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How To Play the Recorder - factors in playing

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Playing the Recorder

There is no trick to producing a good tone on the recorder.
You simply blow gently into the mouthpiece and the sound
comes forth. You should cover only about a quarter of an inch
of the mouthpiece with your lips, and you should not touch the
mouthpiece with your teeth. As with other wind instruments,
the best way to develop a good tone is to practice playing sus-
tained notes for a few minutes every day.

"Tonguing" is also used on the recorder to get clear, sharp
tones. Do not use the tongue at each note, but silently pro-
nounce the word "tu" each time you begin to blow. For the
lower notes, use the word "du".

The recorder has only eight holes, of which one, the thumb
hole, is at the back. The first, second and third fingers of the
left hand cover the three upper holes, with the left thumb on
the thumb hole. The little finger of the left hand is not used.
The first, second, third and fourth fingers of the right hand-
cover the four lower holes.

The fingering of the soprano, alto and tenor recorders, the
three most commonly used kinds, is shown in Fig. 96. This

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