Play Along Music for Recorders
This page has links to videos on YouTube which have music on the screen played at "440 pitch" (normal pitch). These can be played on the recorders owned by amateur players.
They have all featured in my "Thursday Music" emails.
(Professional "Early Music" is often played at a lower pitch, "415 pitch", a semitone lower. To play along with these videos requires a recorder at this pitch).
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Jeno Takacs (1902-2005), "Little Music" for two soprano recorders, with music on the screen - quite easy to play along.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsaHXF4aZC0
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Telemann: Sonata for oboe and flute in E minor (12 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdtIMaGztEw
(You can play along with this, the first movement being the easiest. Expand the video to the whole screen to make the music legible. The flute part can be played on an alto recorder, apart from a few notes, and the oboe part on a tenor recorder)
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Handel - Recorder Sonata in F major, with music on the screen (N.B. no repeats)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAmzlRqm7lU
(The 1st and 3rd movements are easy - the others rather fast!)
Now a recording of just the accompaniment, with just the recorder part on the screen. To give the speed there are single notes on the piano, as follows in the 4 movements:
i. A bar for nothing - 3 notes on the piano, then a chord on the first beat of the next bar before the recorder enters on the 2nd beat.
ii. Most of two bars - 7 crochets on the piano. Come in on the final quaver of the 2nd bar (the accompaniment should start on your third quaver).
iii. One bar of 12/8 time - 4 notes on the piano.
iv. Again one bar of 12/8 time - 4 notes on the piano, but much faster.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IilAVgrfEbQ
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Handel, Suite in G for flute (with music on the screen). Can be played on an alto recorder (apart from one note), a mixture of slow and fast sections (there are no repeats). (7 minutes).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9ZsgEJVDOI
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Bach(?), Siciliano (in G minor) from the Flute Sonata in E flat, BWV 1031 (with music on the screen). Play along on an alto recorder. (One phrase goes too low - omit a few notes or go up an octave). This piece can also be played on a tenor, but is rather high.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN4oWqenIIA
(Not everyone is certain that this is by Bach).
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Bach, Concerto in D minor for two violins, played by Simon Standage and Elizabeth Wilcock with the English Concert conducted by Trevor Pinnock.(15 minutes). The music is on the screen, the two solo violin parts being on the left hand side:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teHzIUqs7uU
Violin players will enjoy playing along with this. The slow movement, which starts at 4.00, also works well on recorders. Play the first violin part on an alto recorder, or the second part on alto or tenor (I prefer tenor). Whatever you do there are some notes too low - put these up an octave or leave them out. The highest note in this movement is D, easy on the alto, hard on the tenor. But of course on the tenor fewer notes are too low. I have played this a lot.
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Mozart, Quartet in F for oboe and strings (14 minutes): you can either listen or play along with this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJhlhoJNioo
The music is on the screen. Quite a lot of the oboe part can be played on an alto recorder! More with practice. Of course, I still leave out or simplify most of the fast runs. Some low notes I put up an octave. Tenor players can play the violin part (2nd line) leaving out the hard bits. Bass players play the cello part (4th line) - easy but perhaps boring. The viola part (3rd line) is in their own funny clef - and impossible for recorder players (I have tried!)
(last modified 29th July 2023)