Recorder

Recorder

It used to be very popular in medieval times, then lost its popularity around 18th century, when it was replaced with other woodwind instruments such as flute, oboe and clarinet.

However it has made its come back in 20st century because of its simplicity and suitability for as a simple instrument to teach music.

Most music classes for children include recorder lessons. Eventhough it is rather simple instrument, it produces a very pleasant sound and can be used to play quite sophisticated music:

Early recorders were made from wood, and the more advanced versions are still being produced from wood nowadays. With the development of plastic technologies manufacturers started to make recorders of hardened plastic, which greatly reduced production costs.

Lower cost and the simplicity of the instrument made it favourable instrument in schools. All recorders are ready-tuned, meaning that players can start playing right away without needing to tune the instrument.

Please don’t get an impression that recorders are “child instrument”, many well known bands and performers, such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, used recorders in their compositions. There are even recorder orchestras with up to 60 players playing four or five different sizes of recorders. As with any instrument, mastering the recorder at higher level requires time, dedication and hard work.

However, you can quickly learn to play some basic melodies, such as Jingle Bells. Here you can find full Jingle Bells music sheet. Below is a video teaching you to play a part of the song: