The Recorder Guide: An Instruction Method for Soprano and Alto Recorder, Including Folk Melodies from Around the World

YOU MUST FIRST KNOW MUSIC! If you're already well-versed in the language of music but have yet to explore the charming world of the recorder, look no further than this comprehensive method. Designed with experienced musicians in mind, it offers a streamlined path to mastery, capitalizing on your existing knowledge while gently introducing you to the unique quirks and challenges of the instrument.One of the standout features of this method is its respect for your musical background. Rather than starting from scratch with basic music theory, it quickly immerses you in the specifics of recorder technique, leveraging your prior understanding to accelerate your progress. From breath control to finger dexterity, each lesson builds upon the foundation you've already laid, ensuring that your existing skills are not only recognized but maximized.For those who are not excited about the practice pieces, neither am I. Once you master the instrument, however, you can move onto more sophisticated works.

The Kuhlbach / Nitka Recorder Guide is easily my first choice for adult beginners or students who have had some musical background. This is the method I used in the the 1970s for beginning recorder students wishing to play in the Ohio State University Collegium ensemble. Because the method addresses both C and F instruments simultaneously, Its chief strength is preparing the student for consort playing. Given that learning recorder, in many cases, is offered as a part of the elementary public school curriculum, most recorder players begin with a soprano (in C) ... obviously the perfect size for a 4th grader's hands. This book, however, may not be the best choice for a 4th grader. I start my very young with a method specifically designed for elementary students. When I feel a student is ready to tackle an F instrument, I almost invariably move to the Kuhlbach / Nitka Recorder Guide. If the student is young we add a sopranino. For adults, many of whom have been introduced to recorder as a child (again, usually C instruments) we add an alto (in F), which, after all is the Baroque solo instrument of the recorder family. If the goal is playing in a consort, after a little orientation on the F instrument, I have my students begin to alternate between the F and C instruments routinely ... because that's what one does in a consort. This book is perfect for developing this skill ... and at a reasonable price, considering most recorder methods are published in separate versions for either C or F instruments. The music, catering to folk music, is delightful. With this method, any student should end up with a solid foundation; add good instruction, that foundation will not crumble when one tackles more advanced music. Both Baroque and German (but not Renaissance) fingerings are given. (Suggestion: If you have only a recorder with German fingerings [check the fingering for f on your recorder], go get a plastic Yamaha with Baroque fingering!)

I’m enjoying this book as I learn alto recorder. It gives me time to become accustomed to the different fingering for alto as opposed to the soprano recorder fingering I learned almost 50 years ago. This is helping me not only with recorder but is so related to alto crumhorn that I should be ready to play alto crumhorn during the Christmas season. And nothing says Christmas like crumhorn! Or recorder duets/ensemble!

I found this recorder method book to be perfect for my needs. I'm an adult with previous musical knowledge (I play guitar and piano), and wanted a book with lots of level-appropriate pieces with progressive difficulty. I'm also learning both soprano and alto recorder at the same time. This book meets all of those needs. The fact that it includes guitar chords for many pieces is an added bonus, and was a factor when I chose this book.The pieces in the book include many duets. In some cases, your specific instrument only have an accompaniment part (e.g., a duet where the soprano has the melody and the alto has the accompaniment). I don't consider this a problem, though. First, the book includes numerous pieces, so sometimes not having the melody in one isn't a big deal. Second, if you don't have another musician to play with, you can record yourself playing one part, then play the other with the recording you made. Lastly, while the pieces are often pleasant in their own right, their real purpose is to help you learn, so spending time on "just an accompaniment part" is still time well spent.The pieces are almost all traditional folk melodies. If you're looking for modern pieces, you won't find them here. That isn't a problem for me. I like folk and baroque music on the recorder.There's very little space devoted to textural explanation. There's a brief introduction to reading music (which I can't comment on, as I skipped it since I already read music), and some explanation of breathing and articulation (which I found useful). Most of the book is music, divided into stage-appropriate difficulty levels. There are also some fingering charts in the back of the book, but I haven't used those as I either referred to the fingering diagrams in the chapter/part I was currently learning, or I referred to the guides that came with my specific recorders.While the book isn't everything you'll need to master the recorder, it's a very solid foundation for an adult beginner. (I don't think I'd recommend for a child learning recorder: the presentation is dry and matter-of-fact, and might seem sparse and confusing to a younger beginner.) It's almost entirely repertoire-based, so I'd personally supplement it with scale and arpeggio studies (such as those available from the American Recorder Society's Personal Study Program), and possibly some material on music theory (although that's not necessary to learn and play the pieces). I'd also look at some of the classical baroque repertoire available for recorder for free on sites like IMSLP and free-scores, and the list of repertoire-by-level from the American Recorder Society. Youtube sites like "TeamRecorder" are another valuable resource. Using all those elements together on the foundation this book provides will have you well on your way.

This gives a brief background of the instrument. Some of the pictures explains a lot. What I mean is there is a picture of a goat (or something) herder out on the hillside far away from others playing the recorder. This was before there were books of recorder music (not that he had any money for books). Also no radios, he had to write all his own music. I guess he would then play it in the local tavern for free drinks. Unless he was a gifted musician people never heard good music. Anyway, all these songs were written down after we invented music notation (probably by monks). Edward

I bought this book because of the recommended books, this one had about twice the music as the others. I'm about half way through it on Alto and it's great so far. This is my third time learning recorder I guess... once when I was in 6th grade (I probably learned about as much as I learned now in 2 weeks) and once a few years ago, but I didn't have any solid lesson plan so I kind of got lost.With this book at the end of it I feel I would be able to decipher any recorder piece (maybe not play it if it's too difficult though).A great book for two people learning as it has a lot of duets or learning soprano and alto at the same time as it has both for every piece.I have some experience in a number of instruments and can read music for classical guitar so it may be easier for me than most.

Does what it says on the tin. As I am now learning alto, I find it helpful to have a straightforward, one new note at a time, guide to the instrument. I like the duets with descant, which have been cleverly put together, using relatively few notes (I'm still early on in the book). I would not recommend this book to a genuine novice at music as the explanations as quite old-school and the printing of music would need to be clearer for a novice to follow. If you can already read music, this is a good guide to recorder playing, with an interesting mix of folk tunes from round the world and some sweet, recorder-friendly harmonies.

Love the progressive approach! I'm playing the alto recorder so it's great that most songs have a soprano + alto partition so I can practice with another person. The songs are beautiful and engaging. I really recommend this book for anyone beginning the recorder.

Introduces each note, then exercises and pieces. Full two octaves for soprano and alto. Music is often great renaissance, some with words. Useful for harmony and in groups.I can read music but some from the group could not. I gave a copy to my grand daughter.The best introduction I know especially for the more serious.There are lots of other introductions, but they are less complete and the music is often not as good. The recorder is a classical instrument after all.

An excellent beginning book. Especially those inclined to the historical aspects of the recorder. The Sequences makes learning enjoyable and meaningful. Happy playing!