r/Recorder

I do feel like aesthetic quality is important for a lot of instruments, especially for performances and just general motivation to play. And just personally, I think paetzolds are incredibly ugly. specifically referring to the blocky and square recorders they’re known for, to me they just look like foundation. Ugly black and plywood boxes. I think the fact that they’re not immediately recognizable as instruments is a bad thing. They stick out like a sore thumb in any ensemble they’re in. Plus i personally don’t like how the keys blend into the instrument. It makes them look and feel even less like instruments. I get they’re supposed to look like organ pipes, but i don’t think that aesthetic translates well to recorders. I just don’t get the visual appeal. They just don’t look good to me.

I have never played a paetzold, i am simply just going off of how they look aesthetically, in which i believe they’re really ugly.

I just bought a baroque soprano recorder and have tried playing major and minor scales as well as playing chromatically. Haven't come very far. Does anyone have any recomendations on how to practice so I can become more "fluent"?

Hi everyone!

I've been playing the recorder for a little while now, I'm following Aldo Bova's method for soprano/tenor.

I'm looking to expand my daily practice routine beyond just the method

I want to start incorporating some actual repertoire and etudes that are well-suited for a beginner level.

My main goals right now are:

• Building foundational technique: Improving my breath control, achieving cleaner tonguing, and getting comfortable with the transitions between the lower and upper registers.

• Reading practice: Pieces that aren't too overwhelming to sight-read but still offer a solid challenge.

• Musicality: I'd love to find pieces that actually sound beautiful and are rewarding to play, rather than just dry, mechanical exercises.

Does anyone have favorite recommendations for standard beginner repertoire, sheet music collections, or specific etude books for C recorders?

I’m very open to Renaissance and Baroque music, folk tunes, bardcore, medieval, soundtracks or absolutely anything else that helps build good playing habits 😂

Thanks in advance for the help!

Update: Thank you all for your advice and recommendations.

Hi, does anyone know of any books of Celtic/folk/traditional music for alto recorder? Intermediate to advanced, specifically. I have searched, but only found music for beginners.

I am teaching myself recorder on a cheap wooden soprano recorder. I have played flute for most of my life. I was wondering how to place the mouthpiece and then what to do with my lips. Thanks!

Yep, it practically lives in my car! I came home from work a few hours ago and didn't even bother to take it home. I left it nice and cozy in my backpack, on the backseat, in my garage. I love how convenient it is! My Aulos Symphony made it possible for me to carve out time for practice almost EVERY DAY for the last 5 months! I'm so proud of myself for managing to do this :) Whether I'm going to work, grocery shopping, out with a friend... I can just park somewhere and play a little. I've taken it with me outside too, I've practiced in parks, on trails, I even played it once on a rowboat in the company of a friend! I feel this has made all the difference. If I played a bulkier, more maintenence-heavy instrument I'd have way less opportunities to practice. The only drawback to practicing in the car, as far as I've experienced, is that it tends to "dry up" the sound. You might think you don't sound too good, but it's just the car eating up the sound. Whenever I take my recorder inside my house and practice there, I'm amazed at how good it can sound and that's where the time spent practicing in my car really pays off :)

just a recorder shower thought

Hi everyone! I’ve started a new sub, r/flute_unfiltered, focused on deeper discussion of flute playing and classical performance.

I’ve been wanting a space that goes a bit deeper than the usual beginner and troubleshooting topics you often see into things like, interpretation, repertoire, and historically informed performance.

So I started r/flute_unfiltered to do just that. There is no traverso sub apparently, so I am posting here. What you’ll find there are: Interesting content sharing, Performance analysis, constructive critique, Repertoire-focused discussion and some satire on the side.

If that sounds interesting, feel free to join and post, I’d really appreciate having more people contributing and getting discussions going: https://www.reddit.com/r/flute_unfiltered/