Lesson 1: Your First Notes — B and A
- Play clear, steady B and A without squeaking.
- Play clear, steady E and D (on your alto staff) without squeaking.
- Move between them on tongued quarter notes.
- Lesson 0 — posture, breath, and sustained tone.
- First two notes (B and A on soprano; E and D on alto).
- Tongued quarter notes.
Whisper, don’t blow.
The recorder is a low-pressure instrument. You make a sound by speaking the syllable “too” gently into the mouthpiece while covering the right holes. Today you will learn two notes — B and A — and play a short rocking melody between them.
The recorder is a low-pressure instrument. You make a sound by speaking the syllable “too” gently into the mouthpiece while covering the right holes. Today you will learn two notes — E and D on your alto staff — and play a short rocking melody between them. The fingerings are identical to soprano B and A; alto sounds a fifth lower and reads at sounding pitch.
B
E
Cover the thumb hole behind the recorder with the flat pad of your left thumb, and the first hole on the front with your left index finger. Two holes covered, the rest open. Say “too” into the mouthpiece and sustain.
Cover the thumb hole behind the recorder with the flat pad of your left thumb, and the first hole on the front with your left index finger. Two holes covered, the rest open. Say “too” into the mouthpiece and sustain. The note on your staff is E.
A
D
Keep the thumb and first finger where they are, and add the second finger. Three holes covered. Only the middle finger moves between B and A.
Keep the thumb and first finger where they are, and add the second finger. Three holes covered. Only the middle finger moves between E and D on your alto staff.
By ear, first
Before reading a single note on the page, find your way around the two fingerings. Play a long B. Breathe. Play a long A. Switch between them at any pace, in any pattern, listening for whether each note speaks cleanly. Only the middle finger moves; the rest of the hand stays where it is.
Before reading a single note on the page, find your way around the two fingerings. Play a long E. Breathe. Play a long D. Switch between them at any pace, in any pattern, listening for whether each note speaks cleanly. Only the middle finger moves; the rest of the hand stays where it is.
Two minutes, no page, no rhythm to follow. Whatever shape your ear suggests.
Play it
Four long Bs, four long As, four pairs. Listen for an even sound from start to finish on each note.
A folk-like rocking shape. Tongue each note with a soft “too”; keep the air steady through the bar.
Now play these
The songs library has five tunes that need only B, A, and G. After the next lesson adds G, you can play all five. Read ahead if you like:
The songs library has five tunes that need only the first three fingerings (soprano B, A, G — alto E, D, C). After the next lesson adds the third one, you can play all five. The song pages use soprano pitch naming throughout; on alto you read the transposed staff and play the same fingerings. Read ahead if you like:
- Hot Cross Buns
- Three notes, three short phrases. The simplest song in the curriculum.
- Mary Had a Little Lamb
- The same three notes, with a slightly longer melodic shape.
- Rain Rain Go Away
- A nursery tune that sits almost entirely on B and A.
When you can play the rocking melody above three times in a row without squeaking or stopping, move on to Lesson 2.
Stuck on the sound? See troubleshooting. For a routine to practise this in, see daily practice.