January 26, 2011
-
For the Record(er)
In case you didn’t notice on my school schedule, I’m teaching the kids to play the guitar, piano, and recorder. We are JUST STARTING (in Lydia’s case, refreshing). But I thought I might as well get them all on the same page. Anyhow, I bought recorders for them, and youth guitars were their X-mess presents last year, and of course there’s my piano (and Lydia’s, although that’s just waiting for when she grows up).But as to teaching… I have to admit something. I don’t know how to play a six-string guitar (only a 4-string one). So I’m gonna be re-learning as they learn. And as for the recorder? I know NOTHING AT ALL. Okay, that’s not true, as a pianist, I know notes, beats, measures, and can play songs by ear on it using the basic fingerings. Enough to get them going. But I thought if I could find something on-line to make it even easier…
And I did!
The first thing I found was a KICKING Powerpoint presentation (with audio and video!) to teach the basics: how to hold it, clean it, position to play in, and first three notes. The basics of reading music (which we’ve already started with music theory). It’s worth looking at.
Then I found four .pdf files with music and little pictures to help move from just one note to three and then on from there to six notes. I’ve printed them off for each child.
Lesson2.pdf – the three notes B-A-G
Lesson3.pdf – three songs for three notes
Lesson4.pdf – Skips & Steps
Lesson5.pdf – Adding an EFrom there I would go on to this site, which is a different way to ‘read’ recorder music (inferior, I think)… but it takes you beyond the basic notes of the easy lessons and adds higher notes and accidentals (sharps/flats).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A506387Another site I think looks REALLY useful and good is this one, but you have to download a notation reader (also free) to use it. Still, it has a LOT of lessons, progressing in difficulty, and a lot of new songs.
http://practiserecorder.com/Anyhow, it’s a start for us. I have some incredible ‘fake’ books, and I’m pretty sure we can go from there. ((grins!)) But this might help if anyone else is interested in teaching/learning the recorder.
Comments (2)
**** I forgot to open comments ****
Huh…comments are gone. Ah, well – I’ll just PM ya.
Cait did recorder in school, and hated it. They haven’t offered it to Ian….so he’ll probably not do it. I will be back to teaching violin, though – playing isn’t *that* hard, once you get used to the back-and-forth of the bow while moving your left-hand fingers.
(I was a *good* violinist. I seem to be a decent teacher – Steven isn’t doing too badly, and when he took lessons the guy was impressed with his progress. :shrug:)
We did tin whistle for a while – that was fun. I’d like to learn piano, so I could play my harp…..or just learn my harp. I just can’t get my left AND right hands to both play notes – it’s weird. I envy those of you that CAN play piano!
V
—————————————————-
Hey, thanks for posting this! (Comments weren’t available over there …) I actually am wanting to do this myself – my piano playing girl hasn’t been interested in recorder in years, but we have two of them laying around with a couple of books, and I think that with what you’ve shared, I may see if there’s a musical bone in my body after all. LOL
TxMom2Jami
Back in the day my grade school taught guitar in a limited fashion. But with all us guys bangin’ out “Satisfaction” on the top two strings, skool stopped teaching it.(imagine 25 kids w/guitars all at once)
I thought Recorders were too sleepy sounding, so I didn’t continue with ‘em…
In 8th grade I talked my dad into buying me a used bass guitar and I learned a lot of rockers by ear, but some kid swiped it, so I went back to 6 string, picked up some Beatles/McCartney, CCR, Chicago, and Cream songbooks and learned a few out of those…and then I found out a friend was selling a spare flute, so I got that and began to mimic Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) until one of my lamebrained friends sat on it >
Anyhow, all this rambling and I’m really only a legend in my own mind
For more kehtahr (geetar?) larnin’ you might check out chordie.com as they have chords, finger position charts and tablature (whatever That is…) for songs in lots of musical genres…just find an artist and go from there.