The recorder for kids: how it works and first notes to play

The recorder is a simple flute with a whistle mouthpiece and eight holes. A child blows gently into the top and covers the holes to change the note. It is the first wind instrument for many children, because a clear note comes out on the first try. Schools often teach it in grade 3 or 4. The recorder is also a real concert instrument, with music by Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi.

Quick facts

• Family: woodwinds
• Holes: seven on the front and one for the thumb on the back
• Size: the school recorder is about a foot long
• Made of: plastic or wood
• Lowest note: on the school recorder, the C above middle C

How it makes sound

The mouthpiece has a narrow slot. The slot aims the player’s breath at a sharp edge. The air splits on the edge and makes the air inside the tube shake. That is the sound.

A whistle works the same way. So the player does not have to shape the lips in a special way, as on a flute.

Covering more holes makes the tube longer, and the note goes lower.

The recorder family

The school recorder is the soprano. In Britain, it is called the descant. There are larger and smaller ones.

Recorder	Size	Sound
Sopranino	About 9 inches	The highest
Soprano	About 12 inches	High and bright
Alto	About 18 inches	Mellow. Most solo music is for this one.
Tenor	About 25 inches	Warm and low
Bass	About 3 feet	The lowest of the common sizes

How to hold it

• The left hand goes on top. This is true for everyone, left-handed or right-handed.
• The left thumb covers the hole on the back.
• The first three fingers of the left hand cover the top three holes.
• The right thumb rests under the recorder to hold it up.
• The four fingers of the right hand cover the lower four holes.

Cover each hole with the flat pad of the finger, not the tip.

How to blow

Blow gently, the way you would fog up a mirror. Start each note by whispering “too.”

Too much air makes a squeak. Low notes need less air than high notes.

The first three notes

Note	Left thumb	Left-hand fingers
B	Covered	First finger
A	Covered	First and second fingers
G	Covered	First, second, and third fingers

The right hand does not cover any holes for these three.

Two songs with three notes

“Hot Cross Buns.” For three instruments, read Hot Cross Buns: how to play it.

B A G, B A G, G G G G, A A A A, B A G

“Au clair de la lune,” first line.

G G G A B A, G B A A G

For six more, read easy recorder songs with letter notes.

The next notes

Note	Thumb	Left hand	Right hand
High C	Covered	Second finger alone	None
High D	Open	Second finger alone	None
E	Covered	Three fingers	First and second fingers
Low D	Covered	Three fingers	First, second, and third fingers
Low C	Covered	Three fingers	All four fingers

Why does it squeak?

• Too much air. Blow more gently.
• A hole is leaking. Press with the pads of the fingers. Check for red rings on the fingers. A full ring means the hole was covered.
• The thumb has slipped. Check the hole on the back.
• There is water in the slot. Cover the slot with a finger and blow hard once to clear it.

Two kinds of fingering

Recorders are sold with one of two fingering systems, called Baroque and German. They differ on a few notes, such as F. Buy the kind your child’s teacher uses. If the school gives no advice, most lesson books use Baroque.

Looking after it

Shake out the water after playing. Pull a cleaning rod with a cloth through the tube. A plastic recorder can be washed in warm, soapy water.

A real concert instrument

The recorder was a leading instrument in Europe from about 1500 to 1750. Then the flute took its place, and the recorder was nearly forgotten for 150 years. Players brought it back in the early 1900s. Schools took it up after plastic made it cheap.

Pieces to hear

Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, by Bach. Two recorders and a violin are the soloists.

Recorder Concerto in C major, by Vivaldi. Written for the tiny sopranino. It is as quick as birdsong.

Suite in A minor, by Telemann. A set of dances for recorder and strings.

Things to do together

Echo game. Play three notes. Your child plays them back. Swap.

Long tones. See who can hold a soft, steady G the longest.

Whisper and shout. Play G with a gentle breath and then with a hard one. Hear the note crack. That is why recorder players blow gently.

School recorder, concert recorder. After your child plays “Hot Cross Buns,” play the Vivaldi. It is the same kind of instrument.

Print and play

Print staff paper to write down a tune of three notes. For the rest of the family, read woodwind instruments for kids. For its metal cousin, read the flute for kids. For how notes are written, read how to read music for parents.

For all four families, see instruments of the orchestra for kids.