# Recorder questions



## classicaldude5000

Hi! New to the forum. I'm a pianist, looking to learn recorder, and wanted to open up discussion on a few questions....

- Were most baroque recorder pieces originally written for soprano or alto recorder?

- Is it possible to tune a recorder to something other than A440? And if so, how do you do so? My piano is tuned to A432, and it would be nice to match that if possible.

- What are some quality plastic soprano and alto options? And does anyone know of one that does NOT come with the joints already greased? I'd rather not grease plastic joints, so would like to avoid any plastic models that come pre-greased.

Thanks and look forward to your thoughts!


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## mbhaub

I played recorder for years in a baroque ensemble. I still pick it up ocassionally. One thing to really keep in mind: recorders come in pairs: fingerings for soprano and tenor, which are in C, are the same. Similarly, alto and bass, built in F, have the same fingerings. A player who learns the popular soprano will have troubles reading and playing parts for alto. So make sure to learn the one you want and like. Your fingers will get confused. Recorder music is all in concert pitch.

Instruments: if you're just exploring, go with plastic. The quality varies and llike anything the more you pay the better it gets. One challenge for a lot of players who want to take up tenor or bass is will your hands be able to reach all the keys. Yamaha, Aulos, Kohner, Schreiber and others make instruments. Plastic is cheaper than pearwood, rose woood or other natural products and far more forgiving of mistreatment. And far easier to clean. Amazon has a lot of choices and prices are good. But if you really get into recorder and want more expert advice, get to know the good people at The Early Music Shop: The Early Music Shop. The American Recorder Society is a valuable source of information. American Recorder Society

Tuning: most baroque recorders are tuned at A=442. My Mollenhauer tenor is. 432 is quite low. Retuning a piano that low to 440 or higher will take time and several tunings so the strings don't break.

The grease: what's wrong with it? A cheap, all-plastic instrument like a Yamaha soprano doesn't use grease. But a Moeck soprano does: there's a cork that provides the seal and it must be greased. If not, it will eventually dry out, crack and the seal will be lost. The instrument would be useless anyway since the cork is what holds the joints together.

Good luck with your venture. I don't know where you live, but look around and see if there's a Recorder Society or something similar that you can join. There are summer camps for baroque enthusiasts that are a lot of fun. Like these: Workshops & Festivals in 2023 - American Recorder SocietyThe ensemble I played with had 10 recorders of various sizes, a percussionist, a harpsichord, two cellos and a guitar. It was a lot of fun while it lasted. We would go play at retirement homes, schools, churches, the Renaissance Festival, and such.


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## classicaldude5000

Thanks so much, mbhaub, for your detailed reply. Really appreciate it. Of the baroque compositions that were originally written for recorder, do you know if more were written for soprano or alto?


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## mbhaub

I can't be sure because with so much baroque music the instrumentation was quite flexible. Same with renaissance music. What did David Munrow play mostly? An alto?


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