Meyerrecorders GmbH

The Meyer Recorder, with its distinctive sound qualities, was invented by Ernst Meyer (1954-2016). The recorder player Michael Form had encouraged him to search for a way to construct a recorder with an embouchure modeled from other wind instruments. This allows the player to have greater influence on the timbre and the dynamics. The Meyer Recorder has a well balanced sound in all registers.

During many years of training, my father Ernst Meyer passed on to me - Joel Meyer - his exceptional knowledge and taught me the handcraft techniques to produce these recorders. I run the workshop “Meyerrecorders Ltd” together with Madeleine Imbeck, and our instruments are stamped with the Meyerrecorder logo unlike those voiced by my father.

“Meyerrecorders Ltd” produces world class recorders in several different models based on the historical instruments by Jacob Denner and Pierre Jaillard Bressan.

Maurice Steger, “Paganini” of the recorder, initiated a cooperative effort between Ernst and the recorder manufacture Kueng in Switzerland which led to the project known as K4. Maurice’s style of playing the recorders has inspired a large public following and has motivated many young players to dedicate themselves to this instrument. It was a real interest of his to help create a new recorder model that contains some of Ernst’s knowhow for the young talented players.

Maintenance of the Recorder

Wood is a living material. It reacts to changes of temperature and humidity. In order to maintain a recorder‘s quality for as many years as possible it is important to overhaul the instrument regularly. In doing so the windway channel and the bore will be kept in their optimum condition.

Even small changes of only 0.05mm may have a negative influence on the sound quality or the speech of the recorder because the complex shape of the windway channel has to fulfil the same acoustic function as the lips or reed for other windway instruments. The lips and the reed are flexible, but the windway channel isn’t and therefore must have the perfect shape to guarantee the speech in all the registers.

Also, changes in the bore may have negative effects on the sound quality and the overtones.

Beyond that, it is advisable to check from time to time if there is mildew in the windway channel. If discovered early, mildew growing in the recorder can be treated with propolis. If discovered too late, the instrument is beyond repair.

In order to avoid mildew problems we recommend you pre-warm your recorder under a heating pad before playing. In doing so, you reduce the quantity of condensed water in the windway channel. After playing it is important to wipe out the instrument and let it dry exposed to air.

We advise against you taking out the block yourself because you will change the speech of your recorder. Do not treat your instrument with oil. When you bring your instrument to our workshop for an overhaul, we will put on a new layer of high quality varnish.

Recorder Cases

We are pleased to offer you “Meyerrecorder Cases”. We have single recorder cases, and cases for several recorders with integrated heating pad. Contact Madeleine Imbeck if you are interested and we will send you pictures of the current collection. Custom orders are also available.

The cases for one single recorder are made by Barbara Imbeck-Löffler and those with integrated heating pad are made by Madeleine Imbeck.

Presentations

Which physical factors have a direct influence on the sound of the recorder?
What is the difference between a Meyer recorder and other recorders?
What can we conclude from scientific studies on the traverso and the flute for our own instrument?

These and many other questions are answered during a presentation on the physics of the recorder. The construction of a recorder is based on the complex balance of approximately a dozen physical factors. The understanding of how one’s instrument physically works will provide the player with a wider range of timbre varieties. This knowledge helps you define more precisely which type of recorder you wish to play for a certain repertoire, which timbre and which way of blowing you are searching for.

Contact Madeleine Imbeck if you are interested in a presentation. Special requests can be considered.

Order

Write us or call us if you are interested in buying a recorder. Depending on the model, the size and the wood you choose, the delivery time will vary from a few weeks to one and a half years. We recommend you pick up your new recorder personally so that we can adjust the voicing and the tuning according to your preferences. The windway channel of the recorder corresponds to the lips and/or reed of other wind instruments. Lips and reed can be adjusted by the player, the windway channel can’t. It is therefore our aim to finish the last details of the voicing in collaboration with the player. The instrument is then personally adapted to you.

Three adjustments and/or overhauls within the first two years are included in the selling price.

Current price list: click here