Recorder Pose -- Part Two

The Recorder Pose (RP) is really a set of preparatory drills. They aim to address certain technical elements and to prepare a mind-set for playing. With the usual caveat that nothing is set in stone, here is an RP worked out in note form.

The Breath
The target sound is that pure, simple note that carries no artifice. It should be the easiest thing in the world to create: just blow a clear, straight sound. Yet, years of technical and musical development somehow have resulted in muddying this simple act. Play a few open notes (i.e. no fingers on the instrument) and check the following:

• the sound is pure
• the breathing apparatus is relaxed
• there is no tension in the mouth, tongue, throat, lips
• the body is relaxed
• the wind is directed freely and is straight

The sound will be that pure, sweet one if the body is relaxed and the air flows freely. Actually achieving the sound at this stage isn't so difficult. The problems begin when other things are being practiced and tension is introduced. The key is to keep a constant mindfulness on the state of relaxation and on the actual sound produced. The RP begins with this sound and holds it in memory until the sound needs to be changed for deliberate reasons.

The Tongue
The position and placing of the tongue body influences the tone significantly. So, too, does extraneous muscle movement in the mouth. The imperative, therefore, becomes to adopt a position that is open enough to allow the breath to flow unimpeded and that is fixed enough to avoid unnecessary movements. Follow these checks:

• Tongue in 'ch' bite
• Articulate 'd' while minimising tongue tip movement
• Articulate 'd' to check tongue tip contact with the palate
• Reduce the palatial contact until air still flows when the tone is cut ('s' articulation)
• Notice the air stream against the tongue during 's' articulation in different registers
• Re-establish full palatial contact but as minimal as possible
• Vary the palatial release speed in different registers

These activities can be done very quickly and as a target, aim to achieve a good tongue position, strength, flexibility and speed within ten seconds.

The Fingers
Van Hauwe describes the fingers as the slaves of the recorder. Unfortunately, these slaves tend to be as demanding as masters. Indeed, in a past reincarnation, my recorder practice may have been accurately characterised as me being a slave to my fingers. Instead in this RP, the fingers are re-assigned to their inferior role, and only a couple of criteria are accorded to their needs.

• Check if the knuckle-instrument axis is exactly parallel
• Check each finger's tension level with close to zero being the target
• Check that the finger upward action is relaxed
• Check that the finger downward action is a true release and not a push
• When the above checks are in place, make sure that the upward and downward actions are done with 'click'

It is difficult to have a downward click that is also a true release. It can be done and is an integral part of the  finger RP.

Initial Notes
Before the RP is complete, a few trial notes are necessary. The following checks will ensure a good RP.

• Is the sound still pure on repeated notes?
• Is the sound still pure on scales?
• Is the sound still pure on intervals?
• Is the sound still pure on large leaps?

The assumption here is that the sound will not be affected by the RP. It should remain as open and free as possible and as the first notes before the RP began on the tongue and fingers. The playing apparatus should not interfere with the sound, and it is utterly imperative that the RP reflect this.