Monthly Archives: October 2010

A more potent example of the peaceful co-existence of the flute and recorder can be found in Telemann’s famous E Minor concerto for BOTH instruments. Yes, this is perfectly true: Telemann wrote a breathtaking and upbeat concerto showcasing both instruments … Continue reading →

“If you wish to understand the foundation of playing skilfully on flutes and crumhorms, and of playing with artistry on the cornett, pommer, and shawm, then remember the following at all times. If you desire a true foundation, you will … Continue reading →

– “Wabbit Season!” – “Duck Season!” – “Wabbit Season!” – “Duck Season!” Choking on laughter, I watch this signature moment in the famous Chuck Jones Looney Tunes short, “Rabbit Fire” while taking a vocal break after twenty minutes of singing. … Continue reading →

Eleven years ago during this month, I first encountered my century-old violin, which I lovingly christened “Old Faithful” not long after its purchase and still continue to affectionately know it as such. Wow! I cannot believe how much time has … Continue reading →

In my first blog post, I spoke of my journey into accepting transcriptions and my somewhat recent discovery that Baroque musicians adapted a given piece to the instrumental situations at hand.  With this in mind, I have decided to review … Continue reading →

Now I return to the subject matter of my first post on “Dumbing Down the Recorder”: Because I disprove of many of the methods and approaches commonly used to teach the recorder in modern school classrooms, does this mean that … Continue reading →

In my post “Dumbing Down the Recorder, Part 1″, I discussed in detail the issue of simplifying the recorder into a classroom pre-band instrument and totally re-inventing its technique to make it as such. Now that I have covered that … Continue reading →

“Soprano Recorders — An easy-to-learn first instrument.” These lines jumped right out at me as I was browsing through the music resources section of an educational catalog not long ago. Disgusted, I closed the catalog and migrated to my room, … Continue reading →

“Why do you need the recorder when you already have violin and guitar?”  These were the words of a former orchestra conductor when I initially announced that I had decided to pick up the recorder due to my passion for … Continue reading →