Lesson 14: B-flat and the Key of F Major
- Play Bb4 and Bb5 with the correct cross-fingerings.
- Play an F major scale and a Renaissance dance in F.
F major is the recorder's home key. Bach knew it; Telemann lived in it.
B-flat is the first flat in our curriculum, and like F-sharp it is cross-fingered. The key of F major contains one flat (Bb) and is the natural key of the alto recorder — which is why so much of the recorder's Baroque repertoire is in F.
Bb4
Thumb on, left index DOWN, left middle UP, left ring DOWN, right index DOWN. A cross-fingering: down-up-down with a right-hand finger added.Bb is often the most pitch-variable note on a recorder. Most instruments tend slightly sharp here; lip down a little to match the rest of the scale.
Bb5
The high Bb uses a half-vented thumb and an offset upper-hand pattern. It is the trickier of the two; expect the first attempts to crack.
F major, one octave, with Bb in place of B natural. Even tone throughout; Bb often pops out louder than its neighbours unless you compensate with breath.
Play: a Renaissance dance in F
A short pavane — the slow processional dance of the sixteenth century. Held notes, gentle motion, the new Bb taking the place B would have held in C major.
Now play these
- Silent Night
- A Christmas carol with Bb — gentle, sustained, ideal Bb practice.
- Pavane: Belle qui tiens ma vie
- Arbeau's pavane from Orchésographie (1589). A study in slow F major.
- Joy to the World
- An F major scale on the first phrase — pure scale, then a leap.
When the F major scale is even, with Bb sitting at the right pitch and volume relative to its neighbours, move on to Lesson 15.
Bb popping out too loud? See troubleshooting.