Right. People who think that recorders are "toy" instruments have probably only heard a room full of third graders playing cheap plastic soprano recorders.
To truly appreciate the sound you need to hear wooden instruments, played by someone who knows how to blow delicately (leave the fellatio jokes at the door please, thank you). Multiple types of recorders in an ensemble -- very classy sounding.

@fleeb re. clarinets and open vs. closed holes -- I've never seen a closed hole clarinet, but concert flutes are definitely made with both open and closed hole styles. Open hole is harder to play because it obviously requires a more accurate contact with the keys. On the other hand, I am wishing I had an open hole flute right now because just this week I took my flute out of the attic to prepare some music for Christmas Eve, only to discover that the pads have dried out and are not making full contact with the holes.

It is true that on a recorder you have to half-cover the thumb hole to play in its higher register. If you're just getting started you can often get away with just leaving it open and blowing a little harder, but it's a bad habit to get into and somewhat hard to break.

Yeah, I preferred to use the half-hole, as it made a better sound than trying to overblow the recorder.

I was part of a recorder ensemble, if briefly, when I was stationed in Ft. Stewart, Ga. You can definitely make some wonderful music with those things if everyone takes it seriously.

I'd still like to have a bass recorder. I bet those things sound great.

John Dowland on recorders:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXkRgUvY6PM

Ah yes, the old "do the performance in a room with very sepulchural acoustics" trick. Works great for recorders. Back in college we used to play in stairwells late at night for just the right mix of fantastic sound and annoying the hell out of anyone who might be trying to sleep nearby. We had to be careful though, because it was an old building capable of burning down in about five minutes but it took 11 minutes to evacuate. So we just stuck with the recorders, no pyrotechnics.

Heh... imagine the 1812 Overture with recorders and fireworks.

I singled out the 1812 Overture for the artillery. Seeing the contrast between artillery fire and recorders appeals to my sense of irony.

Google is your friend!

http://mainframe-music.info/mainframe_music_mp3s.html

Free downloads.

I spend about 3 hours a day commuting between my current job and home, and I've taken to listening to classical music on the radio.

For some reason, I didn't change the channel when they elected to play Tannhauser.
So, I had the bitter taste of Wagner stuck in my ears for the last bit of my commute.

I keep wanting to call that piece of music "Tannhauser Busch", and image a bunch of drunken sailers annoy the hell out of a fat woman.

I suppose I should be thankful it wasn't Albinoni's "Music For Slitting Your Own Wrists" (aka Adagio in G Minor):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMbvcp480Y4

(and, yes, I'm trolling... hehhehheh...)

That's ok, fleeb.
One of these days you *will* develop a taste for good music... ;)

I suppose I should be thankful it wasn't Albinoni's "Music For
Slitting Your Own Wrists" (aka Adagio in G Minor):

Funny. That's what I call Journey and Boston....

vince:

*grin*

aahz:

Yeah, I can see that.

I actually like the Albinoni piece I linked, but it really seems like one of the saddest classical pieces of music I've ever heard, hence why I called it that.

If I ever gain serious skills with a movie camera, and can find the people to help me do this, I would feature that piece of music while filming the results of a gruesome suicide, with occasional flashes of bits of the person's life where he failed at something.

That sounds like a very interesting project fleeb. Something more for your copious free time. I twitch when I hear the opening to Separate Ways as well as a bunch of other Journey songs.

I admit, the idea isn't exactly comic.

Separate Ways... oddly, I can't recall what Journey sounds like. Although, I seem to recall thinking it sounded kinda... I dunno... immature?

They are.. and painful.

The Journey most painful... heh...