Hello roye
There's a good introduction to the recorder which I'll refer you to
lower down the page, but first let me describe the different parts of
the instrument, as you requested.
Recorders are made in three separate pieces:
Head joint - separate from the body so you can change the length of the
recorder slightly to tune it when playing with other instruments
Body joint - also called middle joint or barrel
Foot joint - separate so it can be turned slightly to suit the little finger
The three sections are connected with tenon joints sealed with waxed
string or cork.
Head joint
=========
Mouthpiece - or beak, to blow into - not too hard! (see "tonguing" below)
Windway - the inner bore carrying the breath
Window - the opening on top of the mouthpiece
Lip - or labium, a sharp edge in the window
the air strikes it to produce the sound
Body joint
==========
Thumb hole - underneath when in use
the player's left thumb goes here, but is lifted off
for certain
notes
Finger holes - six holes on top
covering and uncovering these varies the pitch of each note
this is called fingering and there are many charts available to
help (see fingering chart links below)
Double hole - the sixth hole may be two tiny holes side by side,
making it possible to cover one or both with the same finger
Foot joint
==========
Double hole - for little finger of right hand, two tiny holes close together
sometimes both are covered at once, sometimes only one
Good instructions for your first attempt at producing a sound come
from the webpage I mentioned:
"It's now time to make your first noise with the recorder. Hold the
recorder any old way and don't worry about the finger holes for the
moment. Put the mouthpiece between your lips. Don't bite it! It
shouldn't touch your teeth.
Now whisper the word 'too'. It's very important that you always start
each note by whispering 'too'. This is called 'tonguing'. It provides
a clean sharp start to the note.
Practise a rapid 'too too too' and long notes 'toooooooooooooooo'. You
should be able to produce a steady note lasting about half a minute.
If not, you're blowing too hard."
On the same page there are helpful instructions for beginners on
fingering a few notes and putting them together into simple tunes.
See:
How to Play the Recorder
Diagram, description of a recorder, and beginners' instructions
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A506387
Now for two different styles of fingering chart:
Interactive fingering chart.
Move the mouse to show the fingering for different notes.
On the recorder picture black = cover the hole, white = uncover.
Some notes need the thumb hole half-covered; this shows as half black, half white.
If you don't play the piano, never mind, the note's "letter" shows
clearly on screen.
http://www.hants.gov.uk/hrs/finger/cfinger.html
A fingering chart with colours corresponding to finger holes
(Note the hand pictures on the right with each finger linked to its hole.)
http://www.musikhieber.de/pics/bflbargr.gif
Here you'll find links to huge amounts of information on the recorder,
some of it very advanced, but not all. Check the "sound files" section
where you can find recorder music to listen to.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~nickl/recorder.html
The soprano or descant recorder is the familiar kind described above,
but there are others, for example the alto or treble recorder.
I hope this is helpful. If I have misunderstood your needs or if you
have any other query at all, please get back to me by asking for
clarification.
Best Wishes - Leli
Search strategy:
Started with my knowledge of the recorder, and also searched google with:
descant recorder mouthpiece window
://www.google.co.uk/search?q=descant+recorder+mouthpiece+window&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&meta=
recorder fingering chart
://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=recorder+fingering+chart&btnG=Search&meta= |