The Modern Recorder Player [III] 9780946535194, 0946535191

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walter van Hauwe

The Modern

Recorder Player

Volume Ill

ED 12361

SCHOTT

Walter van Hauwe

The Modern Recorder Player Volume Ill

SCHOTT

Mainz - London - Madrid - New York - Paris - Tokyo - Toronto

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ©

1992 Schott & Co. Ltd, London

ED 12361 ISBN 0-946535-19-1 All rights reserved. Printed in England. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Schott & Co. Ltd, 48 Great Marlborough Street, London WIV 2BN. Photographs by Maarten Brinkgreve Drawings by Mirjam Boelaars Music engraving by Andrew Jones Typeset by August Filmsetting, Haydock, St Helens

Contents Introduction

WHY

Part I: The Fingers 1. Glissando . The Illusion of Dynamics . Alternative Fingerings . Micro-intervals OnINDU

. Combinations of Fast, Irregular Intervals

. Finger Vibrato . Some Special Kinds of Vibrato . Some Extraordinary Effects

HRDunkwne

Part II: More About Breathing . Some Extra Endurance . The Glottis . Extreme Vibratos . Multiphonics . Harmonics . Circular Breathing Part III: Humming . Humming on Its Own . Humming in Harmony with the Recorder . Consonance versus Dissonance . Another Kind of Vibrato . Some Advanced Applications

10 10 19 21 30 33 34 38 41

46 46 47 st 52 57 59 64 64 69 70 70

Part IV: Articulation

74 74 77 78

Appendices 1. Wind Noise 2. Some More Dynamics 3. Some Tricks and Gimmicks

84 84 85 86

1. Flutter-tongue 2. Guttural Flutter 3. Some Special Effects

Introduction In the introduction to Volume I, I mentioned the dramatic influence that contemporary composers have had on the evolution of the recorder and on the techniques associated with it. One by one technical obstacles, once thought insuperable, have been mastered, if it is permissible to use this word in a context where everything is in a state of constant change and development. And this brings me to a difficulty I have had in writing this third volume: while I am sure there are sections of

the two previous volumes that may go out of date, with the present volume, which is based essentially on the needs of contemporary music, the danger of dating is much

more acute.

Although the problems discussed here had to wait until this volume, they are not ancillary to the basic techniques already described. Rather the reverse, for they have been at the centre of the whole thing, and without them I could never have written the first two volumes. This may make the present volume at some points seem a little anticlimactic, but it cannot be helped. If I had begun the project with the apparently more demanding material discussed here, there probably would have been little

acceptance of it, without the preparation of the previous volumes.

We have to admit that our time is virtually unique, in that several (classical-orientated) generations in a row have been brought up almost entirely on music from the past,

and have been much more interested in this than in the present or even the future.’

And this is quite understandable, given our own musical education, in which we were

trained always to look back rather than forward.

We recorder players like to see ourselves today as very familiar with baroque music and pretend to understand all the ins and outs of it, while at the same time we show a shamefully low interest in the kinds of music which are really of our own time. But how good is our understanding of baroque music really? 0

How well do we really understand the principles of rhetoric that are at the root

of so much baroque music? It is actually quite difficult to find information on this subject, which was considered of vital importance in the baroque period.

0

How well do we really understand baroque dance music? Do we really feel in our bones the differences between the various types, which were performed and

enjoyed all over Europe, in anything like the same way we feel dance forms of our own century? O

How can we be sure that we experience and respond to the various tuning systems, modes, tempi, instrumental timbres, etc., in the same way that people did

in the baroque period?

Surely it is reasonable to expect that we should find reflected in music of our own day the emotions and preoccupations of our own time, rather than expecting to find

these in music which can never be ours in any real sense. It is not surprising that our

+However, it is no longer unusual for me any more to get students who know practically nothing about early music, and who don’t even want to associate the recorder with baroque music. They are only interested in contemporary music, folk music, jazz, and so on.

young people feel much more affinity with pop music, just because it is of their time, than with old sarabandes, courantes and fugues; indeed it would be nice if they were to take an interest in older music, but we cannot necessarily expect this from them. Isn’t it striking that in the fields of pop, jazz and folk music there often is a (musically)

more healthy and natural relationship between listener, performer and composer than there is in traditional “‘classical” music? It seems that the majority of recorder players (as well as players of many other instruments) have problems with the sounds and structures of much contemporary music. However, it is important to realize that several times as many original compositions for the recorder have been composed in the thirty years since 1960 as in the entire history of music up to that date. That is something we cannot ignore — we cannot afford to insulate ourselves from the music of the present or the future. It is of

course sad that there is this large gulf between the producers of recorder music and the

“consumers”, but we do not have to accept this gap as a fact of life. Of course I am necessarily generalizing, and fortunately there are several groups of players/ consumers/teachers here and there who are exceptions to the general rule.

The essential question is whether today’s teachers are in danger of saddling their students with their own fears. It is sad but true that musical education today pays

scant attention to the natural creativity of children. It is quite generally accepted that, for example, if we want to help children to draw or paint, it is best simply to give them

paper and pencils, and let them do what they want. However, as soon as it comes to music we immediately impose all kinds of unnecessary restrictions.

The apparently anarchistic freedom of contemporary music may be something of

which we, performers, consumers, teachers, are a little afraid, since most of us are not

equipped to approach different kinds of music without some kind of framework, or set of rules and limitations. It is clear that we cannot speak about a single contemporary style; on the contrary, it

is easy to get lost in the complex, and potentially frightening, labyrinth of different styles, forms, kinds of expressions, emotions, and so on.

As with all good music, contemporary music also needs and has to develop its own

“grammar”, and it is up to each generation, including that coming up now, to try to understand this contemporary musical grammar. I agree that it is not always easy, and that it takes a lot of experience, to tell the good

pieces from the bad, assuming of course that there are just as many mediocre pieces composed today as there were during other periods, including the baroque. We should

not worry too much about this: good pieces need the less inspired pieces of their time to give them some kind of context. Without the clear perspective that we have on music from the past, we have to be careful and critical in a positive way in our judgements on contemporary music. Obviously it would be a great pity if, through prejudice or lack of attention, we were to miss a genius. We need the will to experiment to be sure of a rich future, so that we can be rescued from a depressing apathy towards everything that we don’t understand.

Let us learn from the musicians who worked in the baroque period, who spent their lives perpetually developing and experimenting with composition and instrumentmaking, and where all aspects of music were constantly under discussion; we must be glad that this was the case. If we recorder players can manage to incorporate this

ancient sense of panta rhei into the future with our own way of working and studying

— always making graceful use of what others have done before us — we have an instrument with a great future. It is very inspiring and promising to see how the recorder is achieving recognition in musical circles (other than baroque) as a normal contemporary wind instrument in its own right.

‘In contemporary music circles there is an increasing use of the term ‘blockflute’ instead of recorder.

I hope this volume will help you to a feeling of the future of the recorder. In Volumes I and II the treble recorder was used for all the examples and exercises chiefly because it is seen as the main solo instrument of the family. For modern music, however, the tenor is often a good alternative; the lower pitch’ and wider bore often gives better results in special effects such as multiphonics, which are frequently

required in modern music. Fortunately recorder makers are increasingly producing

reliable and workable tenors, which in flexibility, speed of response and beauty of tone compare well with good altos.

‘Don’t forget that the real pitch of the recorder is actually an octave higher than written; it is only the harmonic structure of the sound which makes it appear to sound at the lower octave.

Part |

10

The Fingers

Glissando

1 Why start with glissando, which is certainly not the easiest of the new techniques? The reason is that for many of the special sounds demanded in contemporary music the fingers have to move in a way that they are not required to in earlier music. As well as the normal up-and-down movement of each finger, here they have to learn to make sideways movements, and movements involving rolling and bending, in order to

achieve a greater variety of dynamic and timbre. The five basic ways of playing a glissando that we discuss here should give you enough flexibility for any other techniques that you will need to acquire.

We can all remember from our own first recorder lessons, and from teaching absolute

beginners, that when the holes are not properly closed, the sound is experienced as

unattractive. It is either too thin and unstable or, when too much air is introduced, the

pitch tends to jump uncontrollably into a higher register. However, when making a glissando we have to open the holes so subtly and gradually that, with a soft but

steady airstream, the pitch appears to rise as if by itself. So, rather than talking about “opening”, I prefer to think in terms of “leaking” (as distinct from badly closing) the

holes.

If you remember my remarks about the dual function of the fingers in both closing the holes and holding the instrument (Volume I, Part II, Chapter 6, “Which fingers do what?” and Volume II, Part II, Chapter 2, about “sticky” fingers) you will know what

I mean when I talk about the gentle pressure the fingers have to exert on their respective holes. It is by relaxing this gentle pressure that the glissando can start.

Exercise 101°

This exercise demonstrates the basic finger movement for any glissando. (a)

Finger 0123456 and feel the very slight pressure on all the holes, especially on hole 6. Play a long steady d’ (or a g’ on a treble) with a pianissimo air pressure.

(b)

Now, while holding this constant, steady note, slowly relax finger no. 6 until the hole begins to leak automatically. The soft note will begin to rise (don’t correct the pitch with your breath!) until, when the finger is completely off the hole, you will hear an e’ (012345), which you should keep soft and steady as well.

(c)_

Very slowly move the finger back down again:

@

First you will feel the little column of air coming out of the hole. The pitch will begin to fall, gradually going back to the d’.

@

Then, when your finger finally covers the hole again, after landing softly like a lunar module, it can go back to its normal

pressure on hole 6.

Do the same with all the other fingerings in the first register. *As I explained, the tenor is the modern-music instrument par excellence, so | have assumed it for all

the exercises in this volume, though you can of course substitute any other recorder to your liking.

Basic methods

URWN—

Now we can introduce the five ways of making a glissando:

1 Turning the wrist

Turning the wrist Lifting the fingers

Turning the instrument Moving the hand Using the thumb-hole

This is the best-known way of making a glissando. The player turns his wrists so that the fingers are gradually pulled away from the holes. This turning can be done as shown in the picture in Exercise 19 in Volume I, but now using both hands.

ADVANTAGES U O_

Itis reliable. The tone can remain relatively strong.

DISADVANTAGE O

Going back down again is not so easy, as one increasingly “loses” the holes, even to the extent that the instrument can slip out of one’s hands.

Exercise 102(a) This one works best for glissandi over larger intervals, especially when ascending.

2 Lifting the fingers

Actually this is what I was describing in Exercise 101: now all the fingers can be lifted up one after the other in such a way that all the holes gradually begin to leak. With

this method it is very hard for the audience, watching the player’s hands, to find out

exactly how the glissando is produced.

ADVANTAGES O 0

It works perfectly for glissandi over relatively small intervals. Itcan be produced very smoothly and softly.

DISADVANTAGE QO 2

Again, going down is very difficult, because one really loses control of the holes,

and even of the whole instrument. (a)

For glissandi over smaller intervals, such as minor or major seconds, it can sometimes be better (depending on whether the player has problems with

shaking fingers) to “roll” the tip of the finger away from its hole, rather than lifting. It is then the side of the fingertip that ends up touching the instrument.

This rolling movement can be made in either direction, north or south:

north

south

Looking from the player’s point of view, north is up, south is down.

2

(b)

normal

Instead of “rolling” one can also

“stretch” the finger, as shown in the drawing, so that the hole begins to leak:

Exercise 102(b)

move only finger no. 1

roll

roll no. 4

Vary the rhythms.

stretch

stretch no. 6

stretch and lift

3 Turning the instrument

A very handy and reliable method:

instead of turning the wrists, the player turns the entire instrument. Compare this movement with making a wad of paper

between one’s thumb and middle finger. The instrument turns either clockwise to the right (“west”) or anti-clockwise to the left (“east”), between the two thumbs (mostly the right one) and the fingers — mainly 5 and 4 in the right, and 2 and 1 in the left hand. The position of the hands must not change — they should not turn with the instrument — but as the instrument turns, the fingers begin to leak wherever required. Of course, this

east

method cannot work without proper finger control.

ADVANTAGES {0

The fingers never lose touch with the holes.

0

Going back down again is easy — you just turn the instrument back to its original position.

DISADVANTAGE O

The fingers stay rather stiff, which

makes this method less suitable when the glissandi come in a context of fast finger movements.

west 4 Moving the hand

This is another safe method, in which the wrists are pulled down vertically, as can be seen in Illustration 12(b) in Volume I. It might feel a little strange, but as long as the player knows how to return to the relaxed position of the hands, the temporary

dislocation should not be a problem.

ADVANTAGE U_

The fingers never lose their holes, so that going back down again is rather easy:

you just turn the hands, one a little behind the other, to the original position.

DISADVANTAGE

(It takes the hands into rather an uncomfortable position, in which the fingers are not sufficiently free to do other things at the same time. 5 using the thumb-hole

When playing any note in the first register (except perhaps for the lowest) you can very

slowly open the thumb-bole, which will very smoothly raise the pitch. ADVANTAGES U

The fingers never lose the holes.

U1

Itis very easy to move the glissando up and down.

1See Appendix 2 for information on extreme diminuendi.

14

DISADVANTAGES QC

It only works when playing softly.

O_Itisa little tricky if you have to start from the lowest fingering. Some general tips

Never forget that whenever several fingers are involved in a glissando, you must work out very carefully the order in which the holes are to be opened. Because this order

depends so much on the tempo and the character of the glissando, I cannot give you detailed advice about the problem here. Generally speaking, the player will start with the lowest finger. For example, in a glissando from

fingers 6, 5 and 4 begin to leak almost

simultaneously, with 6 always just a little ahead. Before these three holes are

completely uncovered, nos 3, then 1 and finally 2 should begin to leak.

As one might expect, combinations of these five methods will usually provide the most convenient solution to problematic glissandi. For instance, I thoroughly recommend

beginning a long glissando with the relaxed finger lifting of method 2.

Method 1 (often working together with method 4) can also be regarded as the most

generally effective one, though other methods will often have to be combined with it. Where the glissando goes only upwards, you can generally forget about method 3, though sometimes when a large interval is involved, you may have to use it in order to

keep the instrument in good balance. Experience will teach you more about this than anything I can say at this point.

To achieve a convincing glissando, you need a constant breath pressure. There is always the danger that the player will blow the “proper” notes (those produced by the standard fingerings) stronger and more firmly than the tricky and naturally unstable notes in between the main notes. On a string instrument the player has only to move a finger up and down, but we have to work with a sound that is unstable and constantly changing. The characteristic and charming irregularity of the recorder works against us in this case. Finally, the glissando can be produced without sudden rises or drops. This can only be achieved by means of perfect co-ordination between fingers and breath. Only by doing

the right exercises consistently and imaginatively over time can you guarantee the most pleasant results when you get to put the glissandi into practice.

Please remember that when making a glissando it is not necessary to work entirely from one standard fingering to another — the main thing is to arrive at the required pitch. To achieve this, you need to do the following: (a)

Finger the starting note;

(b) _ slide as far as your ears tell you to slide, using whatever glissando technique you like to use, and (c)

stop as soon as the ascending note gets to where you want it, and don’t bother too much about the sometimes rather strange, or even funny, hand position you

might end up in.

Another important point is that, generally speaking, the glissando should start from

the very beginning of the note, which means that it actually gets its impulse from the

articulation. Think of a violinist: the right hand gives the left the impetus to start its movement, for example a glissando. The same concept can be transferred to

recorder playing: the tongue articulation “sets off’ the movement of the fingers so that the glissando starts right at the beginning of the note (unless the composition specifically requires something else).

Exercise 103

Connect each note with a perfectly even glissando. Make sure that you don’t linger on each new note, but just pass it by. Try out different kinds of glissando.

Here are some examples from Shinohara’s Fragmente for you to put these principles

into practice.

oooooao

finger no. 2 should move the slowest (using method 2(a));

o

Finger 0123456;

Slide back fingers 4, 2, 5 (method 2, or 4 with bent fingers);

Os

leak holes 6, 2, 5, 4, more or less in this order; use methods 2 and 1 for fingers 6, 5 and 4;

end up with fingering 01 3.

end up with fingering 012345.

SS

Forget about the d” for the moment, and take note that you only need one finger (no. 4) to span e’-g’. O

Starting with fingering 0/2345;

Ouse method 3 to slide up; your ear will tell you when you have reached the d”, so

forget about the traditional fingering for d”; turn back, without using finger no. 4;

O

send up with fingering 0/23 5.

oo

Os

SS

Arrive at the c” by opening only hole 0 (methods 2, 2(b) and1) end up with fingering 123.

SS

OQ

Start with 123;

O

arrive at the e’ flat by using fingers 0 (method 1), 4, 5, 6 (method 4);

O

end up with fingering 0123458.

SS CO O

Forget the c” sharp for the moment, and note that to get from e’ flat to g’ sharp

you only have to open hole 3, and to close hole 6 completely;

move the left hand quickly to open holes 3, 2 and /, giving the c” sharp with fingering 0, but immediately close holes / and 2 (methods 4 and 1, plus 3 if required);

Oat the same time, but twice as slowly, completely close hole 6 (method 1); O

send up with fingering 012 456.

———— O

Simply arrive at fingering 0/ with method 1.

A FEW

TIPS:

Feel free to find alternatives to the methods I have suggested here.

© O

Don’t linger on the target notes/pitches (standard fingerings) — you should just

touch the right pitch for a moment.

Don’t forget about the function of air pressure in a good glissando: 1

to correct the fingers whenever necessary, working in perfect co-operation

2

to maintain a soft but steady sound, so as to avoid accidentally jumping into a

with them to create a completely smooth and even glissando, and higher register.

O

Whichever method you are using, always keep your fingers, hands, and especially arms and shoulders, as relaxed as possible.

O

Don’t expect results too soon. If glissandi are well produced, their effect can be quite spectacular, but if not, they can easily be disastrous. In this context “almost good” simply means “no good”!

O_

Use the metronome to vary the tempi of all these exercises.

How to overcome

changes in register

oe

register 1

2

3

*depends on the instrument The really problematic point in a glissando is when the player runs out of holes, at the end of a particular register. The following exercises are intended to provide solutions to this problem.

Exercise 104(a) The break between the first and second register.

First of all, play 4 67; this note is still in the first register. If you then add finger no. 5 what you will hear mainly is a change in timbre (rather than pitch); 5 has lifted the note into the second register.

Now do the next exercise in slow motion: (a)

Start by fingering 0/2; slide up by gradually leaking holes 2, / and 0, while at the same time closing holes 7, 6 and 8 (on the knee) and 4, basically in this order (though it depends on the instrument). So the fingers move virtually simultaneously, but with one finger always a tiny bit ahead of the others. Finally close hole 5, using method 4; hole 8 supports hole 5 (I will explain this in a moment). You have now arrived in the second register. Repeat this over and over again, until you can really feel the co-operation between the opening (left) and closing (right)

hands. Only when you are sure about this should you take the next step.

(b)

Slowly open holes 8 and 7, and later &, and, fractionally after, close 3 and 2 (if you do this too fast the pitch will drop again). You are now fingering

23458. Repeat this as often as you need to before you go on. Then: (c)

While opening &, 5 and 4, close / and & (before 4 is completely opened)

and then open 3 so that you have the fingering Q/2. You have now completed the octave.

It can take quite a long time to get this whole process working nice and smoothly, but I recommend working seriously on it, for it really is worth the

trouble.

One can also make the exchange between the hands without using 8, though this is much more tricky, and puts all the responsibility on finger no. 5.

(a)

(b)

(c)

Finger 4 67 and slowly close 5 (compare with the end of step (a) above); again, you will notice that by adding 5 you do not lower the pitch, but raise it, showing that you are in fact in the second register.

Learn to make it sound like a real glissando, by moving the bent finger

no. 5 very slowly — the smallest movement has a dramatic effect. Slide the note up and down using only 5, until you have really mastered it. Then continue with steps (b) and (c) above.

Again, practise all these steps slowly and very precisely, and, crucially, at several different tempi, using your metronome.

You now should be in a position to work out the corresponding descending glissandi.

18

Exercise 104(b) The break between the second and third register. Again in slow motion: (a)

Finger &/23 and, while you slowly open hole 3, close 8 on the knee somewhat faster than you are opening 3, so that 8 is closed before 3 is

completely open. You are now in the third register. Repeat this several times. (b)

Now, while immediately perhaps X (depending on at the standard fingering highest point reached by

opening 8 again, close holes 5 and 6 and the instrument), and finally 4, so that you arrive Q/2 456X; now you can slide up to QY ¥, the me so far.

On tenors the following alternative may well work better: (a)

The moment you play Q/23, gently close hole 8, while at the same time

(b)

Open hole 8 again while at the same time closing holes XY, 6, 5 and 4, so that you end up with fingering QY 456%; now depending on your instrument, you can slide up another major second.

sliding the left-hand fingers up until you have QY¥ (hole 2 a little ahead of hole /).

This method also works well for going down again. SOME TIPS: @

Repeat each step as often as necessary.

@

Notice the difference between the often quite fast physical movements and the results, which are often slower.

Don’t forget to practise all glissandi downwards as well as upwards. Practise all these exercises on different types of recorders (trebles, sopranos, etc.).

Tenor

*Watch out

I am not primarily concerned here with the musical use of glissandi and their function in interpretation, but perhaps I can give you some tips. a

When you see

t

SS

Y-tone sharp

a

a >

don’t think in terms of sliding from the

g to the g sharp, but try to think in terms of “lifting” up the pitch of the g, as if you

were a weightlifter. It may seem strange, but this way of looking at it is more likely to

generate the right feeling of tension and relaxation than simply regarding the movement as filling in the gap between one note and another.

19 Generally speaking, you should concentrate on the following questions:

O

What is the main characteristic of a particular fingering or sound? Is it a centred

sound, or one with a lot of air in it? What dynamic possibilities does it have, and

how flexible is it? The special charm of the recorder is of course that every fingering has its own character. What does the composer want from us? 0

What do we want from the piece and its component parts?

Remember that ultimately it should always be the music, and what it wants from us,

that should triumph over our own technical and mental struggles.

2 The Illusion of Dynamics

We are all taught that one of the greatest limitations of the recorder is its small dynamic range. And this is in fact true. It is hard to have to admit it, but the built-in embouchure, with the necessarily fixed windway and labium, while giving the player an extremely quick response, leaves us with a frustratingly poor range of dynamic

colours.

Glissando technique can give us a little more — and I really mean only a little more.

We can let the holes leak in such a way that the tone only rises a fraction, so that

instead of sliding up as for the glissando, we can correct the pitch by reducing the

breath pressure, which gives us a diminuendo. Nevertheless, dear reader, the dynamic range achieved by this device is so small, and so often more of a suggestion than a

concrete reality, that I strongly recommend you, for your own health and that of your audience, to start from the premise that our recorders don’t have any real dynamic flexibility. Essentially we are dealing with something very close to an organ pipe, and that is that.

Diminuendo

There are basically two parallel, simultaneous processes: 1

reducing the quantity of air;

2

sliding up the fingers.

NOTE:

I mention the blowing aspect of this first for musical reasons. It would be unnatural to start with the purely mechanical movement of the fingers, and to follow this with an

introverted kind of blowing: this would easily kill off the spontaneous and instinctive part of the player’s work. The shape of the note as determined by the breath —

whether a crescendo, diminuendo, with vibrato, or any other way of colouring it — should come first, and the fingers must respond to this need like slaves. So the fingers should always! be working just fractionally behind the breath, like a shadow. Always

change the breath pressure first, as a singer would do, and use the skill of your fingers to compensate for the change in pitch.

+Please remember my regular reminders about the fact that the word “always” should not be taken entirely literally in our art.

20

Exercise 105

Improvise your own bar (3/4, 4/4, 6/2), tempo, rhythm, etc., on the

understanding that the tempo is slow enough to give you time to practise all kinds of dynamics.

The beams that group the notes together in this example are only suggestions, so please feel free to make other combinations yourself.

Crescendo

There is in fact no special technique for crescendo, so there are no specific movements of the fingers. The only thing you can do is to lower the pitch by adding fingers, while your breath raises the pitch by the corresponding amount.

In most situations it is best not to use the very first open hole, since the pitch will generally be altered too much. It is better to work a couple of holes further down the instrument, so that two or more fingers can be used if desired, which gives you greater

flexibility. (Don’t forget that you can also partially close the holes.)

Exercise 106

For this exercise check the Table of Dynamic Fingerings in the following

pages. Remembering these strange fingerings is one thing, but it is important

that you understand the logic of how they are built up.

Since it is hardly possible to remember them all, it is better to accustom the fingers to do whatever they feel comfortable with, and to bring them into play

when the ear realizes that they are required. In other words, it should become a simple reflex to fingers when you the full conscious concentrating on

add fingers when you are too high, and reduce the number of are too low. In the long run the fingers should react without participation of the player’s brain, which should be the more interesting aspects of playing.

Ol

Ol

Ol

OL

ol

Ol

OL

O1

ol

0101

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

33

22

Tr

Sf

2

6

2

4 Js 6 7

p

2

2 2

3 ca &

SS

4 oS 6 r

wp

2

22

4

2

4 5 6 &8

Sf

O1

8

Pp

Ol

2

3

F 8

#1

2

4 3 6 (?)

S ppp

continues opposite

21

@

Keep the note at the correct pitch; maybe you can ask a friend to play a long, unwavering fifth above or below your g’.

@

Ifyou do not have a tenor with double holes and double keys, feel free to

@

Practise the same exercise on other notes as well.

transpose this exercise for the treble.

3 Alternative Fingerings

In the past alternative fingers were used mainly for the convenience of the player. Physically awkward trills such as 01234 67-0123 56 or 01 3 56-0 2, and trills around

changes of register such as 2-Q12345 or Q/2-Q12 456¥, and others were, and still are, very much helped by alternative fingerings. But to vary dynamics and colour can also be important reasons for using them. Take a mixed ensemble consisting of, say, a voice, a piano, a cello and a recorder,

playing a nice slow movement. While for the other instruments the final note is something to look forward to, for the recorder player it is really a pain, since his final

note always tends to boom out like a foghorn while the other instruments die away

into a pianissimo. Alternative fingerings can be a great help to the recorder player here, especially those suitable for a diminuendo. However, the timbre of any such fingering should be watched very carefully, since it can easily be quite different in colour from the other notes in the phrase, especially if it is a forked fingering. Of course you can

also add fingers for a final note if the ensemble wants to finish loud.

We can see now that alternative fingerings really can be used for dynamics, as well as

for convenience and to vary the colour of the notes. For soft notes I recommend

forked fingerings. Because of the many fingers involved, these usually sound rather subdued, almost muted, as if heard from a distance, while they also have greater

possibilities for making diminuendi. Loud notes are in general best played with open fingerings. You should get used to the fingering possibilities on each instrument you play, as no two recorders react exactly the same to alternative fingerings, especially when working

at the extremes of the dynamic spectrum.

One can normally find an alternative fingering by taking the standard fingering on the next note on the scale as a point of departure, and adding extra fingers as necessary.‘

Alternatives to 01: CO

Start with 0 2;

Os

add 3, and on many instruments you are already there.

If not: leave 3 open and add 4.

Tf this is not enough: O

add 4and 5.

!This does not always apply to notes round the changes of register, where the fingering patterns are more irregular.

22

If this is almost but not quite enough, then O

add 4, 5, & and 6, and ¥ if required, depending on the instrument.

So you end with the fingering 0 2 456(X), for playing mp/p, or

0 2 458, for playing pp, or 0 2 457, also for playing pp.

or

O

Start with 12;

O

add 3 (an alternative to 02),

O

add 3 and 4, for playing mf,

O

add 3, 4and 5,

If this is too much (often this fingering is an alternative to 0] 3 56), try mstead O

3,5 and 6, for playing p, or

O

3,5and&, for playing pp.

or O

Start with 2;

O

add 3, 4, 5 and 7, for playing pp, or

O

add 4, 5, 6 and 7, for playing ppp.

And so on; for almost every standard fingering there are several alternatives. The

following table gives you most of them. Table of dynamic fingerings

The table of dynamic fingerings, as with the other charts, cannot and does not want to pretend to be complete; you have to figure out for each of your instraments how far they work.

Please note the following remarks. 1

Fora

better comparison with fingering tables shown in Volumes I and II. this

table is also notated for the treble.

OC

We give only the fingerings which make sense in terms of stabiity. pach and a certain ease; however, small corrections will always be necessary

O

The order of the given fingerings is based on 1

volume (from loud to soft)

and (for a better guide to how the instrument is constructed) on 2

groups of fingerings, in the sense that, inside the marked block of Smzermmegs. the left hand stays more or less the same while the right hand changes fingerings.

QO

\ =(more or less) half opened/closed ({)=closed a little ({)= leaked a little.

O

(a) _ All fingerings with a closed hole 0 for the standard fingerme can be played (b) (c)

Ol

piano by leaking hole 0 (see Part I: glissando type 5).

See Exercise 121(a). Several flageolet notes can be achieved by inhaling — from pp through the instrument.

See also Exercise 134(a).

23

C1

O

With these fingerings one should be able to find all microtone fingerings. Since

there are too many different instruments around it seems useless to give a chart for these as well. If necessary you could check Michael Vetter’s book II flauto dolce ed acerbo (Moeck Verlag, 1969).

Anaddition to your table of special fingerings for trills (Volume II, page 56) can

be derived from this table for each of your instruments: move whichever finger(s) and note down the trills which make sense. Some fingerings work better played staccato rather than legato. Be aware that particular fingerings might change on different instruments. f

— oe

ol 2 3 4 5 6

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4 5 6 7 8

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Pp

4 & 6 7

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4 5 6

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