Soprano Recorders

Soprano recorders, the standard classroom instrument and the size nearly every school program starts on. Empire Music carries AULOS and SUZUKI, both made in Japan, plus the EMUS range in six colours and NUVO's moulded models.

Both fingering systems are stocked. German fingering simplifies the note F, which helps a beginner play a first scale sooner, but the chromatic notes above F become harder and less true. Baroque or English fingering asks for a cross-fingering on F and stays consistent from there up, and it is what most method books and ensemble parts are written for. Match whatever your school already owns and whatever your method book uses.

One-piece recorders have nothing to misalign and hold up to a class set being handed out and collected each week. Two and three-piece models let you rotate the foot joint for a smaller hand and pull the head to tune to a group.

The AULOS Haka models take their shape from a historical instrument and come in plain or wood-grain finish. NUVO recorders are made from a softer moulded plastic with a wider windway, aimed at very young players. The SUZUKI Precorder has a simplified fingering layout for pre-school and early primary hands.

Cleaning rods, thumb rests, neck straps and germicide spray for shared instruments are stocked separately.