• The Recorder Flute
• Structure and Holding of the Recorder
• Blowing the Recorder
• Tonic Solfa on the Recorder
• A Demo Music with the Recorder

The Recorder is a fipple flute, since it has an internal duct like a whistle. The duct makes it easier for the air blown into the instrument to make sound. This can be contrasted with ductless flutes like the concert flute where in the player must use his lips to produce a unit sound (note). There are different kinds of recorder flutes: alto recorder, soprano recorder, and bass recorder. The soprano recorder which is the smallest, cheapest and easiest to play is the standard for beginner music practices. It is tuned/pitched in $C$.

Each soprano recorder flute has three detachable sections: the head (mouthpiece), the body, and the foot. Also, it has eight finger holes. One on the upper rear and seven on the front. Each hand covers four holes. The upper hand uses the thumb to cover the rear hole and the next three fingers for the first three holes on the front. The second hand uses the thumb as a support for the instrument while the other four (4) fingers are used to cover the remaining four holes on the front of the instrument.

The recorder flute is blown same way as a whistle. Hold the recorder well in place such that the tip is well placed in between the lips. As though you are making the sound "uuuuuuuu", force air gently into the instrument. It would make a basic sound.

The soprano recorder in pitched in $C$. Thus, the $Do$ of the soprano recorder is $C$. Essentially, the notes $C$, $D$, $E$, $F$, $G$, $A$, and $B$ corresponds to $Do$, $Re$, $Mi$, $Fa$, $So$, $La$, and $Ti$ respectively.

Since the tonic solfa can be played in different scales, you can reproduce other scales on the recorder, but $C$ is the easiet as all holes would be either closed completely or open completely. Tap to find more on tonic solfa

A nice demo music to play using the recorder is the 'Main Title from The Last of the Mohicans'. The solfa is

r m r
r m r
r m r
r m r
r m r
r m r

f m f m r
r f m f s
f s l s f m f s
f m r

f m f m r
r f m f s
f s l s f m f s
f m r

f m r r r d d 
f m r r r d l
f s l s f m f s f m r

r m r 
r m r

• The recorder flute is fipple flute, just like a whistle.
• The soprano recorder is pitched in $C$.
• Each soprano recorder has seven holes in front for the notes and a thumb hole for the pitch.
• The recorder is blown in the same way as a whistle is blown.
• The recorder can be used to play tonic solfa of different scales, e.g. C major, etc.