Recorder range

Theremin · Post by **Theremin** » Sun Mar 02, 2003 5:30 pm

I know there are some other recorder players on this forum, so here it goes: What is the highest note you can play on a soprano recorder? I can hit the B five lines above the staff (treble clef). For some reason, I can't play an A though. It is probably because I only have a cheapo recorder.

Post by **Sam Gamgee** » Mon Mar 03, 2003 8:05 pm

A soprano recorder goes up to a D. (MAaaybe #D, but not sure). Most plastic recorders are too crappy to hit any note above B well (and B only if you're warmed up), but I've never herad of one not playing an A well before. It might depend on the piece, and your mental preparation for it: I have NO problem playing A's that high, especially not on my beautiful wood recorder, but for some reason, in this one song i was having trouble getting it - it was a little squeaky every time I played it. This is why: 1) I'm still in the process of breaking in my recorder, and you're not supposed to play high notes without warming up, and I wasn't really sure if A was considered "high" or if just playing ths song was warm enough. Thus I was timid and didn't breathe quite hard enough. B) I was actually reading a part for an alto recorder and transposing it higher so that the soprano could play it. So I would see and E and play the fingering for a soprano B. Anyway, this song, when playing on a soprano, really only goes up to A, which is not high, but it was printed as a high high D, which looked really scary hanging out way up there above the staff. And so I was intimidated by the highness of it and did not blow as hard. (I just switched from 1 to B. Oh well. I'll leave it. it's cool.)
Then I go and play the recorder part for Elrenn and Endereth (that's so fun!!! Thank you for writing that, Fred! (or Steve, but i'm guessing it was Fred)), and I have absolutely no problem hitting the B in that, much less the A.
Strange how images afffect our minds so much.

But I can go up to a C, if I blow hard and am prepared - just jumping up there like Richard Harvey does in Kemp's Jig (Gryphon) is difficult (but managable. That's a fun song to play!)

I don't think I'm going to attempt a D until I've really broken my recorder in.

Theremin · Post by **Theremin** » Mon Mar 03, 2003 10:24 pm

Yeah, all I have is a white plastic yamaha. It is really just a piece of well-manufactured junk and is prone to sqeaking. My alto is nicer, it is a $35 black and white Zen-on and has a much better timbre. Whenever I play it, I end up playing a fifth away from what is meant to be played, because I only bothered to learn Soprano/ Tenor recorder/ Alto saxophone fingering. So, if I want to play with anyone else, I have to rewrite my part a fifth away from what is written. Pretty sad, huh?

Post by **Sam Gamgee** » Tue Mar 04, 2003 6:55 pm

Yeah, i used to do that too. Then I had to learn alto for the Youth Mass group at our church... at first i tranposed, but it's really not that hard once you get the hang of it. Just hard to make yourself start.
A white plastic Yamaha?! Oh, you poor chicken!!! Those are the most ugly recorders on the face of this earth! I used to have one... then it dissapeared somewhere and I got a black Angel (reniassance style - no ornaments, just plain and striaght, curving in slightly towards the middle) in 7th grade. Then my sister gave me hers. They're both broken now. :-p
But my alto is very very beautiful. A ZEN-ON! YAY! Only mine's prettier than yours - it's white with brown wood-looking plastic. Very pretty.

Post by **FredProgGH** » Sat Mar 15, 2003 1:47 am

The real question is, what's the top note you can hit on an alto

Requires much more finesse, you know...

Fred

Post by **Sam Gamgee** » Sat Mar 15, 2003 10:24 am

Well, I was just doodling around on my alto the other day, and I started playing Kemp's Jig. (a fifth lower since i was using soprano fingering) I never can remember the start of the song because I get mixed up, so I start right when he's hopping from A to C. So I started playing on the alto D, and then F (for theremin: f on sopranino/alto/bass is equivalent fingering to soprano c and d= soprano a). And I hit it. Perfectly.

It was almost dissapointing, because here I go and buy this nice wood recorder and my plastic Zen-on can do it. Well, that's only because he's a very exceptional Zen-On. So special, in fact, that he is Gregorius Constantius Albertine Bob XXIX himself! Just now, i try it again without having even warmed up at all - perfect once again. And he can play a G too (=soprano insanely high d)! (someties a little squeaky, but mostly good) Let's hear it for Gregorius Constantius Albertine Bob XXIX!!!

rox · Post by **rox** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 8:57 am

Hey, Sam! Your emoticon is working out on 5/8!!!

bb · Post by bb » Sun Aug 22, 2004 10:10 pm

To answer the OP:

Most (OK-to-good) recorders stop at a D. I've seen fingering for an E, and it even sort of works on my Moeck (a cheapie Moeck, if that's not an oxymoron), but I don't really believe it. I've produced something that claims to be a D# on most of the sopranos I've played, but nobody really wants to listen to it.

There's something weird about the A that someone mentioned, too. I have two sopranos, a more-than-decent Moeck and a decent no-name. The Moeck wipes the floor with the no-name on every note in the higher range *except* for that high A. If you don't hit it exactly right, the Moeck puts out an embarrassing squawk. The no-name produces an A every time. (Unfortunately it tends to be slightly out of tune..... <sigh>)

BB

Rumpska · Post by **Rumpska** » Fri Dec 31, 2004 10:28 pm

I can do a high D. Nerver tried anything else b4, D is enough for me though.

Theremin · Post by **Theremin** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 12:56 pm

My friends little brother got a bass recorder for Christmas! It is so cool. Its just a plastic one, but its so huge. Those things are crazy...

Losfer Words · Post by **Losfer Words** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 5:45 pm

FredProgGH wrote:The real question is, what's the top note you can hit on an alto Requires much more finesse, you know...
Fred

sigh I was expecting a more synth player response from you
such as "why try to hit it at all? just emualte it on a mellotron, chamberlin or sampling keyboard"

Ok, let me find that mithril dragon and balrog fire proof vest and shield
then give me 5 seconds to run like hades before the recorder players read this