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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best recorder guide,
By T. Givens (Virginia , USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Recorder Book (Paperback)
This is the best book yet written on the recorder. Ken covers the instrument's history and traditional repertoire; every aspect of technique, note by note; breath control and articulation problems; and makes a thorough study of performance considerations and practice habits. He also gives complete recommendations on selecting and caring for a new recorder.
It is written in a relaxed, friendly style; very easy to follow and understand. This is THE book every recorder player should have, whether a novice just starting or an experienced player who wants to improve. The book's main shortcoming is its age. Written in 1982, a few details have become dated, particularly the list of recommended works to play. While the list is still valid, it could be longer with more recent works added. There have also been advances in recorder design and materials since 1982. I would also like to see discussion of applying the recorder to popular music of the twentieth century, but this is a personal beef I have with every recorder book. They all focus on the traditional Renaissance and Baroque music, with mention of modern works only in the classical genre. Another drawback is that the book's continued popularity has meant that used copies usually have an outrageous price. With patience, I eventually lucked onto a good condition hardcover for $15. Most listings tend to start around $25 for a softcover, up to well over a hundred for a fine hardcover. I understand that Mr. Wollitz is currently at work on a revised edition, that will hopefully be published within the next year. I look forward to it.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Comprehensive Guide,
By
This review is from: The Recorder Book (Paperback)
This book is an excellent guide to recorders and recorder music. The author, a well-known recorder teacher, has documented in this book many different aspects of his teaching and playing. Topics covered include technique (breath, articulation, fingering, and vibrato), practicing, ornamentation (trills, mordents, and appoggiatura "grace notes"), ensemble playing, selecting and caring for a recorder, and notes on the recorder repertory. There is an appendix at the back of the book covering the beginner's first lesson, a fingering chart, major and minor scales, and miscellaneous suggestions about playing music. There is also a glossary, and a list of recommended books for further reading, as well as an index.
I recently joined a recorder ensemble comprised of enthusiastic if uninformed musicians. We were struggling with trying to guess the differences between a trill and a mordent, and how one would play such ornaments. We were delighted to find clear explanations for these ornaments in this book. I also found much useful information about how to care for our instruments, and how not to damage them through ill-advised practices. The lessons on developing vibrato clear up another mystery about recorder playing, and the advice about rolling the left thumb rather than gouging the thumb hole is very intriguing. Although the book could be used perhaps by those who are complete beginners to music, it is recommended that readers at least know how to read musical notation before picking this book up. Throughout the book, Willitz assumes that the reader will be working with an alto rather soprano recorder, but it is only in the end of the book that he explains why this is so: adult hands fit altos better than sopranos, the tone of altos is preferred by some, and much serious recorder music was written for altos rather than sopranos. Nevertheless, most readers these days who started recorder either as children or as adults who bought the first instrument they found in the store will probably be more familiar with soprano recorders and their fingerings. For this reason, it would have been useful if Willitz had provided soprano fingerings as well as alto fingerings in his discussion; it would have been especially good to include soprano fingerings in the alternate fingerings section. An odd aspect of the book is that the fingering chart found in the appendix is for soprano recorders, although it not labeled as such, and is at odds with all the other fingerings in the book, which are for altos. Willitz's musical advice goes far beyond recorder playing. In the practice section, he describes techniques for working out difficult passages that would apply well to any instrument practice, or perhaps even voice. He discusses selecting pieces for a solo recital, and provides advice for how to arrange the pieces in the recital. He even has some practical suggestions for choosing a music stand or storing music. The text is quite readable, and highly informative.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The recorder book -- the perfect handbook for recorder players,
This review is from: The Recorder Book (Paperback)
I, also, am looking forward to the updated version of "The Recorder Book" by Kenneth Wollitz. He has done a superb job of providing the perfect guide for recorder players. The information that most needs to be updated is that for the graded repertory and recorder care/selection sections. I also think it would be a good idea to add C fingering and music notation (side by side with F fingering) in the Beginner's First Lesson section, as many adults opt to start on the soprano recorder. The pratice, fingering, articulation, ornamentation and ensemble playing tips are all excellent.
Overall, the book remains the favorite in my library of recorder handbooks. This is a "hand-on" guide. Historical repertoire is referenced well and technique could only be presented better from a personal, well qualified instructor. Judy Siegrist Kerrville, Texas
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