I keep finding music written for other instruments that I'd love to try on recorder, but the range gets in the way. So I tried shifting a scanned flute study with Solfa, a tool I built.

This is just the first three bars of Köhler's Op. 33, No. 1. I moved them down a whole step, from C to B-flat; a low G becomes F, right at the bottom of an alto recorder's range. The image shows the original scan above and the actual result below. I haven't checked the rest of the study yet.

Do you ever do this with music written for another instrument? What would you like to play if getting it into range were easier?

Solfa: https://solfa-music.com/en/transpose-pdf-sheet-music

Original scan: https://imslp.org/wiki/Der_Fortschritt_im_Fl%C3%B6tenspiel,_Op.33_(K%C3%B6hler,_Ernesto)) (Book I, IMSLP #331991)

Has anyone had any experience modding the keys on the YRT-304B to make them less stiff? I absolutely love this recorder except the keys are so stiff I just hate playing any kind of music on this flute that requires a lot out of my pinky finger. I'm used to the key on my traverso which is very smooth and light to the touch. I'm planning on taking apart the key mechanism on my tenor to mod the keys to make them less stiff. I just wanted to ask the community if anyone had any advice before I begin.

I know that the springs are leaf springs in the bottom half of the mechanism and I know how to pull the mechanism apart. I was initially thinking I want to bend the springs past the point where they don't quite return to their original shape in the hope that they will press less firmly on the body of the flute but then I worry that the springs might not hold the keys sufficiently open. The current plan, then, is to go in there and use a file to make the spring thinner so that it will become more flexible.

Thanks in advance for anyone with advice. I'll update when I do the mod to report what I did and if it worked well or not.

Just got my very first alto for €20 (after selling my German-fingering plastic Yamaha)! It's a vintage one from the Netherlands. It has the bear and star engraved logo on the back in its original old Bärenreiter paper box. It looks like it's a wooden(?) version of the alto from this post by /BeardedLady81 https://www.reddit.com/r/Recorder/comments/1lilzns/a_tale_of_two_recorders/

When doing a bit of research about Bärenreiter, I found this from its Wiki page:

Between 1929 and 1950, the publisher also commissioned the production of a unique series of recorders ranging from sopranino to large bass, as well as solo flutes in alto and soprano sizes, and even school flutes. The first models were built by Max Hüller. New models that followed from the year of 1936 were designed by Manfred Ruetz, built in cooperation with Max Hüller and Rudolf Otto. By 1945 the Hüller and Otto partnership dissolved and from 1950 Conrad Mollenhauer company, based in Fulda, had taken over instrument production.

Can anyone identify what kind of wood is it - if it's wood at all? It seems like pear wood to me but since it's my first wooden recorder and I just about to start my recorder journey, so I don't know much about them yet besides reading from the internet and some basic playing on plastic soprano when I was a kid (classic).

Here's some photos before cleaning.

I'm waiting to receive the Mollenhauer oil and going to give this alto a proper cleaning and oiling. The seller said it needs to be re-oiled. The inside/bore is quite dry and doesn't seem to be the paraffin/wax impregnated type(?).

The wind way is not arched, but I like the warm sound a lot already :))

I also got a few questions regarding cleaning this vintage recorder:

1. The recorder is easily a few decades old and it's been in a musty-smelling dirty ancient paper box. Can I safely do a quick rinse of the entire inside including the wind way while having the block in, with warm water/vinegar etc.? (I did read other posts regarding this subject, watched both Sarah Jeffery and Tom Prescott's videos and read BeardedLady's opinion on it. But I'm not sure yet which way to go.) thinking to gently wipe the inside with either alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or vinegar. Which of these 3 solution is the best for presumably pear wood, dry old recorder?
2. Which lint-free cloth is recommended to use for cleaning and oiling the bore? I saw that Sarah was using a sock, but wouldn't socks have lints and tiny loose short fibres coming off?
3. Can you wash the oiling cloth with soap and reuse it in the future, or does it have to be disposed? (I'll be using the Mollenhauer oil which may contain linseed oil?). I read that many use sweet almond oil or other types of vegetable oil. My concern is that all pure vegetable oil including vitamin E oil will oxidise, that's why I'm going to try the recorder-specific oil first since it seems to have certain formulation made for this purpose(?).

I have small hands (17.2cm span) + very short pinkies. Alto's right hand finger position is not easy for the moment! Any tips for playing an alto with small hands are welcomed. I'm currently having a bit of tennis elbow (by using too much mouse/phone and occasionally playing tennis as a beginner... which means my right hand's ring finger and pinky are feeing strained at times/ not at its best flexibility.)

So this is my first wooden recorder and first reddit post. Thanks for reading ha.

Neste tutorial para Educação Musical vamos aprender um dos grandes sucessos da música portuguesa atual: "Saloia" de Nuno Ribeiro! Como sempre, o tema foi adaptado para tocar a melodia na Flauta de Bisel com um foco pedagógico muito especial: o trabalho prático do COMPASSO COMPOSTO (6/8).

Most "why does my recorder sound like this" posts here come down to one of four sounds. Here's what usually causes each, for soprano or alto.

1. It jumps up and squeals. Too much air, nearly always. The note flips into the octave above. Blow as if saying "doo", and on low notes check the thumb hole is fully closed, because a thumb that's open a crack does the same thing.

2. Low C or D grunts, or won't sound at all. A hole isn't sealed. Press each finger down, lift it and look at the pad: a sealed hole leaves a full round mark, and a half circle means that finger is off centre. Then play G and walk down one finger at a time with the same soft air. The note where it cracks points to the finger to fix. On most people's recorders it's holes 6 or 7.

3. A clean note, but the wrong one. A finger is in the wrong place, or the chart doesn't match the recorder. F is the classic: Baroque F is a fork (5 open, 6 and 7 covered) and German F isn't. To check which you have, compare holes 4 and 5 counting from the top: on Baroque, hole 4 is the smaller one.

4. Fuzzy or breathy, worse as you go on. Water in the windway. Cover the window with a finger and blow firmly once to clear it. Warming the head joint in your hand before you start helps it happen less.

Disclosure: I make Piper's Songbook, a free Android app that listens while you play and says which note it heard and which finger to fix, so I've had to think about how each of these sounds to a microphone. The mods said a link is fine, so here it is: https://pipersongbook.com/app?s=reddit&utm_campaign=r-recorder-1023 (iPhone waitlist on the same page).

What did I miss? I'm sure there's a fifth.

........And I hate pear wood. There, I said it and expressed my suffering.

I'm a violinist who's been messing around on a $10 soprano recorder for about a year (mostly just playing easy excerpts from Bach cantatas), but now I want to go further in my playing. I love baroque music and want to be able to play more baroque recorder repertoire, but I'm not sure how I can develop my technique to reach that level. I'm going to buy an alto recorder and I want to know what I should work on as soon as I get the instrument. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

​ I wish I had a recorder but my parents will not let me so I decide to a gift to the studio so I love recorders I made like recorders and so I have a tiny a recorderer i lost tho ths for let me come here tho!

I played this on a very gloomy low-viz day in the Bahamas. An hour later we were told we would be going through treacherous seas but our lives would not be in danger. Like we’ve never heard THAT one before.

Has anyone had any mouth trouble due to anti-condensation products?

I don't know the cause but I am currently having some issues of a lasting bad taste in my mouth and other symptoms that might be oral thrush, but it's not clear.

I started using the anti-condens a bit before the problem started so I'm wondering if it's from that. But it could be something else. I've now washed out my plastic recorders just in case.

Just wondered if there's any known risks, perhaps just in people prone to issues?

And I don't think it has ever been played (or barely) ! I'm delighted for a £100 eBay find !

The thumbhole and beak are pristine, there are no bumps or scratches anywhere on the outside of the instrument, there is no evidence of oil in the bore or grease on the corks. (On the subject of cork grease - any recipes for homemade grease ? My ADHD self has lost every pot I own and I'm impatient to get playing 🤣)

I'm still not sure about the wood, it looks darker and more golden brown IRL than it does in the photos. But the grain definitely looks more like boxwood than anything else.

Möllenhauer Adris Dream. A plastic version. My wooden one is currently drying to be oiled ✨

When I retired, I decided I wanted to play a wind instrument. I tried a number of band instruments, but kept defaulting to the recorder. The Lyons (purple & clear) in the photo, and the Ecodear have inconsistent tuning, but the Yamahas and Aulos are ok. The Adri's Dream is different, so more challenging. Not pictured is the green Yamaha that lives with my drum sticks, and the pink one that lives in my car (in case of recorder emergency).

The soprano is the perfect size for me; quiet enough to play in my studio flat, but can hold its own in an acoustic jam. And it comes in colours! 🙂

Hello. I’m a high school music teacher. I studied the oboe at the conservatory, so I’m not very familiar with the recorder. I only remember using a recorder in school—a wooden one that sounded great, which my mother bought for me and lasted me through my entire school career. I gave it to my sister, and she lost it.

I’m looking to buy a new recorder so I can practice some songs with my students. The system we use at school (and the only one I know) is the German system.

My maximum budget is about 50€. I want it to sound nice, stay in tune, and have a clear tone. I don’t know if I’m asking for too much—I just don’t want to use the same out-of-tune 5€ recorder as my students, especially as a teacher.

I actually prefer wooden ones; I’ve always thought they sound better, but I’m open to other options as long as they sound good.

I take good care of my instruments, and I’m not worried about a bit of a learning curve. Hats off to recorder players—people always say it looks easy, but it’s not; it’s a very deceptive instrument.

Thanks in advance!!

I’m in the market for a new recorder and I’m looking at instruments such as the Mollenhaur “Edition” recorders. The way I understand it the “Edition” versions are the same as the regular version except that a flute maker has gone and hand voiced the recorder after it came off the production line.

I’m just having a hard time figuring out if this is even worth it given that I can always have the instrument sent for re-voicing after a year or two when the flute has had time to settle. At the end of the day you have a hand voiced recorder.

Am I missing something?

So i got this recorder from a second hand in Netherlands, Tilburg. It didn't have any marks accept the price tag. Gemini and ChatGpt told me it was a turkish or Syrian but both answers were wrong. I hope reddit can identify it. Thank you!

I am an enthusiast (8 months in, using Giesbert under the guidance of a teacher) and loving it so far. Have just recently reached the upper octave A, C, and D. YouTube hasn't yielded much in terms of beautiful and soul stirring pieces, from my own searches. I am wondering what pieces others here believe would be inspirational? Keen to hear your thoughts 🙏

Firstly: excuse the ff-ed up high A on the plastic one 🫣😂 the high notes are a bit more difficult to get on these models.

Here's a bit of a comparison between my new recorders (Möllenhauer Dream models), and my recorder I already owned (Möllenhauer student model).

So I got myself a plastic one too (didn't have a plastic soprano yet) so I would have a soprano to use for practice. As for the wooden one, i decided to go with the Plumwood one. The sound is so nice! If the high notes are done right they feel like butter ❤️ And the low notes sound warm and pleasant. The plastic recorder is way better than I expected too. It gives a nice broad and powerful sound. I love them ❤️ Thank you to everyone who commented on my other post, for helping me decide! 🫶🏻 I think these will fit perfectly in my music project 😋🎶

I am pretty new to wooden recorders. I had a soprano and alto in pearwood, for 2 months now. How can I transport my recorders during winter, for example when I will go to my lessons, concerts etc... with low outside temperatures (below 5°C) ?

Haven't tried them yet, but thought it may interest others too.

In its usual key, Megalovania sits at the very top of the soprano, and that high D cracks if you so much as look at it. I moved the riff down to E minor so it stays in the bottom octave apart from one pinched E. The image has the staff, a letter under every note and a fingering diagram for each one, Baroque fingering.

Letters (′ means the high octave):

E E E′ B A♯ A G E G A
D D E′ B A♯ A G E G A

That's the whole riff, two bars. Loop it until someone in the house asks you to stop.

The tricky spots: A♯ is the fork fingering (thumb, holes 1, 3 and 4), so practise B to A♯ to A slowly until the switch is clean. Low D and E squawk at the smallest leak, so press the lower holes with the flat pads of your fingers. For E′, pinch the thumb so the nail leaves a small gap at the top of the hole.

Does anyone here play it in the original key on soprano? I'd like to know how you get that top D to speak.

Hello,

Does anyone know what music is played in the traditional audio sample on the Thomann recorder page?

https://www.thomannmusic.com/en-cz/mollenhauer_4317_adris_traumfloete_alt_natur.htm

https://instrumentsbybras.com/products/modular-triple-flute-kit-20-in-1-25mm-by-bras-2-0

What a clever idea!