PLAYING THE RECORDERS - online tutorial

How to Play The Descant, Treble, Tenor and Bass Recorders, full online instruction.

Share page

Visit Us On FB

	The Descant (i) 3.  Lower G and upper G are produced in the same way ex­cept that when playing the upper note the thumb-hole is pinched. 4. This applies also to lower and upper A. Even the best recorder can be played out of tune by wrong wind pressure whereas faulty notes on imperfect recorders can be partially corrected by adjusting the wind pressure, though there is no excuse these days for the production of faulty instruments. In the upper octave faulty intonation can be corrected by adjusting the size of the opening of the thumb-hole. Further, if a note is too sharp, this can sometimes be corrected by par­tially covering, or 'shading' as it is called, one of the other holes. Shading is a point of technique for advanced players and is mentioned here only as something to be kept in mind for achieving good intonation later. The notes in the tablature in example 3 should be played slowly at first but with a gradually increasing speed. The notes should be played both up and down the scale. All the notes in this tablature should be learned as quickly as possible; this should not be beyond the scope of anyone really interested in music. Examples 4 and 5 are tunes using some of the notes learned.
	(Collected and arranged by Cecil J. Sharp). By permission of Novello & Co., Ltd. 28