I'm not one of those people who hate recorders.
I LOVE THEM!
It's the only musical instrument I know how to play.
And yes, I learned it in school --
in Grade 7 when I was twelve years old.
We received weekly instruction for three months
from a young teacher who just happened
to know how to teach recorder.
She was stunned to learn that I didn't already know
how to read music, naively assuming that all kids
came from homes wealthy enough to afford
private music lessons. I did not.
Learning basic musical notation
and the recorder scale opened
a whole new world to me.
I've parlayed that short period of formal instruction
into a lifetime of playing recorders
for my own enjoyment,
not only the basic soprano recorder
by also alto, tenor and bass recorders,
which I learned how to play on my own.
I never had the opportunity to play in an ensemble
until I was middle aged. Unfortunately, it revealed the limits of
my musical education and proficiency, so I went back
to just playing for my own enjoyment.
That has always been enough for me.
These days, I can no longer play the recorder
due to my poor eyesight which prevents me
from being able to see the sheet music.
But who knows, perhaps once my cataracts are removed,
I will be able to play again. I hope so!
Recorders deserve more respect than they get.
Before the invention of the metal transverse flute,
recorders were a serious instrument in baroque and
other early music central to the European tradition.
Today, however, they are regarded as being only
a kid's plastic toy to torment everyone around them.
But hey, I still enjoy a good recorder meme
like anyone else! So here's a few to end on.
