Learn How to Play the RecorderHi, and welcome to this class, where you will acquire how to play this astonishing instrument chosen a "Recorder". My proper name is Mike, and I made this class for you, to give you a nifty foundation for playing this instrument.

I learn learn how to play the recorder, you volition be able to play any songs and music you want, in any style and genre. And finally, if you keep upwards practicing consistently, you will even exist able to play with emotion, expression and use advanced techniques in your performances on the recorder.

Check out the Form here: Learn How to Play the Recorder

Let's have a look at the Class Overview:

  • Learn all the Basics of Playing the Recorder
  • Get Applied Tips, Exercises and Examples
  • Meliorate your Playing with Advanced Techniques
  • Play Songs on your Recorder

Why the Recorder is Amazing

Well firstly, the recorder is a remarkably versatile musical instrument. It has a lovely, romantic and classical sound. Only you tin play whatever type of music you lot desire on it. From classical music, to folk music, to modern pop music…and even picture, Tv set and game soundtrack music which is my personal favorite.

Famous examples of the recorder used in popular music culture is an alto recorder in the Harry Potter soundtrack, as well as a bass recorder used for the main riff in The Mandalorian, Star Wars soundtrack.

In the recorder family of instruments you can likewise cover several registers in music, with a different size recorder for each range. From the standard soprano recorder that about of us start on, to alto recorder, tenor recorder, bass recorder and even lower.

Furthermore, the recorder is one of the rare open hole flutes, that is a fully chromatic instrument. Let me explain: "Chromatic Musical instrument" means that it is designed to be able to be easily playable for all 12 notes of music. On meridian of that yous have over 2 octaves in range on a recorder. Which in turn ways that you can play whatever vocal ever written, in whatever style of music, on this instrument.

Finally, the recorder is a in fact capable of so much expression techniques, variation and emotion. Such as for example: adding decorations, playing in legato, making slides, bends, and doing vibrato. So yes, the recorder is a pretty amazing instrument.

Let's Start Learning the Recorder

In this class we volition focus on the soprano recorder, just when you have learned how to play it, you tin can motility on to other recorders if you want to. Because they all share the same fundamental playing techniques likewise equally advanced expressive options to add emotion into your performances.

Now I welcome you to a new amazing adventure in music, where you volition learn how to play the recorder. Then let'southward start your journey, right now!

How to Get Started

Quick Overview of the Recorder

Let's commencement with a quick overview of this instrument, and how it works. The Recorder belongs to a family of air current instruments called "fipple flutes", just like the Irish tin whistle, and the Native American flute. This means that you blow air through a mouthpiece, and that air goes over a fixed edge where the air is split, which produces the sound.

However, the master difference also equally reward of the recorder compared to other flutes in this instrument family, is that it has more holes and even a thumb pigsty. This makes it possible for you to play all 12 notes of music, with over 2 octaves in range. In brusque: you can play any music always written, in whatsoever way, on your recorder.

Instrument Setup

Recorders are made from 2 or three parts, that you lot simply connect by pushing the tubes together. Just before y'all practise, make sure to utilise some grease on the joints for lubrication. This is to brand sure the parts can easily exist put together and taken off again. When you lot join the parts, you want to take the row of holes directly in line with the centre of your mouthpiece.

Something you lot will demand to brand a habit of is to become rid of the condensation in the flute you get condensation later you have been playing for a while, otherwise the wet will cause the notes to sound weak and bad.

You do this past belongings your fingers beyond the sound pigsty, and then blow difficult through the mouthpiece. If you don't cover the audio hole when you lot practice this, you volition become a shrill loud sound, and so make sure to fully cover the sound hole to mute the audio, when you blow.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Cleaning and maintenance of a recorder is piece of cake too. You tin use a cleaning rod with a piece of cloth to get rid of moisture and dust inside the instrument. And I recommend a micro fibre cloth for cleaning the outside.

Finally, when storing the musical instrument when you don't play, make sure to avoid direct sunlight every bit well as heat or cold. This is especially important if it is made of wood, equally wood can warp or fissure. Information technology's also all-time to remove the head joint when you store it to make sure no wet is stuck in the joints, which could cause harm over time.

Alright, let's keep learning, because in the adjacent lesson you will offset playing bodily notes on your recorder.

How to Play a Recorder

We volition start with the bones of how to play the recorder. And so how do you play notes on this instrument?

The brusk answer is: You lot only place your fingers over the holes on your musical instrument to pick which notation you desire to play, and then accident air through the oral fissure piece. There are only 2 things you need to be careful about. How soft or hard you accident into the instrument, and that your fingers shut the holes of each notation correctly.

This is the advantage of the fipple flute blueprint that the recorder is based on. You don't have to worry about shaping your lips and directing the air stream similar you do on a side blown flute. This makes the recorder very piece of cake to pick up and play for anyone.

Now let'due south exercise playing your showtime notes on your recorder. Press down 3 fingers on the summit three holes, plus the thumbhole. Then blow gently for about 5 seconds, and attempt to go along a consistent air flow as you concord the annotation. You but played the notation 1000.

At present lift your 3rd finger, while notwithstanding keeping the get-go ii holes and thumb pigsty closed. Blow gently over again, and you lot are now playing the note A.

Finally, remove the finger from the 2nd hole, and you are playing the note B.

Congratulations! You have now played your starting time 3 notes on the soprano recorder. G, A and B. You lot tin at present do these 3 notes, upwardly and downwards, hold them for at to the lowest degree a few seconds each. And I want you to try to play each annotation with a consequent and clean note, by keeping a consistent air catamenia as you hold each note.

Playing your Starting time Tune

Let'south employ the 3 notes you lot learned, and play a simple tune with them. And afterwards I will give you a fun exercise to practice with completely artistic freedom.

But outset, let's learn an important lesson in music. Which is that all music, all songs, can exist thought of every bit a series of phrases.

Just like lyrics of a vocal, or the text of a volume, the tune of a melody is also cleaved downward in shorter phrases. You tin can even sub separate a longer phrase into shorter phrases if you prefer.

This is great news for you, since learning a song phrase by phrase, is so much easier, compared to trying to learn it all at once.

And then your lesson here is to ever think of music as connected phrases, and apply this to your advantage when y'all larn to play the song.

Ok, so let'south practice playing a uncomplicated tune on your recorder now. Play these notes, and find that I have separated the tune in phrases:

  • 1000 – A – B
  • G – A – B
  • B – B – A – A
  • B – A – K

Catchy Part 1 – Roofing the Holes

The offset tricky part is learning to cover the holes completely, considering if you get whatever air leaking out the tip of any finger, you will get that super annoying squeaky sound that we all hate.

And fifty-fifty if you don't become a squeak, leaking air from any hole will alter the pitch of the note, so that yous will play the incorrect pitch.

This is why information technology is so important when you learn this instrument, that y'all are actress careful to make sure you cover the holes perfectly, for every note yous play. And whenever you become a squeak, double cheque where yous leak air, and right that finger to cover the pigsty 100%.

Tricky Office 2 – Breath Control

The 2d tricky role of playing the recorder, is learning to control your breath force per unit area, because if y'all blow also softly the notation will exist weak and fragile.

And if you blow as well hard yous volition overblow the note, which either pushes the annotation into the next octave, or finish up in that in between place betwixt the octaves, which sounds bad and is also part of the beginner sound we dread.

In nearly cases, the trouble will exist that y'all blow too difficult. And then practice animate gently, and blowing very softly through your recorder.

Tricky Part iii – Finger Placement

The third catchy function is learning the finger placement for each note. And you will soon go a complete finger chart, but first I desire you lot to understand an important master of current of air instruments and notes.

As with all other flutes, if you close all holes you lot will get the lowest note, called the "bell note". And the more holes you open upward, the more you reduce the air column inside the flute that vibrates as you blow air into it, and this will produce higher and college notes.

And then to access all 12 notes of music, you lot will also need to learn the cross fingerings you need for specific notes, which will exist one of the hardest things to learn on this instrument, but when y'all exercise, you lot will open up a whole other globe on your recorder. Because you will exist able to play every song ever written, in any scale or key of music.

Recorder Fingering Chart

Now earlier I show you the fingering chart, I have an important lesson for y'all to learn. Which is that you merely need to learn 1 fingering chart for the recorder, so use the same fingerings regardless of what type of recorder you play, for example a soprano, alto or tenor.

The departure is that the starting note volition be dissimilar, just the actual relationships and intervals between the notes will be the same.

Let me show you a practical example: if you learn the fingerings to play a specific tune on your soprano recorder, let'southward say the first notes from the Concerning Hobbits theme from The Lord of the Rings.

And then if you play the exact same fingerings on an alto recorder, tenor recorder etc. you volition hear that information technology is even so the exact aforementioned tune, merely lower in range and tone.

A soprano recorder starts on the note C5. An alto recorder starts on F4, and a tenor recorder starts on C4…likewise called middle C. And a bass recorder starts an octave below the alto, on F3. Hither's a recorder fingering chart, and the corresponding notes for recorders in different ranges.

I highly recommend that you practice playing each note, upward and down, besides as jumping around between different notes. You desire to go used to the fingerings for each and every note over the full 2 octave range.

And over time the more than you play and practice every note and interval on your recorder, the more y'all will to develop your muscle memory and instinct for how to play every note on your recorder.

This means that y'all volition be able to pick out melodies for any songs, without whatever sheet music or fingering tabs, merely past using your ear and your musculus retentiveness for which note and fingering will come next.

Beginner Mistakes

I desire to give you lot a few quick tips to overcome beginner mistakes, and better your playing on the recorder:

one. Avoiding Squeaks
The nigh common reason is that you don't cover all holes completely, so make sure at that place is no air leaking out the border of your fingers. The other mutual reason is that y'all blow way likewise hard. Endeavor to be more relaxing, the recorder does not need much air at all the play, particularly not in the first octave.

ii. Shaping the Notes
Yous tin actually shape the beginning of each note, past controlling the attack of your air stream. From hard attacks for a more focused note first by articulating "tu" or "du". To softer annotation attacks past doing a "hu" sounds. To very smoothen note transtions, called playing legato, by keeping the air stream flowing, then but changing your fingerings.

three. Depression vs Loftier Notes
The lowest note on the recorder requires the least air pressure level, which is why you need to blow very gently into it to play those lowest notes in the beginning octave. But the higher you go, the more than you need to push the air in club to get that notation. I would recommend sticking to only the first octave until you lot really experience comfy playing all the notes, and and so movement on to the second octave.

Techniques for adding Emotion & Variation

If you lot play in a stiff and rigid way, you will stop up with that beginner sound without whatsoever emotion and expression.

The good affair is that you can in fact do a lot of things to add variation, decorations, expression and your own emotion into your recorder playing.

ane. Decorations
Yous can add an actress grace annotation or decoration every now and so into your performance. For instance, quickly lifting a finger and putting information technology dorsum over hole once again. Or borer a finger on a hole simply beneath the note y'all play.

ii. Legato
You should also learn how to play notes legato, meaning connected in a shine way, considering it will audio more lyrical and beautiful for most melodies. Exercise keeping the air stream flowing, and slowly lifting or placing a finger on to a pigsty above or below the note y'all currently play.

3. Bends

Since the recorder is an open up hole flute, you lot have amazing capabilities for doing note bends and slides. When you play whatsoever note, you lot tin either slowly angle your finger upwards to bend the note upwards. Or slowly line-fishing a finger down to a hole to bend into the note.

4. Vibrato

One of the most best ways to add together emotion into any annotation in music, is by doing a vibrato. On an open hole flute similar the recorder, y'all tin either do finger vibrato or breath vibrato. If you pulse your fingers on the hole below the note you play you can do a finger vibrato. And if yous pulse your air stream when holding a note, you can do breath vibrato.

Congratulations and Good Luck!

If you desire to learn more most playing instruments, how to make music, and other topics within music, I have a link beneath to my music courses that you can check out:

If y'all want to acquire how to play songs on your recorder, I take a video serial with notes for many different songs, here on my YouTube channel:

Congratulations for taking your first steps in learning how to play this amazing instrument, and I wish you good luck on your journey! =)