What’s the Best Recorder for Me? |
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A good beginner’s recorder doesn’t have to be too expensive. Of course, it’s nice to know exactly which recorder you need to get if, for example, you’re about to start taking lessons. In this Buyer’s Guide, we offer all the information you’ll need to pick out your first recorder. Size, tone holes, materials, tuning, fingering… we lay it all out! If you can’t find the answer to your question here, feel free to contact us. What is it? | Beginners | Music | Size | Tone Holes | German/Baroque | Single/Double | Materials | Tuning | More 1. What is a Recorder?The recorder is a hollow, round tube, usually made from wood or plastic. Like other types of flute, by blowing air against the window labium (or edge) the air flow is split so that, much like the sound that’s made when you blow against the edge of a bottle, this is how the sound is produced. Because the recorder has a mouthpiece or ‘beak’, and is supported by the mouth, it is not actually considered part of the ‘flute family’. The recorder is distinguished from other flutes, like the the tin whistle, by the block included in the design of the mouthpiece. This block ensures that the air is precisely aimed at the labium. Also, a recorder will usuelly have six tone holes along the top, or front, and one tone hole on the back. In a lot of cases, you’ll also find an extra eighth hole.
2. Why is the Recorder Such a Good Beginner’s Instrument?The first ever instrument of a lot of musicians will have been the recorder, and this could be for many different reasons. First, it’s actually fairly easy to produce a nice sound when playing a recorder, when compared to most other wind instruments. Also, a recorder takes up very little space, is barely a nuisance in terms of noise, and is relatively affordable and comfortable for the small hands of children. Since the recorder is such an easy instrument to pick up, it makes learning basics like rhythm, melody, theory and playing together more simple. Later, the transition to another instrument is also much easier, since you’ll find that everything you learned while playing the recorder gives you a better grounding than other students who have perhaps never experienced a musical instrument before. If you want to switch to the trumpet, the drums, piano, guitar, or actually, any other instrument, starting with a recorder can be a really smart choice.
3. Is the Recorder Only Used as a Teaching Instrument?No, absolutely not – there are plenty of professional recorder players, but you don’t see them too much. Most music written for recorders can’t really be described as pop music. As a musician whose instrument is the recorder, a lot of the music you’re likely to play was written in the period between 1400 and 1800. During that time, recorder players had a lot of work, and in the 16th and 17th centuries, recorder ensembles were like the rock bands of today! Unfortunately, since the 18th century, less and less music has been composed for the recorder, pushing the instrument into the background. But… within the last few years, the recorder has made a bit of a comeback in jazz and some pop music.
4. What Size Should My Recorder Be?What kind of recorders are there? If we line up recorders in order of size, from small to big, we have a sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. If you’re just starting to play the recorder, then a soprano recorder will be the best choice. Most recorder lesson books for beginners are actually written for the soprano recorder, and if you take lessons, you’ll notice that the soprano is the most popular recorder size. Then there’s the question of what age you are when you start playing and which size is best for which age group. Six years old is a very good age for children to start playing the recorder, but as long as their hands and fingers are able to handle the recorder, any younger is also fine. In any case, a soprano recorder will be the best, since the distance between the tone holes will suit smaller hands. Adults are likely to feel more comfortable playing something larger, and lower pitched, like a tenor recorder. See Question 9 for more information about different sized recorders.
5. What Does the Fingering of a Recorder Mean?This literally refers to the holes that have been made in the body of the recorder, and more specifically the way in which the holes are arranged. A recorder will generally have a total of eight holes. Seven of the holes sit on the front while a thumb hole sits on the back for your left thumb. There are two different kinds fingering arrangements that you need to be aware of when picking out your recorder: the German and Baroque fingering. The difference between the two lies in the double and single holes and the size of specific tone holes. See Questions 6 and 7 for more information about this.
6. What’s the Difference Between German and Baroque Fingering?German fingering is generally recommended for beginners. With the German arrangement of the tone holes (or the fingering), the fourth hole is larger than the fifth hole (counted from the top of the recorder), and with a Baroque tone hole arrangement, this is the other way around. This difference might not seem important but has quite an effect on the different notes that can be played. For example: an F on a German soprano recorder is played by closing the first four holes and the thumb hole. To play the same F on a Baroque recorder, the sixth and seventh holes also need to be closed, leaving only the fifth hole open. Since this can be a little more difficult to do for beginners, the German recorder is the most recommended instrument for them.
7. What’s the Difference Between Double and Single Holes?The difference between double and single holes refers to the lowest two holes of the recorder. To produce certain notes, one of these holes sometimes has to be partly closed. To make this easier, the two holes of some recorders have been split into two smaller holes. This is called a double hole. So, instead of having to partly close one hole, you simply need to cover the larger of the two little holes. This can be useful for beginners, but can also depend on what you’re used to. If the holes have not been split into two smaller holes, then this is called a single hole.
8. What’s Better for a Beginner? A Wooden or Plastic Recorder?A plastic recorder is alway recommended for beginners for a number of reasons. The first reason is the price. Plastic recorders are much cheaper than wooden recorders: often you can pick up a good beginner recorder for just a few pounds. Another good reason for beginning with a plastic recorder is that they barely need any maintenance at all (also see Question 11). So, why should you consider choosing a wooden recorder? When you’ve already learnt the basics and have already decided whether or not you’d like to continue playing the recorder, then you might want to consider upgrading to (a more expensive) wooden recorder. Wooden recorders will usually have a more warm, pleasant sound. They do need regular maintenance and every time you’ve finished playing, they need to be dried. Please note: Don’t just look at the material of the recorder. Most of the time, an expensive plastic recorder will sound better than a cheap wooden model. Plastic Soprano Recorders
9. Do All Recorder Sizes Have the Same Tuning and Fingering?The size of a recorder only effects the pitch, and not the fingering. The lowest note of a sopranino recorder is an F. This kind of recorder is therefore ‘in F’ (although you can play it in any key). The soprano is a little larger and sounds lower pitched. Here, the lowest note is a C, or – the recorder is in C. The pitch continues to get lower as you go larger. So, an alto recorder is in F, the tenor recorder is in C, and a bass recorder is in F. Please note: There is a difference in fingering when it comes to German and Baroque recorders (see Question 6). For example: The music in a book written for the soprano recorder is written for recorders in C. What this means is that the book can also be used for a tenor recorder and can be played at the correct pitch, but an octave lower. But… if you were to play the same music with a recorder in F, then everything will sound a couple of notes too high or too low. This is actually not so much of a problem when playing alone, but as soon as you try to play the piece along with another instrument, like the piano, it will not sound right. So, you have three options: you could transpose the musical notation (if you know how to do this), get yourself a book that has been written for a recorder in F, or just buy a recorder in C. Recorder Books
10. How Do You Hold a Recorder?It’s not too hard, but there are a few things to play attention to. In principle, you should hold a recorder as loosely as possible, so that the instrument is able resonate freely and your fingers can move comfortably. Let the weight of the recorder rest on your right thumb and bottom lip. With the right hand, close the last hole (or the hole that is furthest away). The left hand is then placed further towards you. With the left thumb, close the thumb hole in the back of the recorder and place your left index finger on the first hole. You don’t actually use the little finger of your left hand, but you do use your right little finger to close the last hole. The way of holding the recorder is the same for left-handed players. If you’re left handed, you don’t need a special recorder or books.
11. Do I Need To Maintain My Recorder?A plastic recorder will need barely any mainenance. It’s easy to keep it clean by putting it in the dishwasher every now and then. You can actually do this as little or as often as you like. A wooden recorder needs a lot more love and attention. Every time you finish playing, the inside and outside needs to be dried using a cloth. The block in the mouthpiece is also quite sensitive and quickly wears out. A wooden recorder also needs to be reguarly oiled. Recorder Accessories
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