Hello Recorder Rockstars!
On this page you will find all the information you need to know about playing the recorder! Included below is basic recorder technique, practice for reading music, Recorder Karate video tutorials and also information regarding cleaning your recorder properly. Please feel free to use this page as a resource for practicing while you are at home!
**UPDATE 4/1/2020: If the student, would like to "test" for a recorder karate belt while we are away from school, please send Miss Fish/Miss BT a video of the student playing the song via e-mail
Miss Fish's students = [email protected]
Mrs. BT's students = [email protected]
**UPDATE 4/1/2020: If the student, would like to "test" for a recorder karate belt while we are away from school, please send Miss Fish/Miss BT a video of the student playing the song via e-mail
Miss Fish's students = [email protected]
Mrs. BT's students = [email protected]
Vocabulary:
Breath Control: How you release your air into the recorder.
Embouchure: The way the inside and outside of your mouth looks when you play.
Articulation: The way you start and separate your notes.
- Air should be soft, slow, and warm
- Imagine you're cooling off soup. Soft air. You don't want that soup to splatter in your face!
- Imagine you're flickering the flame of a candle without actually blowing it out. Use slow air to achieve this.
- Imagine you're steaming up a car window in the winter so that you can do draw on it. Use warm air to achieve this.
- Low notes require very slow air.
- High notes require slightly faster air.
Embouchure: The way the inside and outside of your mouth looks when you play.
Articulation: The way you start and separate your notes.
- Imagine you are saying "too" or "doo"
- Touch your tongue behind your top teeth
- Let the tongue interrupt the air, but don't stop the air!
Recorder Fingering Chart:
Tips for Practicing:
1. Slow down!
- If you are unable to play a song all the way though at performance speed, slow the whole thing down, it's ok! Give yourself the time to process and think about the notes and the fingerings.
- If there is a part in the song that you are struggling with, work on that part only for awhile. There's no point in restarting the entire song 20 or 30 times. When we do that, it just wastes our valuable time, and makes us feel impatient and frustrated!
- When you play in front of a mirror or an audience, they might be able to help you with mistakes that you are making that you normally can't see while your playing recorder. For example, a mirror or an audience can tell you if a whole is not being covered completely.
- If you've been practicing more than 20 minutes, it's time to take a break!
- Learning a musical instrument (no matter which instrument it is) can be a challenge. It can also be an incredibly rewarding experience once you have master a song, or even a skill. Don't give up. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!
Recorder Karate!
Recorder Karate is a self-paced recorder instruction method that teaches basic wind instrument technique and musicianship skills through through nine different songs. This instruction method is a positive reward system in which students collect colored "karate belts" to put around their recorder for each progressively more challenging tune.
Below are practice videos where Miss Fish takes you through a practice routine for each of our Karate belt tunes. If you have left your recorder at school, you can still participate in these videos! Playing into our recorder is the last step. Before that, the recorder is not needed. You can still say rhythms, sing solfege (do, re, mi), and sing letter names. You can even use a pencil as practice for moving your fingers correctly. You only truly need your recorder for the very last step. Please feel free to use these videos to help you practice at home!
White Belt - Hot Cross Buns
Yellow Belt - Snail, Snail
Orange Belt - Au Clair de la Lune
Green Belt - Closet Key
Blue Belt - Merrily We Roll Along (Mary Had a Little Lamb)
Purple Belt - Let Us Chase The Squirrel
Red Belt - All Around The Buttercup
Brown Belt - Go Tell Aunt Rhody
Black Belt - Lightly Row
**UPDATE 4/1/2020: If the student, would like to "test" for a recorder karate belt while we are away from school, please send Miss Fish/Miss BT a video of the student playing the song via e-mail
Miss Fish's students = [email protected]
Mrs BT's students = [email protected]
Below are practice videos where Miss Fish takes you through a practice routine for each of our Karate belt tunes. If you have left your recorder at school, you can still participate in these videos! Playing into our recorder is the last step. Before that, the recorder is not needed. You can still say rhythms, sing solfege (do, re, mi), and sing letter names. You can even use a pencil as practice for moving your fingers correctly. You only truly need your recorder for the very last step. Please feel free to use these videos to help you practice at home!
White Belt - Hot Cross Buns
Yellow Belt - Snail, Snail
Orange Belt - Au Clair de la Lune
Green Belt - Closet Key
Blue Belt - Merrily We Roll Along (Mary Had a Little Lamb)
Purple Belt - Let Us Chase The Squirrel
Red Belt - All Around The Buttercup
Brown Belt - Go Tell Aunt Rhody
Black Belt - Lightly Row
**UPDATE 4/1/2020: If the student, would like to "test" for a recorder karate belt while we are away from school, please send Miss Fish/Miss BT a video of the student playing the song via e-mail
Miss Fish's students = [email protected]
Mrs BT's students = [email protected]
HELP!
Why am I squeaking? - Video
Other Recorder Tunes and Tutorials!
Click here to be directed to a YouTube playlist of other recorder songs and tutorials. This includes songs like, Jingle Bells, Baby Shark, Fight Song, Old Town Road and more!
Cleaning The Recorder:
1. Remove the head joint from your recorder by twisting it gently back and forth. (Not all recorders have this option. Check with a music teacher.)
2. Mix luke warm water with a little bit of dish detergent.
3. Let the recorder and head joint soak in the water and soap mixture for about 15 minutes.
4. If you have a soft bottle brush, scrub your head joint separately by gently scrubbing back and forth.
5. Rinse all pieces with luke warm water, let it dry, and then reassemble your recorder. Make sure everything is lined up or you might have trouble playing your recorder the next time you go to play it!
6. Return the recorder to its case. This will keep the recorder clean between plays.