out the instrument.
As a violinist of many years I have been asked to try out family heirlooms. Some have been dreadful and nothing could be done to make them sound better. Others have been in poor condition but sound excellent.
I was once asked to tune a violin that was in a very sad condition.. It was badly scratched and the peg box was badly worn. BUT I managed to set it up to play and could tell that the instrument had great potential and was worth spending £320 for a Luthier to repair. it and bought it from the owner for £500. It's now my favourite violin. It's not an antique violin but it sounds much better than many antique violins that I tried.
Whether it's a vioin or a recorder or any other instrument, it's appearance, age, or manufacturer's label do not define the quality of an instrument. An experienced musician can tell immediately whether an instrument sounds good or bad. So, ask a recorder teacher or experienced player to give their opinion, and if the Lidl recorder fails to please, then use the Lidl no quibble guarantee. Be assured Lidl will not question whether the recorder is out of tune, they will give a refund simply because a customer is not satisfied with the product. .
Eye can't get past;0018-00:19-(fffvv)! Too kewl! My whole days troubles are fffft.
I have a very similar looking recorder in maple - and it is from Carlton. I will have to check the tuning but playing along to this video… Mine definitely sounds MORE in tune compared to that one.
And it was only $10 Canadian… I will check my tuning and see.
My Carlton soprano is much the same. The tuning is a little off, but I don't think it's as bad as this.
@@lcoleman1961 I plan to check mine after work - my carlton Alto is plastic and seems in tune but again I will need to check it!
@@lcoleman1961 OKay I have just checked - mine runs between a quarter tone flat and in tune - so I think perhaps I lucked out here! I can barely tell by ear - had to use a tuner
@@EmsIsFab sue a tuner? hehehe
This video was far more entertaining than it should be 🙂 Don't anyone DARE tell anyone that I'm watching recorder videos.... #shame