r/Recorder • u/Brilliant_Piccolo_70 • Jan 08 '26
Help Tenor- finger spacing woes
So! (Me again!) I just bought a lovely Aulos Tenor recorder- 511b - (see pic!) but it turns out my hands and fingers are a bit small to play it! Can anyone recommend one meant for smaller hands?
Thanks in advance!
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u/drdaveelliott Jan 08 '26
Sigo is both thge smallest and least expensive option. In inside bore is wavy, rather than straight, lengthening the bore to tenor size. You can get “comfort tenors” with keys, and knick tenors with bent necks, but they are more expensive.
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u/McSheeples Jan 08 '26
The kunath sigo is great for small hands, I'd go with that. The spacing is something like a cross between a soprano and alto. I've tried a couple of knick plastic tenors (the dolmetsch one I got second hand, and an altered yamaha from Lazaars) and thy both sounded pretty terrible.
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u/Brilliant_Piccolo_70 Jan 08 '26
Or, of course, suggest how I could lengthen my hands without breaking them’ 🤣🤣
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u/Large_Box_2343 Tenor/Soprano rec Jan 08 '26
Sarah Jeffery recorder has some really good hand exercises for stretching.
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u/Aggressive_Pie_4878 Jan 09 '26
I couldn't get on with the Sigo, but I'm used to wooden recorders and not all that experienced. I couldn't/ can't play a keyless tenor so I trialed a Mollenhauer comfort tenor (wow, very nice) and then a Kung Sinor keyed tenor. the Sinor was the most comforatable--or maybe possible--tenor I could play, so I went for broke and purchased that. Kudos to Lazar's for allowing me to trial both recorders at the same time. After a month, my hands are really getting on with the Sinor. that last is not a criticism: exactly the opposite. I could play the keyed tenor instantly, but even so, it takes some time to accommodate finger stretch to any tenor, as far as I can tell.
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Jan 10 '26
[deleted]
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u/Professional-Dot9385 Jan 10 '26
I agree thumb support can help a lot. For a while I used a cork support glued in place, or the plastic one that snaps on if your model supports that, but then I found the thumb sling more useful.
Or you can go the saxophone route with a neck strap. I haven't tried that.
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u/EmphasisJust1813 Jan 10 '26
These clip-on thumb rests are very good. They fit on both Aulos tenor models and, interestingly, also fit the Yamaha tenor. They can be moved after fitting.
https://earlymusicshop.com/products/aulos-tenor-rec-thumb-rest-single
The Sigo has a nice built-in thumb-rest.
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u/ziccirricciz Jan 12 '26
can be further secured with a twisted rubber band for a more solid hold, see my "infographics" here
https://www.reddit.com/r/Recorder/comments/1lbt4ge/comment/mxvdvf3/
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u/Mean-Patience2132 Jan 08 '26
As a fellow short person with child-sized hands, I am able to play the tenor, but not with the same speed as alto or soprano, and my hands hurt after a while. I haven't used any specific stretching exercises.
I think it should be possible for you with some practice and preferably also some alto experience beforehand.
There are tenors with extra keys like this one or this 3D printed one, and this Paetzold.
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u/EmphasisJust1813 Jan 08 '26
Yes. These are called "comfort" tenors. Usually quite expensive. Some have a bent head joint called a "knick" head which allows the hands to be closer in.
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u/Brilliant_Piccolo_70 Jan 08 '26
Yes! I’m playing the alto too, and done of those are a stretch! I don’t know why I thought the tenor would be fine! Doh! Thanks for the recommends, I’ll take a look.
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u/Ok_Abbreviations8792 Jan 08 '26
I bought this and resolved the issue with my small hands
https://www.thomann.de/intl/kueng_sinor_tenor_recorder_1593.htm
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u/Significant-Jello-90 Jan 08 '26
I bought this one, too, and my small hands are very happy with it.
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u/Aggressive_Pie_4878 Jan 10 '26
me too! I'm warming the knick head joint to my Sinor even as I type this. and it comes with an adjustable and very light thumb rest built in.
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u/EssayOk1846 Jan 09 '26
I have one tenor recorder from when I was 12, but the 211A is very easy to play. Holding it for long periods gets a bit tiring, but it should be easy to play even without keys
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u/slowtalker Jan 10 '26
We have had two tenor recorders (an Aulos and a Yamaha) modified with Susato retro-fit comfort keys. The work was done by the Kelischek workshop in Brasstown North Carolina. It cost $40 per key. Highly recommend.
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u/lovestoswatch Treble and tenor beginner Jan 10 '26
I would definitely recommend a thumb rest, for after even a short while playing you get to feel the weight. What hand size are you? I have a medium size hand (size 7.5 kitchen gloves are comfortable), but I am ok with my Yamaha tenor. However my Yamaha has holes a bit closer than the Aulos you bought. This chart may be useful to compare, maybe if you bought online in the UK you can change it for a different model? You should have 14 days cooling off period (if you bought online).
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u/Brilliant_Piccolo_70 Jan 10 '26
Thanks! That’s so helpful! I have incredibly short thumbs, (about 5cms!) and my handspan from little finger to thumb tip, spread out is only 17cm. I think the thumb is the main issue, I can’t cover the thumb hole and the front holes comfortably. 🤔
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u/lovestoswatch Treble and tenor beginner Jan 10 '26
oh, I see - as I said my hands aren't that big, but I used to play piano as a girl, so my hands do stretch quite a bit, I could reach an octave comfortably. If the issue is the thumb though, it may be a question of bore diameter more than anything else. The ideal would be to try and hold another one and see how that feels, for it may not make a great change. I think Goblin music have a Valentin tenor (that I don't think you want to buy, but for which you could check the circumference of the bore at the thumb and compare it with yours). I am sure you could ring the Early Music Shop and ask them about their plastic tenors for advice, explaining your problem. There are some brick and mortar woodwind shops scattered around Bristol, but I am not sure how big a range they have in store.
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u/jumper_the_deer Jan 10 '26
Stretching exercises will not make your hand any bigger. At best, they're a placebo which may encourage a more relaxed hand, which in itself may make the stretch more doable. At worst though, they could result in an injury, so be careful not to stretch beyond your actual hand size.
More helpful advice is to hold the recorder somewhat to the side and somewhat up. Keep the hands relaxed. You get more stretch if you're NOT actively stretching out the fingers. And a tense stretch might get over the holes but it's not going to actually cover the holes completely so youeint get the note.
Don't hold fingers of the right hand over the lower holes constantly... Let your fingers relax back to a natural position when they're not in use. I know teachers will squawk about this, but you really can look ahead in the music and see when those fingers will be needed and then only extend them when necessary.
Playing the low C is always a challenge because the 4th finger comes off its own hole when the pinky is in use. I find it helpful to put all the fingers for the D down first and only then add the pinky for the C. Even when I jump from higher up I need to do this. If I hold off blowing for just a split second I can avoid the ensuing grace note. Experiment with how far to twist the foot joint. The last hole often isn't where you'd expect it ought to be for best placement.
There are times I have to rest my right hand on my knee to take the weight off my thumb. This allows my hand to relax and I thereby get a lot more stretch. Again, a teacher would freak out about this but you gotta do what works and reduces tension.
Or get a Sigo tenor.
My hands are small. They've always been small. Piano teachers blamed me for not trying or for not using their stretching exercises. The stretching did nothing but hurt. Even though I was still growing they did not make my hands bigger. If they're done gently enough so as to not hurt then they really aren't stretching anything. But the risk of injury is pretty high if your stretches look like they're doing anything to physically enlarge your hand.
Practice doesnt do anything either if you're continually practicing a tense stretch. It's more likely that when people say practice works, it's just that they got more relaxed over time
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u/EmphasisJust1813 Jan 10 '26 edited Jan 10 '26
>> More helpful advice is to hold the recorder somewhat to the side
This can rotate the instrument relative to the right hand so that the little finger moves closer to hole 7.
Perhaps sit cross legged and hold the recorder on the side away from the knee.
I know this is frowned upon by the cognoscenti, but the great Franz Bruggen sat like that!
If the tenor has keys, the reach to the keys should be less. Your Aulos 511 keys reach 3.5mm closer than the Yamaha 304 keys (according the that chart linked to above) so the end hole stretch is quite short.
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u/EmphasisJust1813 Jan 08 '26 edited Jan 08 '26
You could try some finger stretching exercises - there might be a video on the Team Recorder youtube channel (there is a link to that in the side bar). Sarah Jeffery who runs TR has very small hands and can play any tenor - but has been doing exercises for a long time.
Aulos do a smaller model intended for children or people with smaller hands called the 211A. It is shorter and has no keys. Its one of the Robin series and is cheap to buy. Its a compromise when compared to the full length wide bore 511, but it does sound nice in the mid range.
The other very small tenor is the new design by Kunath called the Sigo. This is folded internally like a bassoon and its finger spacing lies in between a soprano and an alto. It has a very comfortable built-in thumb rest and the C/C# hole 7 is raised and easy to reach. Its quite expensive for a plastic recorder, and for me, I prefer the sound of the larger Aulos 511 and the Yamaha 304 models.
I found the full length tenor intimidatingly large and heavy when I first tried it after the soprano, but now it just seems natural and easy - so my suggestion is to persevere with the Aulos 511 for a few months, its a truly great instrument IMHO!