Quality Recorders

There are very many quality recorders to choose from. Here, at Omega Music, we have focused on presenting the best, in each of the following categories: Quality Beginners, Quality Student, Advancing Players and The Best!

The most famous of the European makers these days are Küng, Mollenhauer and Moeck.

If you are fairly new to this amazing world of recorder playing, here are some basic facts about this instrument.

The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple.

It is distinguished from other members of the family by having holes for seven fingers (the lower one or two often doubled to facilitate the production of semitones) and one for the thumb of the uppermost hand. The bore of the recorder is tapered slightly, being widest at the mouthpiece end and narrowest towards the foot on Baroque recorders.

The recorder was popular in medieval times and through the baroque era, but declined in the 18th century. Purcell, Bach, Telemann and Vivaldi used the recorder to suggest shepherds and imitate birds in their music, a theme that continued in 20th century music.

The recorder was revived in the 20th century, partly in the pursuit of historically-informed performance of early music, but also because of its suitability as a simple instrument for teaching music and its appeal to amateur players. Today, it is often thought of as a child's instrument, but there are many professional players who demonstrate the instrument's full solo range. The sound of the recorder is remarkably clear and sweet, partly because of the harmonic colouration in the sound.

The types of Recorder are: Garklein (descant fingering, but an octave higher); Sopranino (treble fingering, but an octave higher); Descant, called Soprano in Europe (C fingering: this is the normal 'school' recorder); Treble, called Alto in Europe (F fingering and the usual solo instrument in Baroque music); Tenor (C fingering); Bass (F fingering); and Great Bass (C fingering).

The Director of Omega Music has chosen what he considers are the best in each type and category.