Two Birds

This gentle piece for recorders is a duet, meant to be played by two different players or groups, each focusing on their own notes. And while we indicate that part 2 could be optional, in order for it to work as a duet, you really need it. Having said that, part 1 works by itself with the recorded track very nicely if needs be.

The idea is that this is a more advanced piece for students who are ready for new notes as well as playing separate parts. For Recorder 1, the new note is high D. The notes G, A, and B are ones they have likely already learned, so adding the high D gives them more melodic range. Remind them not to overblow when playing it.

Recorder 2 includes low D, E, and G only. D and E are more challenging than G, requiring covering the lower holes on the recorder fully to produce the sounds. For both parts, the rhythms are kept simple so that the focus remains on the notes. Even so, they blend beautifully when played together.

The recording is also quite lovely, featuring acoustic rhythm section instruments, a gentle pad of winds, and strings that enter in layers as the tune goes along. The bird sound effects (FX) help to bring the feeling of a warm spring or summer day to the minds of the players and listeners alike.

While the two recorder parts appear separately in this issue, we have also extracted them similarly to the way they appear on the piano/recorder score – on the same system – in case this works better for your players. These parts and the score can be found on our web site.