Hiya

What's the embouchure for a recorder like? I just read a post saying that the recorder interferes with the flute embouchure, so what's a recorder one like?

As far as I'm aware, there isn't one (I've read that somewhere recently). Playing the recorder interfered with my flute embouchure simply because my mouth had been stretched into a different shape for a while and it took time to get the fine control back over my lip muscles for the flute embouchure.

I could play the flute after a short break, but couldn't move straight from recorder to flute.

There isn't one, at least, not in the way you mean for flute, clarinet, oboe etc. Put it like this, I've got an LGSM in recorder and no-one ever told me about embouchure ....

I don't believe anything I hear about flute and recorder clashing, by the way. My best pupil ever got into Birmingham Conservatoire to study recorder and her flute teacher (the county system's top man) was encouraging her to audition for the RNCM on flute - she was equally good on both. I had another good pupil who got grade 8 in both recorder and flute by about the age of 15. I have a friend who has grade 8 flute and grade 7 recorder. I have another friend who went to Manchester University on a course that included a high level of flute perormance in conjunction with the RNCM, and she got grade 8 recorder. I've got grade 8 flute and LGSM recorder. And so on.

Late edit: and AndanteinC of course is another prime example

liz

So stick it in your mouth and blow!

Lots of the ones at school have teeth marks on them. Is it just coz the kids are stupid and bite too hard, or does it happen to most recorders?

My clarinet has huge teeth marks but I generally play the recorder much more relaxed, and mainly with the lips. I actually find I can't go from recorder to flute even more than clarinet to flute, and I never know why.

There shouldn't be any teeth marks on a recorder, because your teeth should never touch the instrument - you hold it between your lips!

Little children do sometimes try to grip the 'beak' in their teeth at first though, until they are told not to. The old-style Aulos mouthpieces used to be an open invitation to biting because of their shape, but the mouthpieces generally now seem to be 'blunter', whatever the make, which makes things a lot easier when teaching the young ones!

The Modern Recorder Player, Walter Van Heuwe, goes through the 'embouchure' pf the recorder. Basically to have your lips relaxed........and DO NOT use your teeth....the recorder should just balance from your mouth and by your right hand thumb under the recorder (and maybe your right hand little finger)

I hope it's just the mouthpiece that has teeth marks, Neil!

Bwahahahahahahaha!

Ha!

And if you're happy playing only G-A--Bb-B-C-C#-D-G' & A' you can stick two recorders in your mouth and play a duet.

Shouldn't that be left hand little finger?? Or are you playing a left-handed recorder?

The Dolmetsch method says "right thumb". When you play the larger recorders it becomes much more obvious where you balance the instrument. My right hand was complaining a great deal when I first tried a tenor!

Oboes, too. Heavier than they look! Going back to the bassoon after playing one for about an hour or so I was quite grateful that bassoons balance of the left hand, I could give my right one a break.

I never bite my recorder, comes from playing a double reed instrument...if my teeth go anywhere near my mouthpiece I'm in trouble!

No, it's correct, you can use your RH little finger (when it's not doing anything else!) to provide a bit of extra support - usually you'd place it somewhere around the top of the foot-joint - not covering any holes, obviously!

I use my right hand finger when I play tin whistle, except I cover the bottom hole. (Not for all the notes obviously, just the ones needed with LH only)

lol, yes. I don't explain very well.

it did make me wonder if you had just REALLY got frustrated with it...

I play recorder and flute and am post gr8 rec and nrly gr8 flt and never have any problem swapping as much as I want.

I went to this recorder group think (once I must say!) and the lady was saying how we should hold our recorders with our teeth!!!! I could not believe it!! That and her awful timing exagerrated by her terrible use of her baton instantly told me never to go back! or listen to a thing she said!

balance recorder using your bottom lip and support with right hand thumb and little finger.

There isn't really an 'embouchure' as such but be careful to avoid air escaping out of the corners of your mouth! unless that's the effect you wish to produce. It's a sign of laziness in my eyes! It also causes shortness of breath too with air lost for no reason just form not being careful.

I never had a problem switching between flute and recorder (which I used to do a lot when I first started playing the flute, because I found it was easier to figure out notes and rhythms on the recorder, and concentrate on fingering and blowing afterwqards on flute~ the funny thing is, now I work the other way, I'm still not sure when my flute playing really overtook my recorder playing!)

Anyway,I don't think anyone ever told me of a correct way to blow I recorder. Also, I have tried playing two recorders at once, I found descant and treble simultaneously worked quite well. You could get a harmony effect, without having to bemuse your brain with two sets of fingerings!

I used to do that with treble and descant!!!

I discovered that years of flute playing have really helped the recorder - I have just been fiddling around and playing about, but I can make a much nicer tone than I once could, and use vibrato, and just generally sound an awful lot better than when I was last regularly playing.