Hey there,
I want to buy a recorder and a DIY tutor book with some of my easter cash, but i really DO NOT want to learn descant, what can you suggest i learn? Am i right in thinking treble is a transposition insturment which i wouldn't mind, but is there one that mainly reads alto or tenor clefs? That way i can realy improve my reading, which would be great. This will sound incredibly stupid, but do Tenor and Alto recorders read the.. respective clefs?

HC

Oh yeh, and any names of a book or books that would be good and easy to use.

All recorders read treble clef - except possibly the bass which some people prefer to read in bass clef.

The treble is sometimes used as a transposing instrument, but most proper recorder players don't play it as one - they learn both sets of fingerings (C and F) so you can play them all in concert pitch. Pretty much all treble music is written in concert pitch and it's expected that you use F fingerings.

As for which recorders use which:

C fingerings (eg all fingers down = C):
Descant
Tenor

F fingerings (all fingers down = F):
Sopranino
Treble
Bass

If you don't want to learn the descant then I wouldn't recommend the sopranino either. Basses are very expensive - especially for a good one - and often don't have much music written for them, or playing opportunities.

Tenor or Treble would be your best bet. Trebles are obviously quite a bit cheaper - it depends how much you're willing to spend (Plastic trebles are about £20-30, tenors are £60-80 - Wooden ones range a lot more, but my Moeck Treble retails at about £400).

As for music - a lot more older stuff is written for treble - there's some nice Baroque pieces such as Handel and Telemann (which were originally for treble recorder but are not more often played on flute), but often these are more advanced (grade 4/5 upwards). Tenors can use Descant music as they have the same range, and this is more readily available - particularly for beginners.

As for books - I don't really know...I just got a fingering chart and taught myself using old flute music. I didn't buy a recorder book until I did my grade 4.

Hi HC. Another recorder addict in the making here I suspect.
If your hands will stretch comfortably I would suggest that you try a tenor recorder. You can use a tutor intended for the soprano (descant) recorder and a decent teach-yourself one is the Goodyear School Recorder Tutor. There are plenty of others to be had and a browse through the shelves of your local music shop may well lead you to one that you would rather use. The Yamaha 300 recorder series tenor recorders are nice instruments but there are others to be had that might be better suited to the size and shape of your hands. The Aulos 211 tenor is nice too and often a better fit for those with smaller hands. When you try them make sure that you can cover all of the holes using fingers 1, 2 and 3 of your left hand on the top three holes and fingers 1, 2, 3 and 4 of your right hand for the lower holes. You will need to turn the lowest joint to the right so that the bottom hole fits under your little finger. Please don't use your right hand on the top! Many learners do but it is a bad idea.
You can use all of the soprano music on a tenor as they are both C recorders. Good luck with your new instrument. Do let us know how you get on and what you choose.

Well,
For now, i am going to just get a descant recorder and try and get myself to about a grade one level, then see about getting a tenor. I used to play descant... 7 years ago when i was in year 3 , but the teacher always cancelled my lessons so I only had about 3 lessons with her.
So, if i learn the descant now, will it be the exact same fingering for a tenor recorder, just an octave lower?
Or is that not the case? is it different altogether?
Im just going to look for some easy recorder music on that free-scores website, and buy a fingering chart form the music shop in town today. Im guessing i should stay away from those plastic see-through, colored ones? I assume aulos and hornby are the best.

I shall update you once I possess a recorder once more!
HC

The tenor sounds an octave lower than the descant, with the same fingerings, yes.

The coloured Yamaha recorders are fine (ask Teigr who's done a Grade 5 on one ). The Yamaha 302 is probably the best plastic descant that's easily available, but try what they have and see what you like the sound of. If possible, try them out against a tuner as they tend to vary in pitch. And I'd concur with petrat about the Goodyear book: often availalbe on ebay.

Good luck!

Well they seem to be cheaper on the websites, but ill see whats cheapest in the store.
http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/0375194/details.html

Any experience with that, anyone?

Descant and tenor do have the same fingerings, and the tenor does sound an octave lower.
But, the written ranges of the instrument are the same Because descant music is written one octave lower than it sounds.
So the printed music, fingers, etc, are identical, it's just the noise from a tenor is lower, and to many ears therefore somewhat nicer!

For getting a recorder, a great place to look is Saunders Recorders. This is not just a site for the swish, expensive wooden recorders - there are plastic models in stock. You'll also find each brand discussed a little, and also smiley red faces next to recorders that Mr Evringham views as particularly good for beginners. Basically, if they stock it (smiley face or not), it's a good recorder (even if you end up buying it somewhere else )

Also, with respect to sheet music, I can't recommend highly enough looking in your local charity shops; there are almost always loads of beginner recorder books in the ones that sell music! While a lot of it might be aimed at children, that doesn't make it unusable. The Taylor method recommended in a earlier post I seem to find all the time, for about a maximum of 99p
If you want something that's more aimed at adults, there is a review of some popular methods here, though the site is American so you might find them harder to track down in the UK.
Again, Saunders have music and method books in stock too...

well i now own a Yamaha Baroque Recorder: YRS-24B

I went to oxfam and looked at their books... extortinate pricing though.
ill look for a tutor online i can get for free, otherwise ill stare at fingering chart:P (it worked for flute!)

Well done. The Yamaha range of recorders are quite decent. I don't expect that you will be on here much this evening as you will be busy playing with the new baby! Look on eBay for a tutor book. There are lots to be found there and you might get a whole pile of easy music for a few pounds, including the postage.

Well, if anyone would like to see my progress so far, i am playing this peice at the moment trying to play F sharps instead of F natruals

http://www.dolmetsch.com/dtune8.htm

God, i overblow so many notes! But having said that, ive been playing with it for about two hours and have noticably and greatly improved on playing notes right.
I am however playing them at the written pitch i think (is that possible or am i actually playing it as the clef says, one octave above?)


Im desperate for a tenor though
£60... that will have to wait till i see one at a carboot

Or eBay!

there is a person who sells complete sets, gark. to great bass for about £100, all complete in one *large* hard case...

ill start saving or begging.