Can anyone recommend me any good recorder books for a beginner who is teaching herself (I know I should really get a teacher but I'm already having lessons on 3 other instruments and can't afford any more). However, all the beginner tutor books that I have looked at are all aimed at little children and spend so much time covering note values etc that they don't fit much into one book and expect you to buy about 6 of them.

I have both a descant and treble recorder so books for either would be helpful.

Thanks.

There is a page here: http://www.aswltd.com/adultmet.htm

It's an American page so the books may not be readily available in the UK, but it talks through various adult-suited methods, i.e. ones where you aren't playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

I have the Orr books (vols 1 & 2 in both soprano and alto). They start of very basic, with G for descant or C on the treble. It doesn't waste time teaching you about notes on the stave, it just tells you the note name, how to finger it, and then gives you some exercises on it. It only mentions note values with respect to tounging, if I remember rightly - i.e. how to sort your toungue out for demisemiquavers! There are some "real tunes" in the books, but they are often German and things I've never heard of, at least until towards the later bit of volume 2
Volume one of each covers the lower octave + 1 note, i.e. on the descant from C up to D. These notes all use the thumb-hole closed or for the top note, totally open. The half-open/cracked/pinched/whatever term you prefer isn't introduced until the second book. The second book goes all the way up to the highest notes.

I haven't looked at any other adult method books so I can't comment.

Having said that, the Orr I ended up getting via eBay and AbeBooks. One thing to note if you do look for these books secondhand is that the covers for descant and treble are identical. The words "soprano alto" appear on every book, with the instrument that book is for underlined. So it'll say:

Hugh Orr Basic Recorder Technique Volume 1 Soprano Alto

and that'll be the volume one for treble. If you see the book advertised secondhand, people selling may not know what it is they are selling, so they sell it as for "soprano alto"; they also may not state volume one or two. I ended up emailing a lot of people to end up with the set of four (after which, I decided I probably didn't need the volume 1s )

Treble Recorder From The Beginning by someone Pitt (I forget his first name) is what I used when I was I think in my early teens. It assumes you already play descant so it moves faster than one that was attempting to teach you all the theory as well.

John Pitts isn't it?

I think I used that when I was about 10, but I never really got anywhere with it, but I could barely read music though, I was just learning everything by route and pretending to read the music I think it's in my attic somewhere now.....

It does assume you already read music reasonably so I can imagine it would probably not be a good book for someone who barely could! John Pitt, that's the one - thanks

This is the one I bought last week. I like it as it just tells you how to finger the note then gives you some pieces to play to practise that note. I also notice that some of the pieces in this book are set for Grade exams with TG. You do need to know quite a bit before you use it as it doesn't teach you note values or where the notes are on the stave. I'm very happy with it.

Both my Daughters learnt Treble with this book.

I'm pretty sure I already have that book for treble, and it seems pretty good.

Has anyone tried the team recorder book. I'm looking for one that will take me as far as possible with just the one book (short on funds at the moment), and I know the team woodwind books contain some grade 4/5 pieces at the end.