Recorders

[Mommyfaithe]

Where can I order recorders that are not ugly plastic? I also would like some beginning recorder book so i can teach the little ones to read some simple music. Thanks!

 

Faithe

[Laura Corin]

I ordered from here. We did buy plastic recorders (Yamaha) but the tone is nice - plastic technology has improved since I was a child.

 

Laura

[alpidarkomama]

Angel recorders from Peripole-Bergerault are by far the best inexpensive plastic sopranos ($4-5). Yamahas are not pleasant to play.

 

http://www.peripolebergerault.com/recorder.asp

 

The best plastic sopranos of all are the Zen-On Stanesby Juniors ($45-50):

 

http://www.bems.com/instruments.html?q_c=131&bemssess=41a796c5458fe1fe280a4bc71bc6f4e6#a2

 

Good plastic instruments are superior to inexpensive wooden instruments. To get a good wooden soprano that plays well would cost around $200. And you could spend up to $1,000+! :)

[ProudGrandma]

I found wooden recorders here

[alpidarkomama]

Kfeusse - I posted about Yamaha before I saw your note. :) I'm glad it's working well for you. I've always found the tone wheezy and a bit anemic-sounding. Maybe you have a better/more recent model! :)

[Dmmetler]

Peripole Angel recorders are the easiest to play in the low range and the hardest to squeak, but are hard to play much above a top space E and nearly impossible to play above the G above that.. Yamaha or Aulos are the best to play across the full range, but are harder to play in the low end and squeak more easily than the peripole. Wood recorders tend to be tough for beginners to manage and require extra care, however as a woodwind specialist I love my Moeck wood recorders.

 

Having said that, ANY soprano recorder is going to be screechy and squeaky in the hands of a beginner, and the pitch is high enough to make some people's nerves stand on edge even in the hands of a good player. If this is the case for you, and your DC has big enough hands, try a good Tenor recorder-lower, mellow sound, about the size of a clarinet, fingers identically to the soprano so you can use the standard books. Alto also is less squawky, but requires an alto recorder book because it fingers differently.

[Mommyfaithe]

THANK YOU!!!!

[Shifra]

I have used Oak Meadow's recorder syllabus, but it is probably not what you are looking for, since it encourages parents not to teach their children musical notation for the first couple of years that they play recorder (ie. the children learn songs by rote at first). However, Oak Meadow's recorder syllabus is very good, if you want to go that route.

 

For teaching musical notation, there is Yamaha Recorder Student by Sandy Feldstein or It's Recorder Time by Alfred d'Auberge and Morton Manus, both of which are very good (and not too expensive). If you want something more colorful (and some kids really need that) then Progressive Recorder Method for Young Beginners is good too, if pricy. There are 2 volumes to the Progressive Recorder Methodl for Young Beginners.

 

After finishing one of these books, some nice tune books are My First Patriotic Recorder Book or My First Classical Recorder Book both by L.C. Harnsberger.

Edited April 9, 2010 by Shifra