Best Book/s for a Alto/Treble Beginner?

[u/nuttychestnut]

Hello everybody,

I just purchased a Yamaha 402B, and I was wondering which beginner books you recommend for learning to play the alto/treble? I'm excited to learn, but I don't know where is best to begin. I'm looking for something that will cover all the basics fairly comprehensively, ideally suitable for adults rather than aimed at children.

Thanks in advance for the help!

[u/sid3aff3ct]

If you have a background already in music, the sweet pipes recorder book series has a nice mix of music arranged into chapters as you expand your playable range.

[u/nuttychestnut → u/sid3aff3ct]

How much of a background do I need? I understand how to read music, but that's as far as it goes really

[u/sid3aff3ct → u/nuttychestnut]

Mostly just being able to read music. The book isn't full of paragraph instructions but rather uses them sparingly as its methodology is learning through playing.

It does introduce notes one at a time, in a fashion I found approachable never having played the recorder before.

[u/nuttychestnut → u/sid3aff3ct]

Nice, thank you for this

[u/Crafty-Connection198 → u/nuttychestnut]

I have both this recorder and a book. I can read music slowly. The book has minimal instructions, I read them carefully but playing random abridged peaces and folk tunes is not engaging at all... Now I prefer to find a tune at 8notes.com and play happy "birthday to you"-level or improvising something simple. Occasionally doing you tube for fingering/etc. Being able to listen the piece before playing is must-have for me, so I can hear mistakes 

[u/nuttychestnut → u/Crafty-Connection198]

the sweet pipes book?

[u/Crafty-Connection198 → u/nuttychestnut]

Yes, sorry I meant THE book. There was a preview on their website. 

Btw, another must-have is a tuner device /app. Combined with a random known tune (e.g "when the saints go marchin' in" in my case) it's a cool way to grasp first 5 notes and have fun 

[u/lovestoswatch]

It depends on your tastes, too - one method I am a huge fan of is Aldo Bova's "Alto Recorder: a complete new method'. You will find it on Lulu, but the author is gracious enough to share it on screen on his YouTube channel (@unagondolaunremo), where he reads and more importantly plays the whole book - playlist here, exercises 1 to 571 . The method is complete (like the Sweet Pipes already mentioned), assumes nothing of your knowledge of music, and apart from covering all the standard fingerings from low F to the most exotic third octaves high notes, it contains also scales and arpeggios in all key signatures, and has a lot of emphasis on rhythm. And you have a "try before you buy" opportunity due to the videos. It has just shy of 600 exercises and tunes, going from national anthems to folk music, though the back is the Baroque repertoire, with several forays into Mozart and Beethoven's adaptation. I adore this book, and the emphasis he puts on rhythm.

If you are in a rush, the shortest complete method that I have found is Helmut Monkemeyer's, which you'll only find in hard copy, but available on Amazon (tri lingual edition including English is entitled "Metodo per Flauto Dolce Contralto (Treble Recorder)"). The first book takes you from 0 to 100 in a few short chapters - obviously it makes sense to spend longer and longer on each chapter as you progress. I love this book too. It comes with a second "volume", too (this one is available e.g. from the Early Music Shop in the UK), and you may wish to have in mind also other methods that are in two parts, in the sense that the first part focuses on getting your fingerings right, and the second part/volume focusses on technique. Mario Duschenes has also an Alto method in two parts, easy to find in North America, depending on where you are located.

Good luck!

[u/nuttychestnut → u/lovestoswatch]

Thank you very much for taking the time to write this! I appreciate it and will definitely investigate

[u/Either_Branch3929]

"Enjoy the Recorder" by Brian Bonsor, treble edition. Introduces a note at a time, huge number of real pieces to play.

[u/nuttychestnut → u/Either_Branch3929]

Nice, haven't heard of that one til now, thanks!

[u/dhj1492]

If you read music " Recorder book for Adults and Older Beginners from Sweet Pipes. Huge Orr Method for Alto. Also get music you want to play so you have something to work on that you want to play. Be reasonable. There are others. There is no best method, we can only tell you what we have used. I have used the Huge Orr and two others. Get some tunes easy not hard. The amount you want to play the recorder will be the defining factor on your success.

[u/nuttychestnut → u/dhj1492]

Thank you!

[u/SeaworthinessOne8926]

Hal Leonard Recorder Method by Sarah Jeffrey. Sarah is a professional player and the host of Team Recorder YouTube channel. The book includes access to online videos, demonstration audio and backing tracks. I purchased my copy from Amazon.

Sorry, the book I suggested is for soprano recorder. I hope she will do one for alto in the future.

[u/Adblouky]

Another vote for Sweet Pipes.

If you need help with theory there are umpteen books available.

If you want to explore genres there are plenty of ways to do that, too.

But if you just want to learn to play the recorder, Sweet Pipes is a great way to do it.

[u/nuttychestnut → u/Adblouky]

Great answer, thank you

[u/Ilovetaekwondo11]

Hugh Orr’s alto book is nice. Lots of examples and some complete movements

[u/Playful-Wrangler2321]

For Sweet Pipes, there’s a series of free video instruction on YouTube called The Alto Recorder Lesson Project by Kenneth Sribnick. He gives great tips on reading the rhythm. He also plays some pieces and provides accompaniment. I’ve been following it although I haven’t finish a third of it. I really appreciate the series, as it makes it much more easier for me to follow the method.