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The recorder comes from a group of woodwind musical tools in the family recognized as internal duct flutes, the flutes come with a whistle mouth instrument, also recognized as a fipple flute. The instrument can easily stand out from the other duct flutes as it has a hole for the thumb of the upper hand and seven other finger holes. It also has three finger-wholes for the upper and four holes for the lower hand as well. It is known for being the most accurate duct flute in the tradition of Western classical. The mouth organ is created in several sizes with different compasses and names and offers different vocal ranges. The recorder or the vertical flute has a long history behind its origin. The history involves Japanese shakuhachi, used in the folk music of South America, and several primeval tools that have been seen in different parts of the world. The recorder has managed to make its name among the all vertical flutes.
Recorders can be taken to anywhere you want, super easy to access, and most importantly it is affordable for any artist who has a passion for music. Don’t get surprised too early, recorders have been spreading their magic around because of their versatility and easy learning process as well in comparison to many other music tools. By mastering playing a recorder you can become a well-known musician, who knows! But it can get rigid to decide which type of recorder you should go for if you are starting as an instrument learner for the very first time in your life.
Read along the full blog to know the different types of recorders and let’s discover the best one to pick for the learner to master their talent. There are five types of records, familiar to music enthusiasts across the world.
What are five different recorders?
Various types of recorders are unique in many ways, mainly for their models. The five types of recorders, people are familiar with, are:
- Soprano recorder
- Bass recorder
- Sopranino recorder
- Tenor recorder
- Alto recorder
The Soprano recorder is the most common one among the five. Where bass recorder is the recorder that hits the low notes and the sopranino offers the highest pitch possible. When a bunch of recorders plays their instruments together, the bunch will be known as ‘Recorder Consort’. However, some of us think that the term ‘Recorder Consort’ sounds like a famous character from ‘Bridgerton’, but maybe it is just our thing or do you think the same?
1. Alto Recorder
The alto recorder is also recognized as a treble, coming from the recorder group. Before the 17th century, this instrument was commonly in G4 and not in F4. The standard range of the alto recorder is used to fall into the range between F4 and G6. The alto is between the tenor and the soprano when the question comes about size. It can be a great option for someone who is just a beginner, but this is larger when compared to a soprano. So it takes a little more effort to carry it around and most importantly you need to learn some tricks to play a soprano recorder. The Alto recorder offers an intense sound and a lower pitch well, best-fit for any classical music. It can get a little daunting for the novice if they have just started their process of learning how to play an alto recorder, but with time they will find the trick for its classic sound.
2.Tenor Recorder
The second one from the recorder family is the tenor recorder. It kind of has a familiar form like a descent or a soprano recorder and treble or an alto recorder. The tenor develops a lower sound. Like the soprano recorder, the tenor recorder is pitched an octave lower and is tuned in C. As it is slightly large, few tenors involve keys to make it simpler to access the lowest C and C#, and sometimes D and D#. The tenor is noted at sounding pitch, not following most of the other recorder sizes, in nowadays notation. There are few times when alto are crafted an octave higher or lower than they sound. Recently, the recorder has now become the topic of experimentation with progressive harmonic recorders. The tenor recorders have been the central idea of other differentiations like the Breukink-Slide-Recorder. If you are thinking of learning, you might see a specific pattern. As the recorder is bigger, includes a huge price tag which is the reason why most of the learners avoid tenor recorders when choosing.
3. Sopranino Recorder
This comes second in the list of small recorders, coming from the recorder family. It was the smallest up until the 17th This modern mouth organ has F5 at its lowest note, and the length is 20 cm. only. Michael Praetorius explains the sizes of the recorder, a completely higher tone with G5, as the lowest tone. He named it klein Flötlein (small little flute), or gar klein (really small) in German, exilent (highest) in Latin. According to him, it is the tiniest in a full “Accort oder Stimmwerk” which means a combination of all voices. He moreover says, “die kleinen gar zu starck und laut schreien” or “the small ones scream so” ion English. Sopranino Recorders are formed from soft tropical hardwoods. However, it also can be plastic-made as well. In history, we can see that there are various sizes and called differently too in different times and various languages. The recorder is usually hard to find in any store of musical instruments and beginners do not always give it preference. Their skill to hit the high note can be used brilliantly in performances.
4. Bass Recorder
The next up from the queue is a Bass recorder which is also known as a wind organ in F3 and originated in the family of recorders. The bass recorder performs an octave lower than the treble or alto recorder. It manages its position in between the C great bass recorder and the tenor recorder. As it is quite lengthy, the lowest pitch F needs a key. The keys should offer low F#, G, and G# on the modern organs and C# and C for sometimes too. The Bass is fairly the lowest minimum instrument that exists in the recorder consort, however, it also may be utilized as an alto in the “eight-foot” row in the grand jeux or “great consort”. The lowest and largest sort of recorder on the register offers a deep and rich sound that is familiar because of Renaissance or Baroque music.
5. Soprano Recorder
Well the last one from the list may have come across the way of yours if you have learned to a recorder back in school or want to know about it. It is small in shape, easy to carry because of its lightweight, and also budget-friendly. So it meets all your requirements if you are a beginner in the run. The recorder is perfect for use in melodies because of its range of notes. These recorders are available in a variety of materials. Usually, they are made from wood but several consider playing plastic for convenience. Plastic recorders are famous for their durability and easy-to-access usage.
Wrapping up,
This is quite easy to understand that the soprano recorder is the winner here. The instrument is easy to use and pocket-friendly as well. The recorder offers all the features to be every beginner’s choice. It can surely develop a melody, allowing the learners to access the pitch in an easy yet direct way.
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