LET’S PLAY THE RECORDER
Presented by the Children’s Music Forum Elder David Perry Coordinator Dr. Judith Christie McAllister, President
What is a “Reecorder�� Rec corders are "fipple fluttes", like whistles. Most people's idea of a re ecorder is a small, plas stic, squeakky thing playyed by fourth h grade stud dents, but in n the hands of a skilled player, eve en the highest-pitched re ecorder is a sweettoned instrume ent that rivalss the silver flute in all but b range an nd volume. Rec corders are instrumentss in the woo odwind fam mily that com me in soprano, alto and d tenor versions. Reccorders are ideal instru uments for beginning students which teacch the sics of music because tthey are sim mple to bas learrn and easily used to d demonstrate e sightreading and listtening skills.. A recorder r ha as seven holes on the e front (thrree for the le eft hand and d four for the e right) and d a thumbh hole on the back (left hand). Most have dou uble holes ffor the botto om two es, and larger recorderss have keys for the hole harrder to reach h holes.
Re ecorders ussually come e in three parts, although smaller sizes m may have ju ust two ecorders, tyypically those used parts. Some re s are e only one piece. The alttos and in schools, ten nors contain the head joint where yo ou blow into o, the bodyy which con ntains most of the fing gering holess, and the ffoot joint. Th he foot join nt should be e turned so the hole is slightly to the right wh hen viewed as you wou uld play How w to Play a R Recorder it
How to play a “Recorder”
Step 1
Hold the recorder in your right hand. Place your left thumb over the hole on the back of the recorder.
Step 2
Put your left index finger over the top hole on the front of recorder. Cover the second and third holes with your middle and index fingers.
Step 3
With your right thumb on the back of the recorder, position your right index finger on the fourth hole. Cover the remaining holes with the fingers of your right hand.
Step 4
Rest the mouthpiece on your lower lip. Close your mouth over the top of the mouthpiece. Your lips, not your teeth, should be touching the mouthpiece.
Step 5
Put the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, against your teeth. Exhale gently into the recorder and allow the tip of your tongue to drop. No finger pressure is necessary. No finger pressure is necessary, the lips and fingers should be relaxed at all times. Always play softly, using your tongue gently. You do not need blow hard, remember softly and gently will produce the correct notes.
Letss play a scale Ex xhale with all holes covered. Then re emove your fingers f one at a time, sttarting with the little finger of you ur right hand d. For th he top note (the octave e), cover only the se econd hole with w the mid ddle finger of your left hand. Kee ep your left tthumb in pla ace for th he entire scale. Av void blowing g air into the e mouthpiecce, but ex xhale silentlyy (as if you are trying to t fog up p a window). The fingeriing is unimportant att this beginn ning stage, just try to hold h a no ote and susttain it. Sayin ng "tooooo" gives th he note a clear beginniing and is called to onguing. Breathe from th he diaphragm m and make m sure yo ou blow evenly. It will help to ke eep the soun nd consisten nt.
Jesus I’ll Neveer Forgeet
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Only three notes to o this song
How Great G is Our God d
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Only fo our notes to o this song
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G