# What kind of recorder (musical instrument)?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-recorder-musical-instrument/356755>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [May 14, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-recorder-musical-instrument/356755 "2006-05-14T21:11:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![trupa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@trupa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trupa)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-recorder-musical-instrument/356755/21 "2006-05-17T16:20:16Z")

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I was very pleased with the plastic tenor recorder from Yamaha (around $40 Can. iirc) . I wanted a tenor because I had learned the soprano fingering in grade school already, but wanted a less shrill sound. I find it has a lovely peaceful, contemplative tone, that is well suited to playing sad or melancolic Irish music, or more reflective church music, for example. I find it very hard to make it sound happy, though.

Funnily enough, playing the tenor made me rediscover the soprano, which can sound much more joyfull. I found that playing the soprano in a place with no echo or reverberation, like a big carpeted room, or outdoors, really cuts down the shrill/squeak quality, and makes the instrument sound "purer"somehow.

It was a bit of a stretch for my fingers at first., though, expecially on the right hand & the lower notes.

BTW, my three year old loves to hear his favourite songs & nursery rhymes on them, and it was very useful in getting him to participate in singing activities.

At the moment, I don’think my level of playing would justify a wood instrument, though.

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**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-recorder-musical-instrument/356755/22 "2006-05-17T18:22:45Z")

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[QUOTE=trupa]  
I was very pleased with the plastic tenor recorder from Yamaha (around $40 Can. iirc) . I wanted a tenor because I had learned the soprano fingering in grade school already, but wanted a less shrill sound. I find it has a lovely peaceful, contemplative tone, that is well suited to playing sad or melancolic Irish music, or more reflective church music, for example. I find it very hard to make it sound happy, though.

[/QUOTE]

I used to play the tenor as part of a consort – its a beautiful instrument with a gorgeous sound, and a lot of what I got to play were the base lines. ☹ As for getting a tenor to sound happy, a light prelude or fugue, does it, but you can’t play one of those on your own!

At the moment I have a gorgeous wooden soprano that I bought about 6-7 years ago, which I love to bits. I learnt on a cheapo plastic one, and graduated onto more expensive plastic ones. The tenor I used to play was an Aulos, which whilst not the best, were certainly able to produce a beautiful sound. I think I had something a bit nicer in the consort I was in, but can’t remember off hand.

We should start our own SDMB Recorder Consort. 😉

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