From jigs and reels to baroque and renaissance music, recorders and whistles are not just for primary school children!
Adults and children alike can gain so much from learning a simple instrument like the recorder or the Irish ‘penny’ whistle. Benefits include an easy introduction to reading music from traditional stave notation, mastering breath control, improving hand to eye coordination, and getting to grips with the fundamentals of musical performance. All this, and the opportunity to learn an instrument that you can take along with you absolutely anywhere you go.
Both recorders and tin whistles are very affordable as first-purchase instruments, and there are some absolutely magnificent ones you can buy at a higher price point once you have gained confidence with your playing. First timers tend to opt for a cheap-and-cheerful recorder made from plastic, and that’s absolutely fine. But, once you’ve heard a wooden one being played you might struggle to contain your enthusiasm for it! Likewise, metal tubes with plastic tops make perfectly good tin whistles, but there’s nothing quite like the sound of instruments that are handmade completely from metal.
If you had in mind learning on your own, there’s plenty of exquisite music for these instruments. Those into early classical music might opt for a recorder, while the more mellow timbre of the tin whistle is often associated with folky styles of music. But, you can just as easily learn other styles of music on either instrument, including arrangements of pop, rock and jazz tunes.
Recorder style instruments really come into their own when played as part of a group. Both recorders and tin whistles come in different sizes, allowing for higher and lower pitched varieties to blend together.
Most students start by learning the ‘descant’ recorder or the tin whistle ‘in D’ – these would be the go-to starter instruments on most retail sites. The good news is that the fingering for these two instruments is really very similar, so if you can play one then it takes no time at all to adapt to the other. The minor differences in the way they’re played include the manner in which players access the upper range of notes – the recorder player is required to half cover a hole at the back with their thumb, while the tin whistle player simply increases the pressure as they blow.
There are lots of tutor books available for both instruments, and I tend to supplement these with other materials – melodies written in keys that are easy for either instrument to play (in this case, major keys of C, D or G). As with the keyboard and string instruments I teach, we start by learning just two or three notes, mastering the breathing and reading techniques, then progress at whatever pace works best for the student. You’ll learn where the notes are on the stave and how to read musical rhythms then get onto playing songs that particularly interests you (accompanied by me on guitar or piano, if you so wish), or even work towards your grades!
Moving on from the recorder / tin whistle, students typically have a go at flute, clarinet, oboe, or even ocarina. Although I don’t teach orchestral woodwind instruments, I can recommend other teachers in the Skipton, Keighley and Aire Valley area who will be able to help you progress onto one or more of these.
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