Recorders

One of the widest selections of classroom recorders in Canada, covering soprano, alto, tenor and bass from AULOS and SUZUKI, both made in Japan, alongside the EMUS range and NUVO's moulded models.

The first decision is fingering. German fingering makes the note F easier for a beginner, which is why it became the standard in many school programs, but the chromatic notes above it are harder and sit less well in tune. Baroque fingering, also called English fingering, asks for one extra step on F and then stays consistent through the rest of the range, and it is what most method books and ensemble parts assume. Neither is better in the abstract. What matters is matching the instruments your school already owns and the book your program teaches from, because a class playing two fingering systems at once will not stay together.

The second decision is how many pieces. One-piece recorders cannot be knocked out of alignment and suit young players and shared class sets. Three-piece recorders let you rotate the foot joint to fit a smaller hand and pull the head joint to tune to a group, and they dry out more thoroughly between lessons.

Bodies are moulded ABS resin, which handles classroom use and cleans easily. Soprano is the standard class instrument. Alto is the usual second recorder, and tenor and bass fill out a recorder consort.

Cleaning rods, thumb rests, joint grease, germicide and cases are stocked separately.