Lesson 3: High C and D — The Second Octave Begins
- Play C5 and D5 with a clean sound.
- Play F and G (on your alto staff) with a clean sound.
- Move down from D5 to G4 and back without losing tone.
- Move down from G to C on your alto staff and back without losing tone.
- Lesson 2 — B, A, G.
- Thumb-hole control for the upper register.
- Upper-register thumb-pinch.
- C5 and D5 fingerings.
- Range expansion.
The recorder's two registers are two different instruments that happen to share a body.
High C and D sit just above the B you already know. They are surprisingly easy fingerings — C5 needs only one front finger, and D5 needs none at all. The challenge is air support, not finger placement.
F and G (on your alto staff) sit just above the E you already know. They are surprisingly easy fingerings — F needs only one front finger, and G needs none at all. The challenge is air support, not finger placement.
C5
F
Thumb hole pinched (half-vented); on the front, only the second finger covered. The first finger lifts off — this is the “forked C” that gives the note its slightly nasal colour.
Thumb hole pinched (half-vented); on the front, only the second finger covered. The first finger lifts off — this is the “forked F” that gives the note its slightly nasal colour. (Same fingering soprano calls “forked C.”)
D5
G
Thumb hole still pinched; on the front, only the first finger covered. Whisper the air; D5 likes it gentle.
Thumb hole still pinched; on the front, only the first finger covered. Whisper the air; G (on your alto staff) likes it gentle.
The top half of the G major scale, ascending and descending. Even tone on each note.
A simple melodic arch using all five notes you now know. One breath per bar.
Now play these
The five-note set G-A-B-C-D doesn't yet cover most of the songs library — the next two lessons add the bottom octave that the folk repertoire needs. For now, two challenges to do with what you have:
- Hot Cross Buns, transposed
- Play the song you learned in Lesson 2, starting on D5 instead of B4. Same shape, higher voice. (D C B / D C B / B B B B C C C C / D C B.)
- Play the song you learned in Lesson 2, starting on G instead of E on your alto staff. Same shape, higher voice. (G F E / G F E / E E E E F F F F / G F E.)
- Mary Had a Little Lamb
- Keep practising it at the original pitch — smooth transitions between the three notes are still the work.
When the five-note arch above is even from top to bottom, with no D5 cracking, move on to Lesson 4.
D5 squawking? See troubleshooting.