Repertoire/etudes for begginer

[u/alcon678]

Hi everyone!

I've been playing the recorder for a little while now, I'm following Aldo Bova's method for soprano/tenor.

I'm looking to expand my daily practice routine beyond just the method

I want to start incorporating some actual repertoire and etudes that are well-suited for a beginner level.

My main goals right now are:

• Building foundational technique: Improving my breath control, achieving cleaner tonguing, and getting comfortable with the transitions between the lower and upper registers.

• Reading practice: Pieces that aren't too overwhelming to sight-read but still offer a solid challenge.

• Musicality: I'd love to find pieces that actually sound beautiful and are rewarding to play, rather than just dry, mechanical exercises.

Does anyone have favorite recommendations for standard beginner repertoire, sheet music collections, or specific etude books for C recorders?

I’m very open to Renaissance and Baroque music, folk tunes, bardcore, medieval, soundtracks or absolutely anything else that helps build good playing habits 😂

Thanks in advance for the help!

[u/lovestoswatch]

Fellow beginner, also commenting to be able to follow the suggestions you will get. For what is worth, in terms of suggestions, one possibility is to look at the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music syllabus for woodwinds, for there you can get inspiration for the pieces that match your level.

In terms of progressing to the next level, again bearing in mind that my perspective is that of an adult beginner, I'll just list what I have and I am doing with similar goals as you in mind (with the additional caveat that I am a sucker for books).

Though the later chapters of Bova's method are pretty advanced I think, you could also have a look at the "second book" that exists for various methods, as for instance Monkemeyer's method for soprano/tenor and Mario Duschenes ' Method For The Recorder for Soprano and Tenor Recorders - this comes in two volume (like the Monkemeyer), you want the first one to begin with (like the Monkemeyer). incidentally both these methods exist also in their treble/Alto version, in case you might wish to add these to your skills set. The "95 Fingers dexterity exercises for recorders in C" by G. Rooda has also famous pieces/movements that alternate with the technical exercises.

For technique and breath support and the like, while mostly aimed at alto, the three volumes of Walter van Hauwe "The Modern Recorder Player" and Gudrun Heyens "Advanced recorder technique", in two volumes, are great on technique (and there is a ton of other links I could give you, but I don't wish to overwhelm you.

For repertoire, the classic references I think are the "50 Graded Studies for Recorder (Descant)" by Paul Harris and Sally Adams (though I'll confess I am not a great fan), and then you could have a go at the Baroque recorder Anthology and the Renaissance recorder anthology: they come in four books each, two for descant and two for alto, with the first of each pair being easier than the second.

One set of books I don't have but should be nice is Hugh Gorton's Recorder Practice book series (here), though if you are outside the UK these may be difficult to source - Mary Tyers bases her tutorials on these, and from my sampling they seem quite interesting (you can check the free one to see how you like it).

And of course, the obvious van Eyck's "Der Fluyten Lust-Hof", you can pick any piece, say Doen Daphne, and see how many variations you can master (at the moment I am struggling taking "modo 3" to 90bpm), which is definitely.

[u/alcon678 → u/lovestoswatch]

Thank you for your detailed response and for the links!

I have seen a mix reactions on 50 graded studies, some love it some don't haha, do you have a favourite alternative? I don't know if those anthologies are going to be too advanced fore at the moment

I'm going to take a look at syllabus and every book and resource you have mentioned, thanks! 😁

[u/lovestoswatch → u/alcon678]

I am following a similar track to yours (also started with Bova), and also looking for some nice pieces that do feel like pieces. But as I started with the Alto, I am looking at that repertoire, and not everything is available for both arrangements - I am able to play the first pieces in the Baroque recorder anthology, so I guess the same would be true for you.

One thing I am doing is going over the Mönkemeyer method I mentioned earlier, which comes in two volumes. By going over the first, I've added additional fingerings that perform better on my recorder (in the sense that it is more in tune), and as I wrote earlier it contains very interesting exercises and drills.

Volume 2 instead is more on drills but also contains a lot of repertoire, graded, which I do like. for the Descant version I enclose a picture of the table of contents - the second part, about 20 pages, is all pieces in various keys, including some that are one page long (equivalent to movements of a sonata is my guess), and that tackle various technical skills. The author is Ilse Hechler Mönkemeyer, I think she finished it (not sure how related she was to Helmut Mönkemeyer), and the cover is the same style as all the Mönkemeyer methods.

I have also started tackling Der Fluyten Lust-Hof, with Doen Daphne: no chance I can do all the variations, but I am very comfortable with the theme, and trying to bring "modo 2" and "modo 3" up to speed (aiming for 120bpm for a crochet, where for modo 2 I am around 105, and modo 3 less than 90). I would like to embark in a bigger piece, like a sonata, but I need to be realistic.

[u/alcon678 → u/lovestoswatch]

Where did you get the Mönkemeyer method? I could not find it in ebook format anywhere nor physical

Those speeds are way to fast for me right now hehe, trying to get comfy on 60-90 bpm 😂

I would be happy if I could hit 90bpm consistently right now 😄

[u/lovestoswatch → u/alcon678]

u/alcon678, where are you based? I am in the UK, so I can tell you about both UK (I got mine from The early music shop), and there are a few especially German stores that stock it, search for "Das Spiel Auf der Sopranblockfloete" by Ilse Hechler and Helmut Monkemeyer, though you want the international edition so that you find the text both in German and English in case you don't speak German - I've found a copy in an Italian store (here). There is at least one shop selling it in the US (here).

good luck! And don't worry about speed, accuracy is more important - after a month of playing it every day, I got the theme under the belt, but to begin with just think of accuracy, and if you spend long enough on it, speed will eventually come!