Simple recorder fingering chart how to#

Simple recorder fingering chart how to#

Note: For more details on how to teach the songs, click the link to the dedicated page. This is largely a personal list, but it’s built on over a decade of teaching and playing the recorder. This section covers my favorite 27 easy songs on the soprano recorder. This isn’t to say songs outside this range can’t be easy, but they require a skill-set beyond what beginner recorder players usually have to offer.Īll songs are based on the soprano recorder, but they’ll work well on any type of recorder (click the link to learn more about the types in our guide). These notes squeak easier and always sound a little weak.Īn easy recorder song wouldn’t go beyond this range for very long. On the lower notes (past low E), the plastic recorders especially are harder to make sound correctly. Take a look at the best soprano recorder brands.Īt their high notes (namely D and above), they won’t squeak, but the sound does tend towards the shrill end. Recorders are known for being picky in the range they play, especially with budget recorders. Here’s a quick list of easy to achieve rhythms: With notes as tricky as they are, recorder learners don’t need to be distracted by complicated rhythms.Įvery song on the list uses only basic rhythms most of the students will have heard by second grade.Īvoid dotted rhythms and triple meter for “easier” songs. Still, many students will find it easier to learn this song at first than Au Clair De La Lune because they’ve heard Baby Shark soooo many times. The song Baby Shark isn’t too hard, but the notes involved are a little tricky. I don’t just mean if you’ve played it before.Įven if you’ve heard it, this makes a big difference. Obviously, if you know the song, you’ll pick it up much easier. Look for songs with repetitive material, and they’ll fall into place faster. The song is only 4 measures long, and 3 of them are exactly the same. Look at Hot Cross Buns (the classic beginner song). It also increases the chances of the student giving up when they make too many mistakes.Īlong the same lines, if the song re-uses a lot of the same ideas, it’ll be easier to learn than if it’s new material throughout. This makes it harder for the learner to keep track of all they need to.

Often, longer songs have multiple sections and a lot of different material. The length of the song also has a direct impact on how long it takes to learn the song. Speaking of songs with tough notes, check out our guide for how to play My Heart Will Go On on recorder (with video!). The first 3 notes which are generally considered the easiest are B-A-G. Most kids really like this and get motivated.īut if there are a ton of different notes, people get overwhelmed.ģ note songs are the best, but 4 and 5 are OK too as long as the notes move step-wise and there isn’t a lot of jumping around. I’ll play something way more difficult than they may ever get to and point out how if only they knew the fingerings, they could play anything. I’ll have a student blow a long stream of air while I do the notes on their recorder with the fingers. In fact, I do an exercise with my students to prove how important fingering is. The hardest part for most people when playing recorder is getting the fingerings down. This section talks about what an easy song needs to have in it in order to be considered “easy.”Įach of these elements are good to have, but they aren’t all needed in order for the song to be simple.īut the more elements there are, the better (at least as far as a lower difficulty goes). Conclusion What To Look For In An Easy Song On Recorder.Let’s Go Sports Team, Let’s Go! – 2.5/10.What To Look For In An Easy Song On Recorder.Look ahead for more details on why I picked each of these.Īlso, click the links of the songs for a dedicated post on how to teach the song and notes specifically. Here are some my favorite beginner recorder tunes: They have easy rhythms and start with notes in stepwise motion. This is why I condensed this list of 27 easy songs on a recorder.Įasy songs on a recorder are separated by the number of notes they use. If you do too much, too fast, they quickly get overwhelmed. I’ve seen this work well with both my elementary music students and the college ones I teach. When you start introducing or playing the recorder, it’s often the first experience with playing an instrument that requires breath control and multiple fingering techniques.Īs with learning anything new, it helps to learn from easy tasks at first. Are you a new recorder player looking for some easy songs to get you started?ĭo you want a good list of simple recorder songs for your young students?