How to Tune Your Recorder
To play the exercises in this book along with a piano, guitar, or another recorder, your recorder must be in tune with the other instruments. Tune the B note of your recorder (See Lesson 1) using the B note in the first exercise. You may need your teacher to help you.
Step 1 Move the mouthpiece of your recorder so that there is a gap of about one quarter of an inch (6mm) between the mouth piece and the body of the recorder. Ask the other player to play a B note on their instrument, and then play a B note on your recorder. If the other instrument sounds the same as your recorder, you are in luck because your recorder is already in tune.
Step 2 If the other instrument sounds LOWER (or flat) use a twisting action to pull the mouthpiece about one sixteenth of an inch (2mm) further out. This will make your recorder sound a bit lower. Check to see if it is now in tune with the other instrument. If not, try again.
Step 3 If the other instrument sounds HIGHER (or sharp) use a twisting action to push the mouthpiece about one sixteenth of an inch (2mm) further in. This will make your recorder sound a bit higher. Check to see if it is now in tune with the other instrument. If not try again.
Blowing harder makes a note sound higher, so try to blow each note gently and evenly. When you think you have finished tuning your recorder, try playing the first exercise along with the other players.
Summary
- To make the recorder sound sharper, or higher, make it shorter.
- To make the recorder sound flatter, or lower, make it longer.
