If I seem tetchy, or pale and withdrawn in the coming months, bear with me fellow lifers for the 3blokes' household has been stricken with a terrible affliction - my young daughter is learning to play the recorder.
Now anybody who has ever heard a group of small children wrestle with the tune of 3 blind mice on these things knows for certain that there is NO God.
The wife came home beaming from a boot fair the other day clutching this pristine brown recorder bastard thing which she had picked up for 20p.
I looked at her in disbelief. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WOMAN???!!!
So that's it. I'm f***ed.
Clair de Lune, twinkle twinkle at 6.30 in the morning. I really want to throw the recorder out the window every time she picks the satanic thing up, but she looks SO happy playing it :-)
Oh well, it could be worse, it could be the violin....and we all have to start somewhere eh...
( walks off trying not to appear too grumpy to a spirited rendition of what could be Harry Lime. But isn't)
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Wonder where she gets it from though?
;-)
It could be worse, though I have to say no one will pick up a violin from a boot sale for 20p.
This will be no consolation but there's a kid up my street who has been practising (again) throughout the school holidays in her back garden. There is absolutely no hint of improvement at all. It's just a horrible noise.
Fast forward to right now, my brother has a son who is 2, guess what he's getting for his 4th birthday.......?
The instrument has been known by its modern name at least since the 14th century. David Lasocki reports the earliest use of the word recorder was in the household of the Earl of Derby (later to become King Henry IV) in 1388: fistula nomine Recordour.[6] The name originates from the use of the word ricordare especiale, which means "remember" in Italian.
And you certainly find it difficult to forget so that's appropriate.
You only have yourself to blame ;-)
I looked at my ex-wife as if to say "WTF have I done to deserve this?" and the look I got back with a grin was "well I've had to put up with this on a daily basis and now its your turn!!!"
There's nothing quite like the sound of a recorder. Its like a shreak that breaks you in two. You have my utmost sympathy
However, having said that, I'm quite good on the recorder. I shocked them all by still being able to play "oh when the spurs go marching in" on it for the first time in 25 years, since my 3rd year summer Music exam at BGS.
It won't be long before she comes home with her first boyfriend who, with his arse hanging from his trousers, greets you with `Yo blood, wassup'
However , messing with these lads minds is well funny - they want to impress you and its quite easy to mess with their heads.
Because what we pianists do is pretty much just press buttons, there's only so much that can go wrong with the tone (e.g. scratchy violin, ear-splitting whistle-type annoying overtones on wind instruments, really REALLY loud trumpet/percussion and so on). It's also really good for theoretical skills later on should they develop a passion and interest for music.
The major drawback is the startup cost of buying a real piano, though I'm sure you can find really nice second-hand ones at reasonable prices. Highly highly recommended though.