9 More Sharps

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Learning recorder is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. Each added piece reveals more, as the puzzle nears completion the overall picture emerges. Notes are the recorder equivalent of jigsaw pieces, the more we add, the more we see. This lesson adds two new notes, and a new scale.

The first note is high G sharp, or G#, shown below:

It sounds like this:

The fingering is L1, L2 with a cracked thumb (i.e. a high A), then R1. To start with, play a high A then add R1. The G# should come out fairly easily.

Difficulties arise when articulating the note. In particular, eliminating the brief high pitched burble at the start. Try a very small thumbhole opening. The breath should be a firm stroke immediately the tongue is released. The margin for error with this note is small, so spend a while finding the best way to get it speaking cleanly.

Similar to high A, the high G# is not mastered at one sitting. The exercise below will get you started, as well as highlighting stumbling points.

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Similar to previous exercises, the first bar slurs lead into the G#. The second bar is the last four notes of the A major scale.

The G# is indicated by a new key signature, shown here. The three sharps mean the key is A major (or F# minor). The A major scale and arpeggio are below.

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Moving from F# to G# and back again is tricky, one finger goes down, two go up (or visa versa). Spend a quiet(?) 15 minutes just alternating slowly between these notes, to get your fingers around these unfamiliar moves.

The two pairs of holes at the bottom of the recorder were a late 17th century invention, we now use them for a new note, low G sharp. Here it is:

It sounds like this:

The fingering is LTh, L1, L2 (i.e. a low A), then R1, R2, and "half" R3, meaning that R3 covers the larger hole only. This half covering is done by swivelling the right hand slightly away from the recorder, while flattening R2 and R3. This will pull the tip of R3 away from the small hole, as required.

Practice moving from low F# to low G#, very slowly. When the note is sounding, try the exercise below:

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Moving from A to G# (the first two notes) requires R3 to land precisely on the half hole. Cheat a little to begin with. Play a G sharp, then lift your fingers, then start the exercise. Your right hand fingers should be positioned to land correctly for the G sharp.

While these new G sharps are challenging, they do unlock the A major scale. However, as you build your recorder music repertoire you will notice that little if any of it in A. This is because the A scale is located fairly high within the recorder note range, also the C# above the high A, an important note, is hard to play (you have to cover the bottom of the recorder with your knee).

However A major is a comfortable key for violins, likewise for the baroque flute. This is partly why the baroque flute gradually replaced the recorder from 1730 onwards.

While A major is not a common recorder key, your new notes are not wasted. They appear often in the standard recorder repertoire, likewise in the tunes from the library below.

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The Green Linnet
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Pavane
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Gavotte
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