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Playing the recorder
is easy once you master the basics of fingering, blowing and
tonguing. Click on the following hyperlinks if you are
already familiar with the basics and are looking for
tips on stopping squeaks, a
fingering chart, for help
reading a fingering chart,
or for fingering quizzes.
The recorder has 7 holes down the front, and one hole in the
back. Each finger on your hand is assigned a specific hole
to cover. Your left thumb will cover the hole on the back
of your recorder.
First, you must
remember the "Golden Rule" of recorder playing: "Left
Hand on Top." It doesn't matter which hand you
write with, or how awkward it may feel, you must always place
your left hand on the top holes.
When you place your
fingers over the holes, you must create a flat, tight seal.
Try to avoid curving your fingers under. Instead, imagine
you are being finger-printed. The tips of your fingers
should reach, and possibly hang over, the side of your recorder.
Place the tip of the recorder into your mouth. Remember,
you are going to play the recorder, not eat it, so make sure
that your teeth are not touching the mouthpiece. If your
teeth are touching the mouthpiece, you have the recorder to far
into your mouth. Move the recorder outward until only your
lips are around the mouthpiece.
Finally, you must
blow GENTLY!!! The recorder is a small woodwind
instrument, not a big, loud tuba.
To produce a clear beginning to each note, you must learn to use
your tongue to begin and separate each note. The tip of
your tongue should gently touch the back of your upper teeth at
the point where the gum-line meets your front teeth. It is
the same process as you use when you say the word "Du".
You may find it easiest to practice saying "Du, du, du" until
you gain a feel for the concept and can produce the same action
with only air (no sound).