The recorder: A basic workshop manual

46 Pages·1989·2.667 MB·English

by  Adrian Brown

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A BasWiocr ksMhaonpu al
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DOLCE
AdriBarno wn
TheR ecorder
A Basic Workshop Manual
DOLCE
Index
Introduction 3
Terminology 5
Playing in a new instrument 7
Daily care and maintenance 8
Oiling 9
Clogging 11
Removing the block
12
Cleaning the block and windway areas 13
Replacing the block
14
The tenon and socket joints
15
Special problems of different recorders
17
Tuning 19
General principles 19
Fingerholes 19
Forked fingerings
21
Fingerhole modifications
22
Hole chart for baroque alto recorder 23
The bore 27
Bore chart for baroque alto recorder
28
Bore modifications
29
Manometers, tuning meters and blowers 31
Typical tuning problems 33
Changing the pitch of the whole instrument 36
Voicing 39
Testing recorders
41
Recorders of different woods 42
Tools and materials
44
Bibliography 45
3
Introduction
This little book came about firstly as a series of fact sheets about my
recorders, and it was in the process of converting all this information into
something more solid that I took the decision to open it up to a wider
audience. The chapters on tuning grew out of a series of workshops I gave in
several European conservatories during the spring of 1987; the apparent
success of these persuaded me that recorder players, given a little help, should
be able to repair and maintain their instruments to a large extent. One major
obstacle to their doing this, it seems to me, is the lack of literature on the
subject. There have been many articles written in various journals that offer
advice on practical aspects of the recorder, but these tend to be written for
recorder makers rather than players. I feel this is possibly the first attempt to
combine all of the subjects concerning recorder maintenance and repair under
one cover.
I would like to stress that this book is aimed at players, to help explain some
of the subjects that concern them, which are too often given only a small place
in the curriculum of music schools, and which therefore tend to be learnt
almost like folk stories from other players. It is not intended to explain
recorder making, nor how to mend cracks, nor will it provide a miracle cure for
a bad instrument. I only want to try to help players to be more aware of their
recorders as instruments, and to be more sensitive in listening to what their
recorders are trying to tell them. If it can also give some practical help in
curing small problems, then it will have been worthwhile.
I feel I have to state quite categorically, that the contents of this book reflect
very much my own subjective opinions on what I feel people can do with my
instruments. Other makers will suggest different options, and my advice is to
follow them when they do. The basic principles of the tuning etc. will apply to
any recorder, but small differences will remain, both between instruments and
makers. Just as I feel I know what is best for my recorders, so other makers
will know what is best for theirs.
Warning I hope I have made it quite plain in the text that the recorder is a very delicate
instrument that needs a lot of care in making, playing and adjusting. It can
easily be upset by foolhardly experiments. I cannot accept responsibility for
instruments ruined by people carrying out the modifications proposed in this
book, because I am neither in a position to supervise the way they are done,
nor even to assess if they are necessary. So I would strongly suggest, therefore,
that you read and understand the chapters of this book, then practise
modifying cheap wooden, or plastic instruments, and only begin work on a
valued recorder when you are quite confident of your understanding of the
problems, and your ability to solve them.
Acknowledgements I would like to thank the many people who gave me their ideas for this book,
for reading the text and suggesting improvements to both text and layout; in
particular Thijs van Baarsel, Alec Lorretto, Sebastien Marq, Irene Oki and
Matthias Weilenmann.
Adrian Brown,
Smefellsjokull,
July 1989
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5
Terminology
These are my own explanations of the terms used in what follows.
All the references to fingerings and their respective notes are for the baroque
alto recorder in F.
FingerhoThlee finsg erholes are numbered:
0 thumb, left hand
I index finger, left hand
II middle finger, left hand
ill ring finger, left hand
IV index finger, right hand
V middle finger, right hand
VI ring finger, right hand
VII little finger, right hand
Vill bell termination, or the hole at the extreme south end of the recor­
der, covered by the knee when playing f"' sharp or certain other high
notes.
FingerinFginsge rings are indicated as follows:
0 The thumb hole is closed
1 hole I is closed
2 hole II is closed
3 hole ill is closed
4 hole IV is closed
5 hole V is closed
6 hole VI is closed
7 hole VII is closed
indicates an open hole between two closed holes
/ indicates a leaked or half-covered hole
For example, ,012-45,6 is c'" sharp on an alto recorder in F and g' sharp on a
tenor recorder in C
Plaifinn gerinA gno te with no closed holes below the first open hole (for example 0123)
Forkefidn gerinA gno te played by adding fingers below an open hole, to lower a plain-fingered
note and to create a new note, normally about a semitone below (for example
012-456).
PrincihpoalleT h e first open hole of a forked fingering, so that for the fingering 01-34 hole II
is the principle hole.
Doubhloel eT he holes normally found in modern "baroque" recorders, in place of holes VI
and VII, to facilitate the playing of the semitones (f' sharp/g' sharp on an alto
recorder).
RegistFeorr t he purposes of this book I will consider an alto recorder in f' to have 26
notes from f' tog'":
low register from f' to g"
upper register from a" flat to d"
third register from e"' flat to/'"
fourth register from f'" sharp tog"'
6
Undercutting This is generally taken to mean the conical recess found underneath the
fingerholes; it is a feature more characteristic of handmade than of factory
instruments.
North The end of the recorder with the windway, or towards this end.
South The end of the recorder furthest away from the windway, or towards this end.
Harmonic relationship The relationship between two notes in different registers that share a common,
or similar fingering.
For example, a" is the first harmonic of a', and the interval between these two
notes is an octave.
e"' is the second harmonic of a', and the interval between these two notes is a
twelfth.
Wide octave An octave relationship where the difference between the lower and higher
notes is greater than 1200 cents.
NaffOocWta ve An octave relationship where the difference between the lower and higher
notes is smaller than 1200 cents.
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windewnatyr ance
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lowweirn dswuaryf ace
ceil(iunpgp er block
windswuaryfa ce)
uppcehra mfer
(ohne ajdo int)
�----i......,+ windewxaiyt
lowcehra mfer
(obnl ock)
edge
7
a
Playing in new· instrument
Most makers of recorders provide some guidance on the best way of playing an
instrument during the first few months of its life, and, generally speaking, these
instructions should be followed. However, there are some general principles,
which I would like to outline.
When a recorder is new, the wood of which it is made will be more inclined to
absorb moisture, and if this happens to any great extent, the instrument will
become warped. This is especially true of the voicing areas, which are the most
sensitive, and therefore the most likely to change. It is therefore important to
ensure that a new instrument does not get too wet, and that it is properly dried
out between playing sessions. When breaking in a new recorder you should
listen carefully to the sound, and if the tone seems to be deteriorating, stop
playing for a while. Moderation is essential, together with some awareness of
what is happening to the instrument. There is probably not much difference
between playing an instrument for fifteen or twenty minutes a day. However, it
is better to divide the time into two sessions, separated by several hours, or
even into three or more little bursts. After each period, you should dry the
bore of the instrument with a piece of cloth attached to an oiling rod, and then
stand up the joints vertically, so that any residual moisture can run away.
NBI:it vs e irym oprtatnhtna ote xthreaia usts etdos p eueptd h per oc-ess
evdeni rseucntlc iacgnha tua sw eei tn strtuocm raecnkt.
Instruction books often advise caution in playing in the high register. This is
because the higher breath pressures used when playing at the top of the range
cause more moisture to enter the instrument, so that the voicing area can
become saturated. So the playing of long, or at least strong, high notes should
therefore be avoided as much as possible during the first month or so.
8
Daily care and maintenance
The recorder is a fragile and delicate instrument, that should be handled
carefully. Changes in humidity and temperature, and the amount and style of
playing, not to mention the character of the player's saliva, can all have an
effect to a greater or lesser extent on the instrument. However, if treated with
care and a degree of common sense, recorders can actually improve as they get
older, and last almost a lifetime.
It is very important that the joints of a recorder are taken apart after playing,
and that all excess moisture is removed from the bore with a clean cloth,
attached to a cleaning rod. Any residual moisture in the windway can be
sucked out. Ideally it is best to leave the instrument out of its case to dry out.
Most recorders operate at their best after a certain amount of playing; the time
taken to reach the optimum level will vary between players, makers and
instruments. Often the playing qualities of an instrument will improve after a
while, and then deteriorate an hour or so later. The reason for these changes is
that the wood is reacting to the moisture in the breath, and because of this the
dimensions of the voicing area are changing by fractional amounts. It is
essential that the player learns to sense these changes, and gets to understand
the amount of time each instrument can be played. It is often possible for a
maker to change the proportions of the voicing slightly, to postpone the
moment at which the instrument reaches its best, so that it can °Q.e played for
longer. I design the majority of my own instruments to work best after about
half an hour's playing, so that they can be used for about two hours; this
approach, which may not suit everyone, is my personal compromise for the
majority of players.
Certain woods change more quickly than others: boxwood, for example, is
much more unstable than maple, or most of the exotic hardwoods - however,
the special sound qualities of boxwood instruments, I feel, outweigh their
disadvantages. Other factors that affect the extent to which the recorder
changes are the size of the instrument - smaller ones are more sensitive -
and the amount it is played each day. In an ideal world a recorder would be
played for enough time each day to reach its optimum level, and then allowed
to dry. Of course this is not a practical solution, but a bit of thought about how
an instrument is going to respond to a given work schedule should allow the
player to plan so that the instrument will function near its peak for most of the
playing time.
Warming It is important that recorders are warmed before playing, especially if they are
made of grenadilla, ebony, or other exotic woods. Blowing into instruments
when cold will cause condensation to build up in the windway, often causing
serious clogging.
To warm an instrument, either cup the voicing area in your hands, or wrap the
head joint in a clean handkerchief and put it in a pocket close to your body.
Storage Recorders should be stored in places with fairly stable temperature and
humidity. Most recorders are tuned at around 20° C: if the temperature falls
below this, the pitch will go down, if above, it will rise. Sudden changes in
temperature should be avoided, and in winter any instrument should be
9
protected from the cold when being carried out of doors. Similarly, changes in
humidity should be avoided; the instrument should be kept in an environment
that is neither too dry, which can cause it to crack, nor too wet, which
encourages fungi. When taking recorders on aeroplanes, always try to take
them in the passenger cabin, and avoid having them loaded into the hold,
which becomes very cold and dry in flight.
Returning Instruments to If you have to send back an instrument to the maker for repair, use a strong
cardboard box, such as one of the mailing cartons normally sold in post offices.
makers
Pack the recorder in its case or bag, and put this into a plastic bag and seal it
well, to stabilise the humidity. Then put the plastic bag in the box, with plenty
of padding, for instance newspaper or bubble plastic. If you are sending an
instrument overseas for repair, it is wise to contact the maker or repairer first,
to find out what customs documents are required. If you do not take this
precaution, you may find that the instrument is returned to you without ever
reaching the maker, because of high charges imposed by the customs.
OilinThgere are three reasons for oiling the bore:
1. It is essential that the bore of the instrument is airtight, for the tiniest leak
at any point in the tube can markedly affect the response of the recorder,
and especially the strength of the low notes.
2. The oil acts as a barrier preventing water from penetrating the pores of the
wood, where it can cause swelling, or, in extreme cases, even splitting.
3. Finally, regular oiling can prevent the inside of the bore from becoming
mildewy, or getting infested with fungi.
Frequency Recorders differ quite significantly on this point. An instrument made from a
coarser, less dense wood, such as maple, will require more frequent oiling than
one made, say, in boxwood. Similarly, a recorder that is played very regularly
will require more frequent oiling than one that is only blown from time to time.
However, as a guide I would suggest that a baroque alto in boxwood should be
oiled every two weeks when new, increasing the intervals to 5-6 weeks when
one year old.
Types of oil I recommend the use of almond oil for all types of recorder, except for
priceless original instruments, about which current opinion favours a non-drying
oil. Almond oil is very thin, especially when warm, and it is best to use the
"cold-pressed" type, if possible. Refined linseed oil is a good substitute,
although the smell is not so agreeable, and it tends to be a little thicker than
almond oil. I would not recommend the use of cooking oils, such as sesame
seed, corn, etc.; these are usually far too thick and sticky, so are of no use for
record-ers. In most countries almond oil or refined linseed oil may be bought at
chemists.
Applying the oil The best method is to obtain several purpose-made plastic or metal rods, into
which can be fitted pieces of cloth. Alternatively, cut a slit into the end of a
length of dowel of suitable diameter to hold the cloth. Use a good quality
material, that will not leave any fluff in the bore. At this stage, the oil should
be heated slightly, by leaving the jar containing the oil in a saucepan of hot
water for about ten minutes. This will make the oil thinner and more able to