Anyone looking for a green Yamaha recorder (extensive research by at least two forum contributors has shown green is the best colour for traditional music), might be interested to know that Lidl's special offers commencing tomorrow (2nd November) include Yamaha translucent descant recorders (green, red or blue) for £4.99
[For comparison Amazon's best price is £5.89 for "pink". For some reason blue is £9.79, and they don't seem to have any green ones at all ...]
There's a pink one, and a green one, and a blue one, and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky (esp if they come from Lidl) and they all look just the same.
(Quote from Little Boxes by Pete Seeger! - sorry, couldn't resist that!)
(02-11-2009 03:40 PM)Trish Santer Wrote: [ -> ]There's a pink one, and a green one, and a blue one, and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky (esp if they come from Lidl) and they all look just the same.
(Quote from Little Boxes by Pete Seeger! - sorry, couldn't resist that!)
Ah yes, but they don't all sound the same ... which is very strange, given the high quality of Yamaha's engineering. There's no logical reason why the colour should matter.
Maybe it reflects the mood you're in, which may affect how you sound:
Pink for happy,
Green for spring in your step,
Blue for ....feeling blue
Yellow for ..........feeling a bit jaundiced about life?
(02-11-2009 03:50 PM)Trish Santer Wrote: [ -> ]Maybe it reflects the mood you're in, which may affect how you sound:
Pink for happy,
Green for spring in your step,
Blue for ....feeling blue
Yellow for ..........feeling a bit jaundiced about life?
Yes, that must be it.
I have a green and a blue, and there is definitely a difference, though it could be just that I have played the green one more.
I will maybe go to Lidl's tomorrow and get a yellow and a pink to complete the set ...
Well forget the yellow then: just go for the pink (happy) one!
I have another kind of transparent recorder it may be worth looking out for. It's purple with glittery bits embedded in it. It's the same physical size as the Yamaha descants, but plays a semitone lower. This is handy for playing along with singer-guitarists who capo up to the fourth fret. I'm not sure who sold them in the UK, but you occasionally see them in charity shops and car boot sales.
Compared with getting a handmade descant at A=415, this is a bargain. A bit limited in the historical authenticity department since there aren't many 17th century Dutch pictures showing recorder players with glittery transparent purple instruments, though.
(07-02-2010 12:26 PM)Jack Campin Wrote: [ -> ]I have another kind of transparent recorder it may be worth looking out for. It's purple with glittery bits embedded in it. It's the same physical size as the Yamaha descants, but plays a semitone lower. This is handy for playing along with singer-guitarists who capo up to the fourth fret. I'm not sure who sold them in the UK, but you occasionally see them in charity shops and car boot sales.
Compared with getting a handmade descant at A=415, this is a bargain. A bit limited in the historical authenticity department since there aren't many 17th century Dutch pictures showing recorder players with glittery transparent purple instruments, though.
Hey, this could be used to play tunes in A flat, as if they were in A. I am thinking in particular of "The Lament of Flora McDonald", a great tune by Neil Gow Jr, words by James Hogg (translated from Gaelic), which I got form an Aberdeen University web site. But I am sure there are many others.
(07-02-2010 05:01 PM)alistair Wrote: [ -> ] (07-02-2010 12:26 PM)Jack Campin Wrote: [ -> ]I have another kind of transparent recorder it may be worth looking out for. It's purple with glittery bits embedded in it. It's the same physical size as the Yamaha descants, but plays a semitone lower.
Hey, this could be used to play tunes in A flat, as if they were in A. I am thinking in particular of "The Lament of Flora McDonald", a great tune by Neil Gow Jr, words by James Hogg (translated from Gaelic), which I got form an Aberdeen University web site. But I am sure there are many others.
Another use for it is to get round the problem that descant recorders usually don't have a usable high C sharp. So when playing "The Sweetness of Mary" in A (whose bright idea was that? Aly Bain?), you can play it on a semitone-flat recorder in B flat. The high C sharp becomes a high D which is an easy note.
(Alternatively you could persuade people to play the tune in G - I think it was written that way and certainly sounds better at the lower pitch).
(10-02-2010 03:05 PM)Jack Campin Wrote: [ -> ]Another use for it is to get round the problem that descant recorders usually don't have a usable high C sharp. So when playing "The Sweetness of Mary" in A (whose bright idea was that? Aly Bain?), you can play it on a semitone-flat recorder in B flat. The high C sharp becomes a high D which is an easy note.
(Alternatively you could persuade people to play the tune in G - I think it was written that way and certainly sounds better at the lower pitch).
Glad you think high D is easy ... well I guess it's not that hard.
I read somewhere that high C sharp is a "bell" note which requires the end hole to be covered (with your knee, seems to be the recommended technique).
I don't know how easy (double) high D is on the D whistle.
There is a very nice jig called I think "Bridget's Jig" which is in G I think and goes up to extra high D, and does not include high C, sharp or otherwise.
(07-02-2010 05:01 PM)alistair Wrote: [ -> ]I have another kind of transparent recorder it may be worth looking out for. It's purple with glittery bits embedded in it. It's the same physical size as the Yamaha descants, but plays a semitone lower. This is handy for playing along with singer-guitarists who capo up to the fourth fret. I'm not sure who sold them in the UK, but you occasionally see them in charity shops and car boot sales.
I found (and have ordered) both a purple and a yellow recorder on eBay, though
I don't think the purple one is the version you refer to Jack. But they are not Yamaha either.
Maybe eventually have all the colours of the rainbow. (Pretty pointless really as you can play only one at a time ... )
In fact I have a vague recollection of once being offered a rainbow striped descant in Scales. It cost £12 so I didn't buy it, but have regretted it ever since. I asked about it a few months later and no-one could remember it. I think maybe I dreamed the whole thing.