 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: TripleB
Date: 2013-01-18 14:36
I'm thinking of getting my son (5 years old) a recorder. He has shown some interest in playing an instrument since I started playing my tenor saxophone again.
Just from the price standpoint, I would like to start him out with a recorder. I think it would be a good way to start teaching him about music and hopefully it will be simple enough that he can play some tunes he's familiar with.
It seems that you can either get ones in the key of 'C' and ones in the key of 'F'. Do most people use the Key of C recorders? (it seems they are more prevalent)
My question is this: when looking at them there are some that say 'Baroque Fingering' and some that don't (German I guess?). Which one should I purchase for my 5 year old son?
Thank you for your help.
TripleB
Post Edited (2013-01-18 14:40)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-01-18 14:51
You're best with a descant or soprano recorder as they're in C (the same pitch as a piccolo) and with Baroque fingering as the more expensive recorders are only made with Baroque fingering if he gets serious about playing it.
Whatever you do, don't show him the trick of covering the window (labium?) with one hand while blowing it to make an ear-splittingly high note - you will only end up regretting buying it!
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2013-01-18 15:17
The instruments in C and F are different in size. Sopranos and tenors are pitched in C (their fundamental scale is a C scale). The alto and bass recorders are pitched in F - their fundamental scale is an F scale like the chalumeau register of the clarinet (a fifth lower than the soprano and tenor respectively). Probably at 5 your son would have have trouble covering the holes of an alto, so a soprano is the better size as a starter. But decent recorders today are so inexpensive that having an alto as well as a soprano as soon as his fingers can cover the holes on the larger instrument comfortably would, I think, be worthwhile.
Karl
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-01-18 15:33
Yamaha plastic recorders are a good place to start - they're all of a traditional design and they do them in a variety of colours and finishes including wood grain finishes with ivory tips.
The transparent ones (especially the blue) look uncannily like X-ray images of recorders.
http://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical-instruments/winds/recorders/
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2013-01-18 15:35)
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2013-01-18 16:01
Another possibility - although a bit more difficult to play than a recorder - is the Yamaha fife (YRF-21). Basically it is a small flute made of resin, just like their recorders. It's often used as a beginner's flute here, nearly indestructible yet capable of sufficient range, and at $10 a steal. Transition to other woodwinds may be smoother as the importance of a correct embouchure is learned at a very early stage.
Just a thought...
(no affiliation with any company)
--
Ben
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Author: TripleB
Date: 2013-01-18 16:12
I read in a review for a recorder that the transition to woodwind instruments is more difficult if you start with a Baroque Recorder...is this true?
Thanks for all the help so far.
TripleB
Post Edited (2013-01-18 16:13)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-01-18 16:25
The majority of recorders are of the Baroque type (and fingering) - there are also large bore Renaissance recorders, but they have a smaller range.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2013-01-18 17:51
Kids make fingering adjustments fairly easily (if no one tells them there's a problem). Recorder fingerings are more simple than any modern woodwind instrument, so the transition will not be exact regardless of what instrument the child takes on later. The difference between Baroque (I'm assuming that's what was called English when I first played recorder almost 60 years ago) and German fingerings only concerns a couple of notes. I don't think realistically it would be more difficult to move from either fingering system.
Karl
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Author: Bennett ★2017
Date: 2013-01-20 16:45
Perhaps a $3 flutophone would be a good starter. See the testimonials from elementary school music teachers on Amazon, e.g.,
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