Recorder Group

Another little turnover of players has occurred in the Recorder Group and up to three places are available (max size 12).

It’s a group for the keen hobby recorder player! Not for beginners, though : you need to be familiar with recorder fingerings, basic scales and arpeggios, able to read music and follow a beat. You should have a music stand and preferably two recorders from descant, treble, tenor and bass in order to fit into the group. If you only have experience with one recorder but are willing to take up another, you could still join the group. Existing players play two or three sizes and like to swap around, so someone who only wants to play one size of recorder will unfortunately restrict the opportunities for the other players too much.

We play music from early to modern times and by a wide range of composers, which is all provided. The level is grade 3 to 4. There’s a lot of different music around for recorders to play - much more than is commonly imagined!

This is an improvers group, so regular attendance is hoped for : it isn’t suited to anyone likely to take lots of time out. A readiness to practise at home and prepare a short piece of music for the next meeting is also helpful. The group is friendly and supportive and will enable players to improve playing skills or take up a new instrument. There’s a small library of music to borrow and play at home.

A recorder professional comes once a month to conduct, to help players make progress by playing more challenging music and offer some professional input if they have any questions.

It’s always possible for a potential player to come along as a guest for one session and the leader will tailor the music accordingly. Include some details of your playing background in the contact form and then there can be a phone call to discuss the next step.

We meet on Tuesdays from 2pm-4pm (with a short break) every week unless we agree not to. We play in a large, well-ventilated ground floor lounge where the leader lives. No car parking, unfortunately, but the 51 and 700 bus routes stop outside. Otherwise it’s 6-8 mins walk from the Cattle Market car park or from Florence Road car park, where parking is free for 3 hours.