|
Post by scurra on Apr 16, 2008 21:38:26 GMT
Thought we needed a thread for the discussion of the instruments themselves....
|
|
|
Post by anacrusis on Apr 16, 2008 21:46:35 GMT
What's everyone got, then? Our house will be relatively boring on that front I guess - one harpsichord, handed on by an acquaintance who had one sitting useless in his garage, up on its keyboard end: one clavichord, an intermittent resident in our house - my husband has made it from scratch, but it still needs veneering, so it wanders between our house and his workshop: one square piano, which isn't, it's rectangular, and has no strings at present: one set of recorders, motley in part, but a few nice ones: one tenor viol, very pretty, plus bow.
|
|
|
Post by rosemary7391 on Apr 17, 2008 9:18:55 GMT
You call that boring?? The closest thing I've got to early instruments in my house is a few plastic recorders (4, precisely!). Does anyone know anything about early reeded instruments? I know the chalameau was the forerunner of the clarinet, but before that?
|
|
|
Post by YetAnotherKlavierist on Apr 17, 2008 9:45:10 GMT
The chalameau was a gorgeous instrument; I have a recording of some Vivaldi which has a movement which a little like a concerto for orchestra: the chalameaux play a duet; then the recorders; then the mandolin. It's a great piece. As for instruments - sad to say, but a Yamaha Clavinova with a harpsichord button. To their credit, one can change the temperament (quickest way to retune a harpsichord, second only to anacrusis's husband ). It also makes the 'key-off' sound that harpsichords do; and the single manual can be configured as 8', 8', 8'+16' or 8'+4', and feature a lute stop. Oh, and three plastic recorders and a violin with nylgut strings; and to throw in some wildcards, a Bulgarian Gadulka, an Egyptian Rababa, some Peruvian panpipes and a Chinese Gourd Flute. My parents have travelled .
|
|
|
Post by pushpull on Apr 17, 2008 14:42:48 GMT
You call that boring?? The closest thing I've got to early instruments in my house is a few plastic recorders (4, precisely!). Does anyone know anything about early reeded instruments? I know the chalameau was the forerunner of the clarinet, but before that? We have what seems like several dozen assorted recorders from cheap platics to some nice wood ones which don't get used as much as they deserve. Oh and a Yamaha electric with harpsichord voice (as noted elsewhere). Don't knock it we used it for a "one to a part" performance of The Messiah some years ago. Well, not all of it, just "bleeding chunks". Re. chalameau, I don't know much about single reeds but there are loads of double reed oboe and bassoon precursors. Shawms, racketts, etc. Oh and of course bagpipes of various sorts. The Early Music Shop website is a good browse.
|
|
|
Post by fluterocks on Apr 17, 2008 20:05:11 GMT
crumhorn!
|
|
|
Post by anacrusis on Apr 17, 2008 20:54:25 GMT
Oh, what fun - I'm hoping to get a go at playing on a crumhorn in another ten days or so . I'd really love to get the chance to try a cornett, though - even better, to learn it well enough to play Dario Castello's sonata secunda on one, but would have to learn d-g double tonguing to do that .
|
|
|
Post by kerioboe on Apr 17, 2008 21:18:39 GMT
I have a shawm (it's loud). I have tried a crumhorn and it needed incredibly high breath pressure to play even vaguely in tune - after playing that it felt like the oboe needed no breath at all.
|
|
|
Post by anacrusis on Apr 17, 2008 21:23:22 GMT
eek, really? Only I gave up the oboe with some relief, in order to play the recorder - I kept getting fed up with my lip going after very little time off, and also of going rather purple when playing. I had been wondering about trying to learn the baroque oboe, since it requires rather less pressure than the modern one, but would be worried about how to go about learning to make the reeds.
I had a Chinese shawm for a while, but gradually all the reeds went, so I couldn't play it any more.
|
|
|
Post by kerioboe on Apr 17, 2008 21:27:11 GMT
I think it might depend a little on the crumhorn. Somebody else told me that they had one which wasn't nearly so hard to blow. I thought I wasn't doing too badly when I was just fiddling by myself working out the fingering. It was only when I tried to play with others that I realised that I was about a tone and a half flat and that the only way to get the pitch up was by increasing the breath pressure.
|
|
|
Post by jod on Apr 18, 2008 14:12:33 GMT
Baroque recorders a=440 Sopranino, Soprano, Alto and Tenor.
I'm really a vocal specialist
|
|
|
Post by fluterocks on Apr 27, 2008 18:29:20 GMT
im currently trying to play a tenor crumhorn with a group of people as when i dont play crumhorn im usually on tenor recorder. It does take a lot of breath control etc, in comparison to a recorder but once you get used to it its not so bad. it's better if you play with others from the start so u can alter your tuning etc. Apparently, as long as when you play you breathe out before u breathe in, it should be a doddle...thats what i was told but even that's harder than it sounds... It can depend on the crumhorn but it doesnt vary much, obviously you'd need more control on a tenor or bass one than on a soprano for example.
Anyway, im waffling. it's cool anyways. Hoping to be given the opportunity to try out a shawm or a raushfiphen(i can't spell) cus they look----interesting too. we shall see...
|
|
|
Post by maizie on Apr 28, 2008 11:19:09 GMT
Just recorders for me...garklein and descant to bass. Great Big Yawning Gap where the sopranino should be, I'm well aware, and it niggles at me regularly I am intrigued by early instruments. Most of them make sense, in terms of a fore-runner of a modern instrument. Are there any good resources for reading a little bit about each of them? That especially goes for the keyboard instruments, there's harpsichords, clavichords, spinnets, virginals, etc, and I don't know the different between them (haha, first post at this alternative venue...excuse the sig, I rarely get the opportunity to advertise these things, so I thought, why not here?!)
|
|
|
Post by chocolatedog on Apr 28, 2008 12:06:07 GMT
Hardly early instruments here - an upright piano, a Boston grand, recorders (Aulos) of varying sizes, 2 flutes, basic percussion instruments (for teaching purposes) and a djembe (African drum), on semi-permanent loan........ oh, and a Roland fp8 keyboard, sitting in its case waiting to be repaired.......I always wanted a serpent.........but it might eat the chickens, or the dog, or junior, or me so it's probably not a good idea.........
|
|
|
Post by maizie on Apr 28, 2008 12:28:28 GMT
I always wanted a serpent... You could make a tame version - the Squarepent
|
|