Recorders!

Recorders should be in this week! I know that you like to play them, but do you know their history?

Recorders were one of the first woodwind instruments. They were used in a lot of the music composed from 1300-1700. They come in a lot of different sizes and tunings. We play a soprano recorder that is tuned to the key of C. Some of you are about to learn the Alto recorder, which is a larger recorder and it is tuned in the key of F. That means that the pitch do is F (re is G, mi is A, and so on.)

As the transverse flute (the flute that we hear in orchestras today) became better-designed, composers started using it instead of the recorder. Unlike a lot of instruments that were popular a long time ago, people still play the recorder professionally.

If you really like playing the recorder, the flute or the clarinet might be a good choice of instrument to play in middle school.

Bonus question: What are the pitches in the F pentatonic scale?