The modern recorder player [II] 9780946535040, 0946535043

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Walter van Hauwe

The Modern Recorder Player Volume Il

ED 12270

SCHOTT

Waiter van Hauwe

The Modern Recorder Player volume Il

SCHOTT

London - Mainz - New York - Tokyo

introducnuon

Part I: About Scales and Arpeggios 1. Intervals 2. Major Scales 3. Interval Scales 4, Minor Scales 5. Church Modes 6. Chromatic Scales and Other Variations 7. Speeding Up 8.Arpeggios ‘Appendix for Advanced Players

10 10

13

18

20 20 21 29 35

2. The Basic Movement of the Fingers

38 38 39

4, The Measured or Chain Trill

42

Part II: About Trills

1. The Function of Trills

3. How to Blow During a Trill 5. The “Rubato” Trill

6. With or Without aTurn 7. On or Before the Beat

8. Alternative and Special Fingerings for Trills 9. Trill-turn Fingerings

Part 1, 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

III: About Vibrato Howto Produce Vibrato The Larynx Vibrato Technique The Position of the Cheeks and Lips Tempo Variations of the Vibrato Wave Vibrato Used to Suggest Dynamics Finger-Vibrato Some Practical Examples

Part IV: More About Articulation 1. “Hidden” Articulation

2. 3. 4, 5. 6.

Articulation as the Main Element Articulation and the Limitations of the Recorder Some Notorious Articulation Problems Some special Early Music Articulations Articulations on Different Types of Recorder

42

49

52 56 58 61 67 67 15 8 B

81 1

100

There is no-one better than Walter van Hauwe, I think, to write a book on recorder

technique without looking back too much into the instrument's past history. The best players, in my opinion, are ultimately those who have establisheda fine technique resulting from a deep desire to play an instrument to perfection for its own sake, and not because of or via external pieces written for it. The solid work once done with Van Hauwe, plus a musician, will shine over the beauty of our repertoire. Frans Briiggen

Introduction ‘This volume deals with some of the more aggravating problems experienced by the recorder player. The suggestions and ideas that follow do not pretend to be complete. The “Modern” recorder is a young instrument, still in its adolescence, and some of the instruction given here will no doubt need refinement in the future. In the meantime work quietly through these pages and see what you can achieve. Part About Scales and Arpeggios Part I About Trills Part III, About Vibrato Part IV.

More about Articulation

Part!

10

About Scales and Arpeggios ‘This chapter illustrates that the quite imperative study of scales and arpeggios can also be a lot of fun, The idea is to develop a basic understanding of the technical processes involved without effort, and at the same time fo get a sense of the importance of a safc and reliable technique. The acquisition of this technique allows the player to work towards a situation in which he has some guarantee of musically free and creative playing. It goes without saying that any technical study or search for per fection can never be pursucd as a goal in itself, but that it is one of the essential ingredients required of the budding musician, and the fine and creative instrumentalist. This section is intended to encourage the student's creativity by making the exer

cises lively and surprisingly varied.

1 Intervals

We all know that the principle underlying recorder playing is simply that start ing from the fingering 01224567, an interval of a major second results from the lifling of each consecutive finger.* The fingerings for the scales ofF major and G major are convenient and casy to understand, while the sharps and flats of keys such as A flat major, and especially nightmares such as F sharp major, present more problems.

Now many teaching methods require the student to think initially of the name of

a particular note and only then to find the appropriate fingering. For example, think “A flat” and then finger 012345% or think “B flat” and then finger 0/234 67. There can be no doubt that this procedure is a little long-winded. Note names might be useful in discussion, but for the fingers which are not involved information about positioning is redundant. NOTE: The fingers themselves have to learn to recognise the fingering required by the intervals without those intervals being named before the movement starts.**

A brief example: teach the fingers that dee for

(no. 7) is involved. while in eae

only one finger

two fingers (6 and 7) plus the

wrist have to work,

‘Teach the fingers that the difference between (112345 and 0123 is a rise ofa minor third, not a major third nor a second nor even a fifth, but a minor third: hear the interval, and let the fingers feel their positions, Only later on should you add the names of the notes, if they are necessary. For this reason it is important to practise these exercises by heart. without reference to notation. Naturally it can be a help to write out the exercises in order to commit them to memory, but you should practise them by xote. "INB. the inevitable imperfection of the recorder results in exceptions which prove the rule. **See Volume 1. section 3 for a lis of finger combinations.

u

Exercise 50(a)

Learn to think in fingerings without mentioning the names first; make it a group exercise, or one done casily with colleagues. @

The teacher writes several intervals (on a blackboard):

major

2 3 6 7

ae

4 5 8(octave)

minor

2 3 6 7

© The group (or individual) starts with 012345 (2'). © The teacher indicates the minor third on the blackboard, at the same time saying ‘UP’ © The group or individual has a very short time to think and then fingers and plays 0/23. @ The teacher indicates the minor third (DOWN)) and the fingering 012345 once more.

© The teacher indicates the minor sixth, the fingering is 0 2 and so on. Another example: Exercise 50(b)

© The group all finger 0123456. (g') © The teacher (later on a group member as well) whistles or sings this g © The teacher whistles or sings an 2’ and the group fingers and plays 012345. The teacher or leader may also concentrate on a certain interval or set of intervals and focus the exercises accordingly, for example on a major second:

ete,

~ continues overleaf

12

or minor/major seconds and minor/major thirds:

min, 3

maj. 2

maj. 3

‘min.2

min. 3

Using 012345 as a foundation, the group slowly but surely learns to recognize and remember thirds and seconds. To repeat, apart from learning to find the specific fingerings on the recorder, the player trains his ear to recognise the various intervals, major, minor, octaves etc., without initially realising what they are called. Later the notes can be named and incorporated into the context of theory and practice.

© Give the group just enough time to pick up the newly-whistled note — about 3 to 5 seconds — before speeding up the exercise. ©

Delegate the whistling to one of the members of the group: makes him or her think ahead; in the meantime whistle in tune.

© Don't be afraid of letting the group play an octave higher as well! TAKE CARE:

© Don’ allow blind stabbing at the correct fingering: without the use of note names the fingering should be automatic. © Keep the notes short, and don't allow second chances; when mistakes are made reuurn to the original note and exercise the interval again. It goes without saying that more complicated intervals can be added: Exercise SOc)

fo

(oe 8.7 and 9

8

o

7

|

ee

a eS

B

2 Major Scales

Both major and minor scales are made up of major and minor seconds.

Major scales are structured as follows: major second, major second, minor second, major second (x 3) minor second or 11%111%

F major 1f 01234567 (£") is fingered, then 0123456 (g’) can be obtained by raising finger

© No articulation, everything must be slurred! @ Don't name the notes separately, just feel the movement of the 7th finger (check the balance of the recorder and the good positioning of both hands). @ Remember that the interval is one of a major second, up and down — if necessary compare it with a minor second (F sharp). © Do the same exercise with 0123456012345 ‘Next:

© Play from memory, but expand upon these examples using ones of your own invention. © Vary the rhythms as well:

JA 5 FETAL Ay TS 4) © call to mind the pure finger movements mentioned in Volume I: up is, the active movement, down is the relaxed one, ‘influenced by gravity’. In Section 7, ‘Speeding up’ this matter will be dealt with again. ‘Now with 01234501234 67:

Notice the cooperation between the single finger (no. 5) and the pair of fingers (nos. 6 and 7).

4

Exercise 52 Next: 01234 670123, 0123012 etc., until you have reached RI 45(F")< PAI 34 ORR")

riety

%

© Start at a steady speed (three notes per second) and gradually accelerate until, as soon as possible, but not sooner (!). a steady, rather fast tempo is reached (about 5 notes per second). © Don't play the more difficult parts slowly, the easier parts faster: try to ensure that each finger combination is as difficult or as easy as all the others. Later C sharp major will be as difficult or as easy as C major. © First play the scale slurred to give your brain time to attend to the fingers. Later, various rhythms with all kind of slurrings and articulations can make the scale more attractive: ete,

Check that you are using the right fingerings by using your cars, not by mentioning the note names.

Exercise 53 Repeat Exercise 52, this time starting from 0/23456X (f° sharp).

‘You will find that this scale is rather difficult when the six sharps of this tonality are named. But if you think in terms of fingerings, it will be clearer, at least for the fingers. Of course, there are not very many recorder pieces in this key. but, as T have often mentioned, you need technical over-capacity to play “easier” things in a relaxed and easy-going manner. Besides, modern recorder compositions very often include patterns where all the written notes do in fact have accidentals. ‘And, once more. to get a real grasp of what you are doing. you need to know how your instrument is “constructed” in musical terms. On the piano you can see all the possible notes, the black notes and the white notes: we (together with violinists and others), still have to make them “visible” first. Be sure that

al the intervals are nicely in tune (check 0/2 45%0123 56,

12423456, U2 4t be

\

823 (58)

augmented/diminished thirds, fourths, fifths.

* fete Whe She,

2

And, of course, it is highly desirable to begin the scales om the highest note:

down: minor: up: major 7)

2 =

tee 2 toe

«

at

REMEMBER:

For the last time, be sure that you do not gradually begin a> smn ax terms of note names. Keep thinking in terms of finger positions and lee the Singers find the combinations that are appropriate to each interval.

7 Speeding Up

Start cach exercise at a moderate speed. It is important to wack your beain to think as fast as you can move your fingers; when your braiz & me liamger able to control the fingers, you must slow down. The following exercsscs stuwlié help.

Exercise 63 First remind yourselfof how different the fingers feel when playing upward or downward movements. (a),

Compare the more comfortable feel of the fingers when they are let down with the more demanding upward movement in the following example, where you really have to use the muscles to raise the fingers.

‘The upward movements in (a) between the slurred triplets are of course

hidden by the articulation.

Problems can arise when you have to make contrary movements, as in:

Always let the falling finger(s) take the lead. Weight allows them tofall, and as it were “push up” the other finger(s) from their positions. Even though this seems to contradict the suggestion already made to relax the fingers when they come down, it is just possible, without resorting to “pinching” the instrument after the hole is closed, to use the sheer weight of the falling finger to achieve a slight effect of “pushing”. REMEMBER:

If the fingers are really relaxed the instrument will fall out of your hands — a natural and logical balance must be maintained between tautness and relaxation. Going up from 0/ (¢") to0 2 (f"), finger no. 1 must be raised, while finger no, 2 falls down. Going from 0/ to 0 2, finger no. 2 leads finger no. 1; going from0 2 back to 01, finger no. 1 leads.

The following are more complicated: 121234 6 to 23456: only one finger (no. 5) has to lead two others (@ and /), which

are even further away from 5. If you go back to 8/234 6 of course two fingers lead just one:

01234 67 to 013 56: finger no. 5 on its own leads nos 2 and 7.

W/2345 (a) to 2 (g"): in spite of the fact that g” is lower than a”, the only leading finger here. It has to be the timing, the actual moment, that “leads”: as in an electric shock, all fingers have to move with extreme precision absolutely simultaneously, so that the audible result can be compared with a tongued movement is up! (a change in register*) and therefore it is not easy to find a articulation. More about this “finger-articulation™ later. ‘*First register: from 01234567 to2

‘Second register: from 1234567 wo WIZ

Third register: from 812 45600 Wi 45 Fourth register, from / 34 O98 to 8 23 56,

Combinations of fingerings such as 2W/2345, WI2¥I2 456%), W 45