minstrel: beginners, ren vs baroque, buying recorders

[toni seales]

I and most of the dance/medieval band I play with at
times (Jouissance) have gotten the Dream soprano and
alto recorders made by Mollenhauer.  They are a newer
model that looks pretty Renaissance but finger & range
of the familiar baroque.  They are also reasonably
priced.  They are available through Boulder Early
Music.  We have always tried to get a couple on
approval, or compare with one someone already has
(generally a good idea with any wooden or handmade
instrument) since there are definitely good and better
individual instruments.  For myself, if I can't have
an experienced person check out the instrument, I
don't feel very confident determining sound quality
unless I have something to compare.  I would have
bought fuzzy sounding recorders if not for this check.
Regarding baroque recorders: Of course it is much
nicer to play a  Renaissance instrument especially at
events, but for people just getting into it, the
better baroque plastics are more affordable and
consistent. We've tried to steer as many beginners as
possible to the yamaha alto and tenors.  If there's a
chance someone would migrate to a tenor from the
soprano that is frequently a happy transition,
although many believe the finger spacing to be too
uncomfortable, or they don't want to spend over $20. 
Tenors sound wonderful to most people, are easy to
play, and don't ricochet around indoor spaces.  
It's awkward to have a consort and want to include new
people and encourage them, but they only play soprano
and we have been working with a strong leader using
soprano for some time. It's usually not an instrument
that doubles well.  We have a few beginners who
started on alto, which is great, except a lot of good
music has the alto line to be read up an octave, a
hurdle for those still working on just playing, which
is frustrating when you're trying to find music for a
group.  Also, books for C fingering are readily
available at any music store, while alto study music
requires more legwork.  So they all have tradeoffs.  
Just some of my experience.  (part of why I've moved
to bass gamba for our bigger consorts!) If any of you
have ever-evolving musical habitats and have found
workable solutions, I'd love to hear them.
Antonia

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