Hello Sarah, I totally share your enthusiasm about these instruments. It's beautiful that even people who have mobility issue or who cannot use one hand can still manage to play a full-fledged instrument, so bravo Dolmetsch and bravo AAFAB for working with one's individual needs and allow that person to play with more ease. Personally I'd like to have two keys for the last two holes of my alto as I never manage to close them correctly and the sound leaks... I'm just being lazy and not practicising enough, I know, but still...
Good night. I'm a Brazilian and a recorder teacher from here in Brazil told me that you make or sell flute for those who have only one hand. This is my case. I want to know how I do it and what are the prices of these instruments. Antonio de Padua
Ha I had that idea too. It would be a brilliant instrument pairing for solo composition. One could write a solo-duo for soprano and alto, whatever combination desired! It's marvelous. Sarah might have had that idea, possibly immediately; however, she did mention the difficulty of getting about the different fingerings.
Yeah... I ended up on this video while looking for videos of medieval double recorders (it's a thing apparently!) and seeing the limited ranges that could be played (basically one recorder has the high holes and one has the low holes), and thinking that it was totally something that could be fixed with keys, and here it is! Just needs that last little nudge... though it must be pretty complex to finger two recorders at a time! Perhaps they only had right handed recorders, which wouldn't have made this possible.
My left hand and arm are partially paralyzed from a stroke and I was delighted to find these instruments. Aafab was wonderful to work with and my recorders are beautiful. And I applaud dolmetsch and Aafab for designing, building, and selling these recorders. I have the soprano, alto, and tenor versions and play in a folk group and in recorder ensemble. For those thinking of playing these be aware that while they sound lovely, allow one to play a wide range of music, and are really wonderful instruments, there are limitations inherent in the design that might be an issue for accomplished musicians. The keys limit the ability to fine-tune notes and there are very few alternate fingerings of course. There are also points where you must jump from keys to close over holes (F# to G on F instruments), which is tricky to do neatly and quickly, at least for me. And the second highest note requires five fingers to play, so not really possible one-handed (but does anyone actually play those highest notes?).
Hi this was an awesome video what's the website and I'm glad they made recorders now literally for everyone who wants to play thank you for sharing with us
He wasn't really his friend at all - it was Paul Wittgenstein, brother of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. The Wittgenstein's were, for a long time, the wealthiest family in Austria (they made their fortune in mining and metallurgy). Paul was a talented pianist who lost his hand in WWI and then used his family fortune to commission many of the best composers of the day to write pieces for him (usually concerti). Interestingly, Paul hated Ravel's piece and refused to play it.
Someone might even take advantage of these instruments to revive and evolve the "pipe&tabor" tradition, in which a one-hand fipple flute was played with one hand while the other one was used to play a drum: these instruments used to be diatonic two- or three-holes flutes (sometimes with a register hole on the back), now these instruments open a new horizon also in this particular field: fully chromatic capability on the pipe with the possibility to play a drum along.
"was", "used to be" ... there are still pipe and tabor players, in England and elsewhere on different styles of pipe. Just a little note, it never actually died out in England. Tabor pipes have a pitch and volume that is useful when playing, especially outside, to a group of dancers. A one-handed recorder does not. It's a different instrument, not an evolution of the tabor pipe and certainly not a replacement for it. PS. I applaud Dolmetsch on developing and making these one-handed recorders. They are remarkable instruments, and give people the opportunity to play the recorder and make music.
In Catalonia we have the "Flabiol", which is a kind of pipe&tabor but with the particularity that it is totally chromatic in two octaves, along with the "Tamborí", a small tabor. It is played a lot in traditional music and it is also an indispensable part of "sardanas", the catalan traditional dance.
As a professional player who lost my right arm in an accident last summer, I was pleased to find out about the Aafab one handed instruments. Problem is that the metal work is too high and rounded to play even relatively smoothly. I even contacted the metal worker in England suggesting that the metal be flatter and closer to the instrument. If as planned, I buy an Aafab instrument, I will be wanting the metal work changed. Any help or ideas?
If www.peterworrell.co.uk/ can't do it then probably no one can. Take a look at www.ohmi.org.uk for other instruments that could be played just with your left hand too.
A number of years ago I bought my first tenor (wooden, straight, i.e. without "knik") from Aafab. I was a little intimidated by the amount I had to stretch my arms; so I asked if they could put a knik in it - and they did. Then, just like Sarah, I found that when the tenor has a bend supporting it completely vertically was a big problem. So, I asked them if they could take the knik out - and they did. I eventually got used to it and am now very happy with my straight tenors. BTW: the tenor sounded identical with and without the knik. Lesson: if you are having a problem, then talking to Aafab (or presumably other builders) may be the path to a solution. There is a lot they can do.
"you don't have to push yourself into doing something that isnt right for you no matter what other people say": that resonates a lot for me playing the bassoon. This instrument is least ergonomical one ever built, and any accommodation is fiercely looked down upon!
How interesting - bravo Dolmetsch on the one-handed recorders! Thanks also Sarah for the pros and cons on knick and keyed tenors - I was thinking of buying one online without trying it out, but you've convinced me there are a few things to consider and test out between conventional vs modified recorders (e.g. balance, weight and key action). Question: does the knick change the air stream to the extent that it would have a different sound quality to a straight instrument and would you need to adapt your breathing technique at all to compensate? Thank you Sarah - another really interesting and informative video.
This is my experience (for what it's worth). I'm not an expert in breathing, but I played on a straight (normal) tenor, a straight bass (where the head joint's end is flat) and a knick bass (and an even larger recorder with a pipe attached to it). With regard to posture, I like the knick more than the straight ones, because these recorders are easier to adapt to my posture and my hands. However, with breathing, I didn't notice any difference. Yes, some were easier than others, but that had to do with the posture I had to have/the joint/keys/building quality etc, but not with breathing itself. OK, maybe other people have different experiences. Furthermore, I found it easier to play my keyed knick bass than my non-keyed straight tenor. Although the tenor is smaller, especially my right hand is not well suited for the large distance of the holes on my tenor. Because my knick bass has keys, the distance between between the fingers itself are less. I know some people with a keyed tenor (only the lowest hole), and it helps them a lot, since the pinky hole is the hardest one on the tenor. If your right hand is a problem, you could look for a recorder where you can turn the lower joint to the left, so that you can switch your hands? Keep in mind, this is very unusual in modern recorders, and may be a problem with the ring finger of the upper hand, because in tenor recorders, that hole is shifted to the left to make it easier for the left hand (so harder/impossible for the right hand) and may also be a problem with the pinky of the lowest hand if you need to cover half a hole.
Hi Sarah, I am delighted to have found your video. My daughter is right hemiphlegic, which renders her right side paralyzed. I am starting to hone school her this year and was looking for ideas o teaching her single hand notes on the recorder. Happy to note that one handed recorders are available. I would love to purchase it for my daughter and myself. Pl tell me where I can buy them. Thank you.
Hi Hema, thanks for your message! One handed recorders are available in Europe through AAFAB.nl, and you should check out the OHMI Trust (One Handed Musical Instrument Trust) website for further info: www.ohmi.org.uk/woodwind.html The instruments can be expensive so OHMI also offers some assistance too I think. I hope this helps!
That's pretty cool. It's good that there's such an option. I believe one could possibly use two of these, possibly of different sizes, to play a pretty complex counterpoint. Now I'm actually curious. Are there recorders with keys that allow them to reach 3 octaves or even higher, like the Boehm system on modern flutes?
I joined a University Life Long Learning that has classes for people over 50. They have an orchestra too. I joined, taught myself how to read music and ordered a one hand right hand recorder from Russia. I lost the use of my left hand due to a stroke. I never could get any enjoyment from trying to play it so I bought a glockenspiel and have been playing it for nearly four years. Recently I learned the one hand recorders are more available then they were when I bought mine. So recently I bought a Yamaha recorder. I like it and know a lot more about how to play it then I did initially with the first one that I bought. However when I try to play certain notes or go from note to note it’s really difficult. Now I’ve ordered the Dolmesch alto recorder because it looks like it would be easier to get those difficult notes and transition from note to note. After I receive it in July and teach myself the fingering then try to play “My Heart Will Go On” I will post an update to let everyone know if it was worth the high price. I am very hopeful that I will like it. My band mates want me to keep playing the bells (Glockenspiel) so I probably will. No harm in learning two instruments 😊❤
I tried to play them at the 'Oude Muziek Markt' in Utrecht. Don't need one but it made me happy to know that everyone can play the recorder even of you have a physical disability 👌🎶 Oh and Sarah...there are no links to click on in the video 🤔
In the UK, a charity called Reach hires one-handed recorders to children and schools for £50 a year (I think...). I have a pupil starting with one this week and currently trying to get my own head around the fingerings!
I can see that it would be a helpful idea for some people. I wonder if anyone has ever thought of doing something similar for other woodwind instruments: flutes, clarinets, saxophones, oboes, bassoons? Hmmn.
Wow, fantastic, I was playing recorder, but then lost function of my left hand, and thought I could never play again. I got rid of all my recorders, did not want to be reminded of them. With these I can, wonderful, where can I get one?
Hi Karolina, the company where Sarah was filming from is in the Netherlands. I'll add a link to their webshop: www.aafab.nl/winkelen.php. Click 'Dolmetsch' and 'eenhandsfluit' and you can see which versions they have. Just now as I looked at it they only have soprano and alto recorders listed in pallisander and tenor in wood, but I suggest you simply contact them via email and see what's possible, it's a recorder factory after all. Also there are more manufacturers that make one handed flutes, like the Yamaha YRS-900R. And someone else in the comments mentioned Mollenhauer which is a very good brand as well. I hope you find a recorder/recorders that work fantastically for you!!!
I love this video. It seems like activism to me questioning the ablism of classical music by broadening what counts as legitimate music making. And I learned a lot about adaptations that are available for recorders. Does anyone make larger soprano recorders? My sausage fingers have a really hard time with the smallness of the instrument. ( I had the same problem with violin. Once I switched to viola, it was way easier to play to get my fat fingers in the right place, but then I had to deal with other viola issues.)
I wonder if plastic versions more affordable to public schools are available. I know some kids will appreciate not being ostracized (unintentionally yes, but hurtful nonetheless) during their music class, which is supposed to be fun and enjoyable in the first place.
I am seriously thinking about getting one. But what I wonder, can I play real pieces on it, or is it just for feeling good? Like the Telemann sonata F major that I trained on before. Can I play that on this?
Thanks so much for covering this topic! I had a stroke earlier in the year and haven't regained enough control in my left hand to play recorder again. If I can find a way to get at least one right-handed recorder it would be so good to be able to annoy the neighbours again. I mean to play again ;-)
Another tenor adjustment I made that might be interesting had to do with problems playing the lowest C. I found that they were caused by my not covering hole 6 completely. Since that hole has a slight depression (as does hole 7) I got the idea that I could get my finger in the right position more easily if that depression was deeper. So I asked Aafab if they could do this. After warning me that there was some risk and that it was not reversible. They did it. I did not notice any effect on the sound of the recorder. At the time, it really helped me a lot with my lowest C.
Lots of people thought of playing 2 recorders simultaneously. So I googled "double recorder" and found this guy : ua-cam.com/video/7xFqZxJNPIo/v-deo.html . He's an instrument maker in New Zealand : wood-n-bone.co.nz/musical_instruments.html
I was wondering what if someone would think about using these one-handed recorders for playing two instruments (and as such, two melodic lines) at the same time, or a sort of "upgraded", fully chromatic version of the "fife-and-tabor" practice.
Another possibility would be to tweak the software of an electronic recorder, such as the eCorder (I think), so that instead of both hands controlling a single sound, you had one sound controlled by the right hand an another sound controlled by the left. So it could be played in exactly the same way as richardtherabbithart's double instrument (see my previous comment) except that the hands would still be placed in line as in a normal (single) recorder, and not offset left to right as in a double recorder. If you were really weird you could divide up your fingers into 3 virtual instruments, with 3 fingers for each one -since a recorder has 9 holes/keys - but then you would have to teach yourself to play the thing!
Maybe Sarah bought a new recorder in the AAFAB Centre and will introduce it to us soon? :) BTW, Sarah, how about making a video about recording the recorder ( :D ) in the studio, with good tips etc.? :) I have been recordings some tracks recently and mainly recording the Irish whistles was quite challenging - they were getting out of tune so easily! :D
One handed pipe playing has been around for a long time. A lot longer than recorders. www.pipeandtabor.org Dolmetsch used to make tabor pipes. This is an interesting development.
Great Video! So glad these things are available. What a sound on the tenor you played a little bit. So rich. Can't wait to get your CD. I purchased it but am in the US so I know it will take awhile. And you look GREAT!!
What a wonderful invention!! Dolmetsch was the holy grail of recorders back in my schooldays, and they have obviously continued to produce superb instruments, especially catering to those who probably thought their music playing days were over, or that they could never learn to play an instrument.
i am curious about how smothly you can transition between having your fingers covering the holes and pressing the keys. and back to the holes. i imagine its difficult to do without hitting other notes in between. i looked at similar methods for a left hand only sax. in the end i used solenoids to operate the right hand notes. its not pretty, but it enabled me to play again. its good that instrument makers are creating these designs
Ooo, I would love one of those. I could play a melody on that while playing accompaniment on the piano. I need to see if these are available in the US. Also, really happy they have the Knick tenor ones. My one and only usable tenor is a Knick (I have a straight Aulos plastic one, too). I have to have a Knick because a regular tenor is just too long; I have short arms and my right wrist gets bent at a painful angle. The Knick makes me feel like I'm playing sax. 😆
Wait until a contemporary composer writes a part that wants you to play a soprano and Alto in each hand. But you play totally regularly on these one handed recorders in each hand.
I have pitchers of one of my relatives who use to play two clarinets at the same time with this having a right and left you could play a due wet with yourself
This video may be four years old (!!) but yes I play a one handed alto recorder solely with my left hand and love it. I have been learning it for just over a year now and wish I had known about it many years ago when I lost the use of my right hand. I am now in the process of getting a tenor and will send it off to Peter Worrell to adapt for me. I am now admitting that I am very tempted at the thought of getting a descant as well....and that will complete my recorder family!! I used to play the recorder and flute when I had 2 hands to play them with! I agree with Sarah. If you need to or want to play with just one hand ....do it!
Hi, I am now interested in one-handed playing as I had a stroke earlier this year that's affected my left hand. I am curious how you have decided on which model of recorder to get adapted? I was just starting to get wooden counterparts for my plastics and I wonder how people decide which model to go for in their adapted instrument? I know it would just e amazing to play again, but I don't even know if Peter Worrell adapts anything or just certain makes/models?
@@JM-The_Curious Hi, I don't know if your UK or elsewhere. I always wanted a wooden recorder when I was able to play with 2 hands! To me wood has such a lovely sound and so much richer than the plastic ones. I went for a Mollenhauer Denner and got Peter to adapt it for me. He has a website and does an amazing job. The other valuable source of support is the One Handed Musicla Instrument Trust in Birmingham UK. It is not just for children! Peter will adapt almost any make as long as it is possible. He is worth contacting and you can discuss the options with him. I went to see him in the summer about an issue that was difficult to do over the phone. Fascinating. hope this helps.
@@esthermannouch1765 You've helped a lot, thanks so much! I was just looking att the OHMI page and it says they can do rentals, so that might be something for me to look at while I save up to get something of my own. Have lots of fun with your new tenor!
@@JM-The_Curious Good. I think they can rent out recorders for a small yearly fee of which I cannot remember what it is. Rachel Wolfssohn is the manager and she has an email address there and very good about getting back to you. Let me know how you get on. Are you based in UK. I am looking forward to being able to play muy tenor when it gets adapted. The alto has been great fun to learn.
@@esthermannouch1765 I am also in the UK. I think Peter sends instruments abroad though, but shipping will be cheaper being in the same country as him. I'm looking at the Early Music Shop and actually thinking about a future new recorder to save for! It's been so hard thinking I'd never be able to play again.
I have a friend that had born with a hand malformation that made his fingers smaller and more "stoped" (he almost can't move them) , this type of recorder was such a usefull thing for him, he's playing regularly at my school's band.
Hi, Sarah! Would you please make a video about the voice flute? I’d like to avoid transposing all the time and I have the impression that a voice flute could help me with that. Is it possible to play all the alto recorder repertoire on it? Could I play it since the beginning or should I start with a C/F recorder? Thanks!
Thank you for this kind and educating video. I have a question - When you play both hands on a recorder, you use a different thumb positions to achieve the notes from higher octaves. How does the only-right-hand recorder cope with the absence of the thumb and is still capable of playing those hight notes?
Sarah Jeffery / Team Recorder Something like a special version of my favorite things, the 415 versions are a half step lower meaning that C is now a B. These recorders which will go from Piccolino to Subcontrabass will be ideal for one handed recorder consorts.
I do have one recorder, an alto, that is a special one, and I use it for the one uncomfortable and painful situation that is unforgiven and unaccounted for in classical music: I am left-handed, and so dominantly so that I cannot play a right-handed instrument. I am also a classical pianist and harp player, so it's not like I don't know how to learn classical music or how to work hard or that "all you need to do is practice!" Piano and harp are literally the only instruments I can play well as a left-hander, and we are all very different, so just because one can manage any right-handed instrument doesn't mean we all can. It's no different from the situation where one rightie might need a key and another doesn't. I've taken the adjustable Aulos and glued the holes in place such that they are offset for left-handed play, but even that is only a 7-hole instrument. Given that left-handed play was simply part of the musical landscape in the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods, and given that left-handed, keyed 19th century flutes are available today from all makers as standard kit thanks to their adoption in Irish folk music, I see absolutely no reason whatsoever why that one particular peculiarity is not accounted for in recorders. And again, just because one of us can swap over when forced to as a small child does not mean we all can or are willing to do so. Thankfully, as I said above, I have my Copley flute and am pondering the purchase of an 8-key Ormiston with a C foot. And that's all I have to say about alternative instruments for people who can't play the standard way without significant difficulty. I apologize if I'm coming across as if I'm jumping down your throat, but this has been a source of frustration and annoyance for me for some time. I thank my lucky stars that the conical flute got sent through a folk music tradition and made such a beautiful instrument available to me, and I wish that recorders were the same way.
Glad you mentioned the Aulos as I was a bit disappointed that their efforts were not applauded as well. And there are left handed guitars on the market that you might try if you want another instrument. But I really don't understand why your dominant hand has to be at the bottom of the instrument? I mean, recorder players usually begin playing with left hand only, so doesn't the instrument favour left handed people until they have been playing a few weeks and are ready to introduce the right hand - by which time they have got used to playing with the 'wrong' hand if they are right-handed?
You have to support most of the weight of the instrument with your lower hand, and there are the double holes on the bottom. It just ... feels way too peculiar and off to do it with my right hand down there. It used to be just a standard thing on the recorder (and flute) back in the day to play it either way, and especially given that it has no moving parts, it doesn't make any sense for that to have died out. I also play 19th century flute as well, and that's asymmetrical enough that I actually can't hold it if I have to hold it out to the right. Hence, my natural instincts to finger a low D with the left hand at the bottom are just baked in at this point. It's strange -- from the beginning on the flute, it felt right and easy to hold it out to the left, and most left-handed Irish flute players will do so. If I try to hold it out to the other side, my hand cramps up and I drop it. o_O
Great video! One of several interesting points is that “actually the fingerings are really different than a regular recorder,” therefore the one-handed recorder - with its own fingering chart - is classified as an instrument unto itself. In other words, if one plays the "regular recorder," one wouldn’t be able to immediately transition to the one-handed recorder. Sarah, a professional recorder player, has proven that point. 😉
Sarah, have you consider playing two one-handed recorders together?
Ooh, that'll be a sight to see.
lololol
Hello Sarah, I totally share your enthusiasm about these instruments.
It's beautiful that even people who have mobility issue or who cannot use one hand can still manage to play a full-fledged instrument, so bravo Dolmetsch and bravo AAFAB for working with one's individual needs and allow that person to play with more ease.
Personally I'd like to have two keys for the last two holes of my alto as I never manage to close them correctly and the sound leaks... I'm just being lazy and not practicising enough, I know, but still...
Contact www.peterworrell.co.uk/ he can do this, I'm sure!
What a wonderful opportunity for the folks who are one-handed for whatever the reason!
Is there Alto
Good night. I'm a Brazilian and a recorder teacher from here in Brazil told me that you make or sell flute for those who have only one hand. This is my case. I want to know how I do it and what are the prices of these instruments.
Antonio de Padua
Flutelab make a one handed flute www.aafab.nl/winkelen.php . They are handmade so not cheap but speak to Maarten and he will tell you more.
I'm looking for the website for this recorder
Disappointed you didn't test out playing the left and the right hands simultaneously (;
I was thinking of this too :p
Ha I had that idea too. It would be a brilliant instrument pairing for solo composition. One could write a solo-duo for soprano and alto, whatever combination desired! It's marvelous. Sarah might have had that idea, possibly immediately; however, she did mention the difficulty of getting about the different fingerings.
Yeah... I ended up on this video while looking for videos of medieval double recorders (it's a thing apparently!) and seeing the limited ranges that could be played (basically one recorder has the high holes and one has the low holes), and thinking that it was totally something that could be fixed with keys, and here it is! Just needs that last little nudge... though it must be pretty complex to finger two recorders at a time! Perhaps they only had right handed recorders, which wouldn't have made this possible.
Tristan Rush That could be for a special version of seven rings aka my favorite things.
Concertos should be written for two of these. I wonder if you could play the Bach double violin concerto.
My left hand and arm are partially paralyzed from a stroke and I was delighted to find these instruments. Aafab was wonderful to work with and my recorders are beautiful. And I applaud dolmetsch and Aafab for designing, building, and selling these recorders. I have the soprano, alto, and tenor versions and play in a folk group and in recorder ensemble. For those thinking of playing these be aware that while they sound lovely, allow one to play a wide range of music, and are really wonderful instruments, there are limitations inherent in the design that might be an issue for accomplished musicians. The keys limit the ability to fine-tune notes and there are very few alternate fingerings of course. There are also points where you must jump from keys to close over holes (F# to G on F instruments), which is tricky to do neatly and quickly, at least for me. And the second highest note requires five fingers to play, so not really possible one-handed (but does anyone actually play those highest notes?).
Would you mind sharing how you ordered these? I can't find much info on them online at all, and I'm interested in looking into buying one.
If you use the vertical bar on the far side of the note to operate the key you can do it with four fingers rather than five. Tricky, but possible!
@@orirune3079 www.aafab.nl/winkelen.php if you look at 'class' and select one handed recorders it gives you the full list.
Hi this was an awesome video what's the website and I'm glad they made recorders now literally for everyone who wants to play thank you for sharing with us
@@orirune3079 just saw this. I contacted Aafab via email through their website. They arranged everything.
Reminds me of how Ravel composed a piano concerto for his friend who lost a hand in battle
Now players with one hand or one injured hand can play
Prokofiev and Richard Strauss and Janacek too. Angels
Take a look at www.ohmi.org.uk for more instruments that those with an upper limb impairment can play in full.
He wasn't really his friend at all - it was Paul Wittgenstein, brother of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. The Wittgenstein's were, for a long time, the wealthiest family in Austria (they made their fortune in mining and metallurgy). Paul was a talented pianist who lost his hand in WWI and then used his family fortune to commission many of the best composers of the day to write pieces for him (usually concerti). Interestingly, Paul hated Ravel's piece and refused to play it.
Someone might even take advantage of these instruments to revive and evolve the "pipe&tabor" tradition, in which a one-hand fipple flute was played with one hand while the other one was used to play a drum: these instruments used to be diatonic two- or three-holes flutes (sometimes with a register hole on the back), now these instruments open a new horizon also in this particular field: fully chromatic capability on the pipe with the possibility to play a drum along.
"was", "used to be" ... there are still pipe and tabor players, in England and elsewhere on different styles of pipe. Just a little note, it never actually died out in England.
Tabor pipes have a pitch and volume that is useful when playing, especially outside, to a group of dancers. A one-handed recorder does not. It's a different instrument, not an evolution of the tabor pipe and certainly not a replacement for it.
PS. I applaud Dolmetsch on developing and making these one-handed recorders. They are remarkable instruments, and give people the opportunity to play the recorder and make music.
In Catalonia we have the "Flabiol", which is a kind of pipe&tabor but with the particularity that it is totally chromatic in two octaves, along with the "Tamborí", a small tabor. It is played a lot in traditional music and it is also an indispensable part of "sardanas", the catalan traditional dance.
As a professional player who lost my right arm in an accident last summer, I was pleased to find out about the Aafab one handed instruments. Problem is that the metal work is too high and rounded to play even relatively smoothly. I even contacted the metal worker in England suggesting that the metal be flatter and closer to the instrument. If as planned, I buy an Aafab instrument, I will be wanting the metal work changed. Any help or ideas?
If www.peterworrell.co.uk/ can't do it then probably no one can. Take a look at www.ohmi.org.uk for other instruments that could be played just with your left hand too.
That’s for me! Playing piano with one and recorder with other hand 😀.
A number of years ago I bought my first tenor (wooden, straight, i.e. without "knik") from Aafab. I was a little intimidated by the amount I had to stretch my arms; so I asked if they could put a knik in it - and they did. Then, just like Sarah, I found that when the tenor has a bend supporting it completely vertically was a big problem. So, I asked them if they could take the knik out - and they did. I eventually got used to it and am now very happy with my straight tenors.
BTW: the tenor sounded identical with and without the knik.
Lesson: if you are having a problem, then talking to Aafab (or presumably other builders) may be the path to a solution. There is a lot they can do.
"you don't have to push yourself into doing something that isnt right for you no matter what other people say": that resonates a lot for me playing the bassoon. This instrument is least ergonomical one ever built, and any accommodation is fiercely looked down upon!
They do have small hand/short finger models
I think it would be cool if someone played two one handed records at the same time so that you would have two fully chromatic recorders
How interesting - bravo Dolmetsch on the one-handed recorders! Thanks also Sarah for the pros and cons on knick and keyed tenors - I was thinking of buying one online without trying it out, but you've convinced me there are a few things to consider and test out between conventional vs modified recorders (e.g. balance, weight and key action). Question: does the knick change the air stream to the extent that it would have a different sound quality to a straight instrument and would you need to adapt your breathing technique at all to compensate? Thank you Sarah - another really interesting and informative video.
This is my experience (for what it's worth). I'm not an expert in breathing, but I played on a straight (normal) tenor, a straight bass (where the head joint's end is flat) and a knick bass (and an even larger recorder with a pipe attached to it). With regard to posture, I like the knick more than the straight ones, because these recorders are easier to adapt to my posture and my hands. However, with breathing, I didn't notice any difference. Yes, some were easier than others, but that had to do with the posture I had to have/the joint/keys/building quality etc, but not with breathing itself. OK, maybe other people have different experiences. Furthermore, I found it easier to play my keyed knick bass than my non-keyed straight tenor. Although the tenor is smaller, especially my right hand is not well suited for the large distance of the holes on my tenor. Because my knick bass has keys, the distance between between the fingers itself are less. I know some people with a keyed tenor (only the lowest hole), and it helps them a lot, since the pinky hole is the hardest one on the tenor.
If your right hand is a problem, you could look for a recorder where you can turn the lower joint to the left, so that you can switch your hands? Keep in mind, this is very unusual in modern recorders, and may be a problem with the ring finger of the upper hand, because in tenor recorders, that hole is shifted to the left to make it easier for the left hand (so harder/impossible for the right hand) and may also be a problem with the pinky of the lowest hand if you need to cover half a hole.
Recorder duets!! lol
Hi Sarah, I am delighted to have found your video. My daughter is right hemiphlegic, which renders her right side paralyzed. I am starting to hone school her this year and was looking for ideas o teaching her single hand notes on the recorder. Happy to note that one handed recorders are available. I would love to purchase it for my daughter and myself. Pl tell me where I can buy them. Thank you.
Hi Hema, thanks for your message! One handed recorders are available in Europe through AAFAB.nl, and you should check out the OHMI Trust (One Handed Musical Instrument Trust) website for further info: www.ohmi.org.uk/woodwind.html The instruments can be expensive so OHMI also offers some assistance too I think. I hope this helps!
That's pretty cool. It's good that there's such an option. I believe one could possibly use two of these, possibly of different sizes, to play a pretty complex counterpoint.
Now I'm actually curious. Are there recorders with keys that allow them to reach 3 octaves or even higher, like the Boehm system on modern flutes?
yay accessibility for musicians :)
Well I’m glad if I ever lost an arm I could still play
I’d just use one arm to play the recorder and the other to scroll through my phone lol
I joined a University Life Long Learning that has classes for people over 50. They have an orchestra too. I joined, taught myself how to read music and ordered a one hand right hand recorder from Russia. I lost the use of my left hand due to a stroke. I never could get any enjoyment from trying to play it so I bought a glockenspiel and have been playing it for nearly four years. Recently I learned the one hand recorders are more available then they were when I bought mine. So recently I bought a Yamaha recorder. I like it and know a lot more about how to play it then I did initially with the first one that I bought. However when I try to play certain notes or go from note to note it’s really difficult. Now I’ve ordered the Dolmesch alto recorder because it looks like it would be easier to get those difficult notes and transition from note to note. After I receive it in July and teach myself the fingering then try to play “My Heart Will Go On” I will post an update to let everyone know if it was worth the high price. I am very hopeful that I will like it. My band mates want me to keep playing the bells (Glockenspiel) so I probably will.
No harm in learning two instruments 😊❤
Just casually having like 50 recorders on ones desk is a statement.
I found this video because I was wondering if was possible to play the recorder one-handed while driving.
Linda disculpa que no sepa ni papa de ingles. Hay alguna forma de que puedas vender alguno de esos instrumentos aca a Ecuador.
I tried to play them at the 'Oude Muziek Markt' in Utrecht. Don't need one but it made me happy to know that everyone can play the recorder even of you have a physical disability 👌🎶
Oh and Sarah...there are no links to click on in the video 🤔
ah! updated, you should see them if yoi refresh the page. nice you were at Utrecht too!
In the UK, a charity called Reach hires one-handed recorders to children and schools for £50 a year (I think...). I have a pupil starting with one this week and currently trying to get my own head around the fingerings!
www.ohmi.org.uk do too along with many other one-handed instruments. Take a look and let us know if we can help you!
How do you get keys added? Not necessarily interested in a one handed recorder but want more keys for l holes
I actually wanna buy one
Me too! Would be so much fun.
I just met a player who plays one-handed recorder. He has soprano and alto. And it actually sounds pretty good.
playing recorder and piano same time make more sense now
What is limb difference?
How thoughtful and wonderful that they produce these instruments. Bravo!!! ❤️
Great!
I didn't know that one-handed recorder exists. I hope, that I never have to need one. But when it happens, than I know a solution... :-)
I can see that it would be a helpful idea for some people. I wonder if anyone has ever thought of doing something similar for other woodwind instruments: flutes, clarinets, saxophones, oboes, bassoons? Hmmn.
I'm sure there are lots of adapted instruments - check out the OHMI trust (One Handed Musical Instrument Trust) in the UK!
Wow, fantastic, I was playing recorder, but then lost function of my left hand, and thought I could never play again. I got rid of all my recorders, did not want to be reminded of them. With these I can, wonderful, where can I get one?
Hi Karolina, the company where Sarah was filming from is in the Netherlands. I'll add a link to their webshop: www.aafab.nl/winkelen.php. Click 'Dolmetsch' and 'eenhandsfluit' and you can see which versions they have. Just now as I looked at it they only have soprano and alto recorders listed in pallisander and tenor in wood, but I suggest you simply contact them via email and see what's possible, it's a recorder factory after all.
Also there are more manufacturers that make one handed flutes, like the Yamaha YRS-900R. And someone else in the comments mentioned Mollenhauer which is a very good brand as well.
I hope you find a recorder/recorders that work fantastically for you!!!
Take a look at www.ohmi.org.uk for lots of ideas for right hand only instruments too.
I love this video. It seems like activism to me questioning the ablism of classical music by broadening what counts as legitimate music making. And I learned a lot about adaptations that are available for recorders. Does anyone make larger soprano recorders? My sausage fingers have a really hard time with the smallness of the instrument. ( I had the same problem with violin. Once I switched to viola, it was way easier to play to get my fat fingers in the right place, but then I had to deal with other viola issues.)
I wonder if plastic versions more affordable to public schools are available. I know some kids will appreciate not being ostracized (unintentionally yes, but hurtful nonetheless) during their music class, which is supposed to be fun and enjoyable in the first place.
YEs they are. Get in touch with OHMI in Birmingham. One handed Musical Instrument Trust.
I rather play with 1 handed Sarah
I am seriously thinking about getting one. But what I wonder, can I play real pieces on it, or is it just for feeling good? Like the Telemann sonata F major that I trained on before. Can I play that on this?
Yes you can play just about anything on it. Occasionally I find a fast set of semiquavers doesn't work so well...then you cheat!
Thanks so much for covering this topic! I had a stroke earlier in the year and haven't regained enough control in my left hand to play recorder again. If I can find a way to get at least one right-handed recorder it would be so good to be able to annoy the neighbours again. I mean to play again ;-)
Good for you. Go for it....from a one handed recorder player!
I think you would be interested in the galoubet, a traditional three-hole pipe
I was so interested in these. So sad the company has ceased trading. Amy other manufacturers?
Are you sure? Aafab still seems to have a website with one-handed recorders listed.
This is perfect! I recently lost most of the use of my dominant hand and I was wondering if there were any instruments I could play anymore...
If it is your right hand, you can consider playing french horn.
There are lots. Take a look at www.ohmi.org.uk that is what we do!
Another tenor adjustment I made that might be interesting had to do with problems playing the lowest C. I found that they were caused by my not covering hole 6 completely. Since that hole has a slight depression (as does hole 7) I got the idea that I could get my finger in the right position more easily if that depression was deeper. So I asked Aafab if they could do this. After warning me that there was some risk and that it was not reversible. They did it. I did not notice any effect on the sound of the recorder. At the time, it really helped me a lot with my lowest C.
Great tip!
Lots of people thought of playing 2 recorders simultaneously. So I googled "double recorder" and found this guy : ua-cam.com/video/7xFqZxJNPIo/v-deo.html . He's an instrument maker in New Zealand : wood-n-bone.co.nz/musical_instruments.html
the second is a dead link, goes to an online casino
@@hrenes Sorry, it worked when I posted it!
These are so cool. It's amazing for people who lose the use of one arm to still be able to play.
It is. Love it. Have been playing for a year now. Best investment and amazing to be able to get back to being involved with music again.
wow
Bravo Dolmetsch.
Wow. This will further open up the potential of 2-note playing on the recorder. :D
I was wondering what if someone would think about using these one-handed recorders for playing two instruments (and as such, two melodic lines) at the same time, or a sort of "upgraded", fully chromatic version of the "fife-and-tabor" practice.
Hmm, wonder would it be quicker for a brass player to pick up a one-handed recorder due to not having to incorporate an extra hand?
Another possibility would be to tweak the software of an electronic recorder, such as the eCorder (I think), so that instead of both hands controlling a single sound, you had one sound controlled by the right hand an another sound controlled by the left. So it could be played in exactly the same way as richardtherabbithart's double instrument (see my previous comment) except that the hands would still be placed in line as in a normal (single) recorder, and not offset left to right as in a double recorder. If you were really weird you could divide up your fingers into 3 virtual instruments, with 3 fingers for each one
-since a recorder has 9 holes/keys - but then you would have to teach yourself to play the thing!
The tabor pipe is also a one-handed instrument like the recorder (it's also in the whistle family), but has a reduced range
Maybe Sarah bought a new recorder in the AAFAB Centre and will introduce it to us soon? :)
BTW, Sarah, how about making a video about recording the recorder ( :D ) in the studio, with good tips etc.? :) I have been recordings some tracks recently and mainly recording the Irish whistles was quite challenging - they were getting out of tune so easily! :D
Wow... Sounds great
Where can you get one from!
AAFAB recorders in Utrecht, Netherlands! And I think the OHMI Trust in the UK do rentals?
One handed pipe playing has been around for a long time. A lot longer than recorders. www.pipeandtabor.org
Dolmetsch used to make tabor pipes.
This is an interesting development.
Could they make a key for the right thumb that would close the end hole for the high C# (descant) / F# (Alto) ?
Greetings, wow.... so glad folk are even thinking of this. Well done. pax, PL
Great Video! So glad these things are available. What a sound on the tenor you played a little bit. So rich. Can't wait to get your CD. I purchased it but am in the US so I know it will take awhile. And you look GREAT!!
What a wonderful invention!! Dolmetsch was the holy grail of recorders back in my schooldays, and they have obviously continued to produce superb instruments, especially catering to those who probably thought their music playing days were over, or that they could never learn to play an instrument.
i am curious about how smothly you can transition between having your fingers covering the holes and pressing the keys. and back to the holes. i imagine its difficult to do without hitting other notes in between. i looked at similar methods for a left hand only sax. in the end i used solenoids to operate the right hand notes. its not pretty, but it enabled me to play again. its good that instrument makers are creating these designs
So with a lefthand and a right hand one, you could go full duett all by yourself???
This is great! What sort of prices are they going for?
www.aafab.nl/winkelen.php They start at 695 euros
Ooo, I would love one of those. I could play a melody on that while playing accompaniment on the piano. I need to see if these are available in the US. Also, really happy they have the Knick tenor ones. My one and only usable tenor is a Knick (I have a straight Aulos plastic one, too). I have to have a Knick because a regular tenor is just too long; I have short arms and my right wrist gets bent at a painful angle. The Knick makes me feel like I'm playing sax. 😆
Thank you so much for sharing! Accessibility is so important ❤
this is made for playing multiple instruments!
Wait, could you play a duet with yourself??????
So you can get one left handed and one right handed, and become fully duo phonic recorder player!
at 2:58 you sound about as good at one handed recorder as i am at normal recorder XD
Wait until a contemporary composer writes a part that wants you to play a soprano and Alto in each hand. But you play totally regularly on these one handed recorders in each hand.
I have pitchers of one of my relatives who use to play two clarinets at the same time with this having a right and left you could play a due wet with yourself
In Catalonia there are common one-handed flabiol
Seria bueno que colocaras subtitulos en español
This video may be four years old (!!) but yes I play a one handed alto recorder solely with my left hand and love it. I have been learning it for just over a year now and wish I had known about it many years ago when I lost the use of my right hand. I am now in the process of getting a tenor and will send it off to Peter Worrell to adapt for me. I am now admitting that I am very tempted at the thought of getting a descant as well....and that will complete my recorder family!! I used to play the recorder and flute when I had 2 hands to play them with! I agree with Sarah. If you need to or want to play with just one hand ....do it!
Hi, I am now interested in one-handed playing as I had a stroke earlier this year that's affected my left hand. I am curious how you have decided on which model of recorder to get adapted? I was just starting to get wooden counterparts for my plastics and I wonder how people decide which model to go for in their adapted instrument? I know it would just e amazing to play again, but I don't even know if Peter Worrell adapts anything or just certain makes/models?
@@JM-The_Curious Hi, I don't know if your UK or elsewhere. I always wanted a wooden recorder when I was able to play with 2 hands! To me wood has such a lovely sound and so much richer than the plastic ones. I went for a Mollenhauer Denner and got Peter to adapt it for me. He has a website and does an amazing job. The other valuable source of support is the One Handed Musicla Instrument Trust in Birmingham UK. It is not just for children! Peter will adapt almost any make as long as it is possible. He is worth contacting and you can discuss the options with him. I went to see him in the summer about an issue that was difficult to do over the phone. Fascinating. hope this helps.
@@esthermannouch1765 You've helped a lot, thanks so much! I was just looking att the OHMI page and it says they can do rentals, so that might be something for me to look at while I save up to get something of my own. Have lots of fun with your new tenor!
@@JM-The_Curious Good. I think they can rent out recorders for a small yearly fee of which I cannot remember what it is. Rachel Wolfssohn is the manager and she has an email address there and very good about getting back to you. Let me know how you get on. Are you based in UK. I am looking forward to being able to play muy tenor when it gets adapted. The alto has been great fun to learn.
@@esthermannouch1765 I am also in the UK. I think Peter sends instruments abroad though, but shipping will be cheaper being in the same country as him. I'm looking at the Early Music Shop and actually thinking about a future new recorder to save for! It's been so hard thinking I'd never be able to play again.
Nice one! Thanks for sharing! I never knew these type of recorders existed
As a one handed person this looks really interested. Do you have any affiliate link to where you can buy it?
Take a look at www.ohmi.org.uk - there are lots of one handed instrument options there!
I have a friend that had born with a hand malformation that made his fingers smaller and more "stoped" (he almost can't move them) , this type of recorder was such a usefull thing for him, he's playing regularly at my school's band.
Great news Jose. Take a look at www.ohmi.org.uk for other options for your friend too.
Hi, Sarah! Would you please make a video about the voice flute? I’d like to avoid transposing all the time and I have the impression that a voice flute could help me with that. Is it possible to play all the alto recorder repertoire on it? Could I play it since the beginning or should I start with a C/F recorder? Thanks!
I’d love to- it’s on the list!
1:57 "I got my hands on them"
*curb your enthusiasm*
Yamaha also make one hand recorders. Google YRS-900L or YRS-900R
I can only see these for sale in Japan? item.rakuten.co.jp/ontai/1448872/?s-id=xb_shop_001
Look ma! Only one hand! Harry
Thank you for this kind and educating video. I have a question - When you play both hands on a recorder, you use a different thumb positions to achieve the notes from higher octaves. How does the only-right-hand recorder cope with the absence of the thumb and is still capable of playing those hight notes?
Good qu! The fingerings are the same of both recorders, and neither actually has a thumb hole!! The next octaves are acheived with the four keys.
Well that was interesting.
Hola, Sarah!
Me gustaría comprar una flauta One- Handed. Podrias darme referencias del fabricante??.
www.flutelab.com/onehand/ has a brilliant instrument.
Great smile!
I love you!!!!!!!
Mmm that's Jazz
Now they need to make one of these which is two recorders connected to one mouthpiece - an instrument where you harmonize with yourself!
Ohhh double recorders do exist!
❤❤❤
i was thinking this would be playing songs with 2 recorders
Full songs, not just harmonies. Useful invention, innit?
are there flute versions of this? like jazz concert flute
A one handed flute is made by Flutelab www.flutelab.com/onehand/
All the duets I could play with myself..... 😏
😄😄
Sarah Jeffery / Team Recorder Something like a special version of my favorite things, the 415 versions are a half step lower meaning that C is now a B. These recorders which will go from Piccolino to Subcontrabass will be ideal for one handed recorder consorts.
These recorders are great for people who can use only one hand.
They are. I play an alto and am about to get a tenor adapted
There should be a new name for this instrument!
Ali Narangifard the Tau
I do have one recorder, an alto, that is a special one, and I use it for the one uncomfortable and painful situation that is unforgiven and unaccounted for in classical music: I am left-handed, and so dominantly so that I cannot play a right-handed instrument. I am also a classical pianist and harp player, so it's not like I don't know how to learn classical music or how to work hard or that "all you need to do is practice!" Piano and harp are literally the only instruments I can play well as a left-hander, and we are all very different, so just because one can manage any right-handed instrument doesn't mean we all can. It's no different from the situation where one rightie might need a key and another doesn't.
I've taken the adjustable Aulos and glued the holes in place such that they are offset for left-handed play, but even that is only a 7-hole instrument. Given that left-handed play was simply part of the musical landscape in the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods, and given that left-handed, keyed 19th century flutes are available today from all makers as standard kit thanks to their adoption in Irish folk music, I see absolutely no reason whatsoever why that one particular peculiarity is not accounted for in recorders.
And again, just because one of us can swap over when forced to as a small child does not mean we all can or are willing to do so.
Thankfully, as I said above, I have my Copley flute and am pondering the purchase of an 8-key Ormiston with a C foot.
And that's all I have to say about alternative instruments for people who can't play the standard way without significant difficulty. I apologize if I'm coming across as if I'm jumping down your throat, but this has been a source of frustration and annoyance for me for some time. I thank my lucky stars that the conical flute got sent through a folk music tradition and made such a beautiful instrument available to me, and I wish that recorders were the same way.
Glad you mentioned the Aulos as I was a bit disappointed that their efforts were not applauded as well. And there are left handed guitars on the market that you might try if you want another instrument. But I really don't understand why your dominant hand has to be at the bottom of the instrument? I mean, recorder players usually begin playing with left hand only, so doesn't the instrument favour left handed people until they have been playing a few weeks and are ready to introduce the right hand - by which time they have got used to playing with the 'wrong' hand if they are right-handed?
You have to support most of the weight of the instrument with your lower hand, and there are the double holes on the bottom. It just ... feels way too peculiar and off to do it with my right hand down there. It used to be just a standard thing on the recorder (and flute) back in the day to play it either way, and especially given that it has no moving parts, it doesn't make any sense for that to have died out.
I also play 19th century flute as well, and that's asymmetrical enough that I actually can't hold it if I have to hold it out to the right. Hence, my natural instincts to finger a low D with the left hand at the bottom are just baked in at this point. It's strange -- from the beginning on the flute, it felt right and easy to hold it out to the left, and most left-handed Irish flute players will do so. If I try to hold it out to the other side, my hand cramps up and I drop it. o_O
Take a look at www.ohmi.org.uk for other options that you might be able to utilise as a very left-handed person.
Noice.
How do I buy one of these?
www.aafab.nl/winkelen.php under class select one-handed. For other options of one handed instruments take a look at www.ohmi.org.uk
Great video! One of several interesting points is that “actually the fingerings are really different than a regular recorder,” therefore the one-handed recorder - with its own fingering chart - is classified as an instrument unto itself. In other words, if one plays the "regular recorder," one wouldn’t be able to immediately transition to the one-handed recorder. Sarah, a professional recorder player, has proven that point. 😉
Yes exactly! 😄
Thank you, Sarah. It's always nice to get your professional opinion. 😊