 The Fingering Forum
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Author: cassie
Date: 2000-12-01 02:11
My daughter is learning to play the recorder in school.
The playing position being taught by her teaching is left
hand on the top and right hand on the bottom. My daughter
is more comfortable with her right hand on the top yet
the teacher insists that this is an incorrect playing position. Being in education myself, I feel it is wrong to insist that a child be forced to use one hand over the other
if the child feels incomfortable. Please advise.
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Author: Aglauro
Date: 2000-12-01 08:50
Woodwind instruments are so designed that they *must* be played with the left hand on the top in order to be able to cope with the different keys and holes. This has nothing to do with being right- or left-handed, each hand having its own very peculiar problems, depending on the instrument. For instance, with the clarinet the left hand has a hard time to manage the throat keys, whereas with the flute the right hand is usually the clumsier of the two because of the somewhat constrained position of the little finger.
Although the recorder is a simpler instrument, it is likewise not symmetrical. In bigger recorders the holes are not aligned and sometimes there are keys requiring the regular hand position. Even in soprano recorders the bottom hole is in any case shifted towards the right, if the instrument is made up of a single piece. Even if it has a foot-joint, making it possible to shift the hole towards the left, the bottom hole is actually made up of two different smaller holes (unless it is a very cheap instrument) which will not be in the right sequence. Antique renaissance instruments were indeed fashioned so that they could be played both ways: two symmetrical bottom holes were provided, one on each side, and the player used to stop with wax whichever he did not use.
Even if you could get such an instrument, I doubt it would be wise to let your daughter play contrarywise. This would make her playing the soprano recorder a useless experience, in case she wanted to step up to a more complete woodwind instrument (or even, say, a tenor recorder). On the other hand, it is quite normal that one should experience uneasiness and discomfort (or even fatigue and pain, with certain instruments) in the beginning, irrespective of the hand position. The best things do not come free, and this is in itself a lesson of great educational value.
Best wishes,
Aglauro
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Author: Eoin McAuley
Date: 2000-12-01 23:55
I agree entirely with Aglauro on this one. It is very important that your daughter learns the correct hands for the instrument. With a symmetrical instrument like a tin whistle it would not matter, but the recorder is not symmetrical.
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