h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

a santana song just came on the radio,sounds like a recorder,its probably a flute,it was rusted root doing the cover,just pulled my recorders out of the bottom of my victrola cabinet,ones a hohner,the other a cambridge two with patented vibra-bell,made by trophy music,with no adjustments the hohner is about a half-step lower in tone hmmmmmmmm,ive heard the bigger ones one time being played in a street concert,new age type music,was very impressed with the sound comeing out of these ,and the two girls doing the playing.

I have to say that your guide entry is one of the most clear descriptions of how to play the recorder I've seen. Wish I'd seen it before I gave my beloved rosewood alto away, several years ago. Unfortunately, I have very small hands, and just couldn't master it. I got really bad cramps in my hands, from trying to hold the holes closed, and I wish I'd had the advice you gave, to start with a plastic soprano first. Still, I gave the recorder to a friend of mine, who still enjoys playing it today. I think I'll look into something a little higher pitched....

SC

SC,

You should have no problem fitting your hands on a Soprano recorder, but you may find the sound of it a bit shrill. The German company Adler makes a very nice Alto recorder called the Filius which is specially designed for people with small hands. There are too models, one without keys for small hands and one with keys for even smaller hands. These are made in maple wood and have a pleasant tone. But you would be better to start with a plastic soprano. You can get a decent one such as the Yamaha YRS302B for a very reasonable price.

Gnomon

Hi,
I'm having so much fun! I began with a tonette recently and was delighted to have made melodies. I am a vocalist actually so a melody line is my delight. Now I purchased the plastic Yamaha YRS-24B. It was an adjustment to finger this one correctly and at first I thought I made a serious mistake buying it but that's past now. The octave is a bit high to me as I knew beforehand but for $8 US I can't complain. I would like a tenor or lower if possible but I see the prices jump outside the soprano octave. Any suggestions on that?

Hi 221474! The Alto is probably the most flexible of all the recorders and most suited to adult fingers. You can get a good plastic alto for quite a reasonable price. I'd recommend the Yamaha YRA 312B which has a lovely simulated rosewood finish. It costs only £23. For a tenor recorder, the Yamaha YRT 304B is a very good one, but unfortunately it is not available in the simulated rosewood finish, just plain dark brown. It is a bit more expensive at £65, but I think it is worth it.

I wouldn't recommend anything bigger than a tenor, because the bigger recorders are more difficult to play and very quiet. They are not really designed to play solo music, but as the bass harmony part in a group of three or four recorders.

(Sorry to bump up an old one!) If your hands are big enough and you have long enough arms, the bass recorder can be very satisfying. After moving down to treble in primary school then tenor, I finally played bass at senior school some of the time and it has a lovely tone. It also has a greater playable range. Unfortunately you do tend to get relegated to the bass line. I think it's an instrument that could do with having some serious music written for it ... maybe one day

If you're thinking about buying a bass then you would need to try instruments out to see if it suited you. I have seen two different mouthpiece designs, a funny flat top one (which is what I used to play), or one with a crook on top which I suspect makes it easier to get your right hand down to the bottom notes. A neck band that hooks on to support some of the weight also makes a difference!

I intend to write another entry on "advanced recorder playing" which will deal with the Bass. I'll try and incorporate these commendts.

Does the bass really have a bigger range? My one struggles with the high notes.

The trouble with the crook is that moisture from your breath condenses inside it and then blocks it up.