2 The Tenor Top Octave

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The preliminary section taught the D scale, with notes spanning one octave only. That is, from low D to middle D. This section introduces higher notes, the ones in the "top octave". These new notes allow a greater range of tunes, however new challenges will come. In particular, "cracking" the thumbhole.

To indicate this technique, we start with a high E. It looks like this:

and sounds like this:

Like the low E from before, the left hand fingers are L1, L2 and L3, the right hand fingers are R1 and R2. So. What makes this E higher than the previous one?

The answer is the left hand thumb. Previously it covered the the hole on the bottom of the recorder entirely, now it does not. The top part of the hole (i.e. nearest your chin) is left open. The size of the opening, which may vary slightly between notes, is around 10% to 20% of the hole. That is, a crack. Now for the technique.

First, we need to find the correct part of the left thumb. Look down at your left thumb, then hold it horizontally so the thumbnail is parallel to your chest. Now tilt your thumb around 45 degrees away from you, and place the top part of the ball of your thumb over the back hole, covering it entirely. Play a low E.

Now flex the joint of your thumb slightly. The ball of your thumb should roll away from the top of the hole, by a small amount. Now try the low E again. It should be an octave higher, like this:

Practise many times until the note sounds cleanly. What you are doing here is rolling the ball of your thumb slightly, to open the hole just enough.

There is another technique for cracking the hole, used by many players. Here you flex the thumb a little more, so that the thumbnail itself sits on the hole. While this technique may be easier to begin with, there is a major disadvantage with it. Over time, your thumbnail may gouge out the thumbhole. Not an issue for a cheap plastic recorder, a major blow if you damage the high quality wooden recorder you will own one day. Often beginners have badly worn thumbholes on their instruments, caused by their thumbnail.

It may take considerable practice before your high E comes reliably. Once it does, try the exercise below. The top note is the new E you have just learnt.

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The first high E in this exercise immediately follows a low E. The higher note is reached just by opening the thumbhole. However the move from E to D, then back again is harder. In particular, the D to E move has four fingers coming down together, while the left hand thumb lands simultaneously, in the cracked position. Try going from high D to E very slowly, making sure your fingers move together.

Now another exercise. Modern gym equipment is designed to engage many muscle groups at once. Similarly the following exercise practises the common "intervals" or jumps made to and from the new E note. The backing is slow, to give time to hit each note cleanly.

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Previously we have considered whole notes, half notes (minims), quarter notes (crotchets) and eighth notes (quavers). We now introduce the sixteenth note, or "semi-quaver". In the sample below, the sixteenth notes (semiquavers) have two lines through them, there are four sixteenth notes (semiquavers) per beat. Listen to the track, notice the difference between the quarter (crotchet), eighth (quaver) and sixteenth notes (semiquavers). Sixteenth notes (semiquavers) often indicate faster passages.

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Finally, we introduce a new time signature. Previously we met the 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures, with three and four beats per bar respectively. Now we add the 6/4 time signature, shown below. As before, each beat is a quarter note (crotchet). However there are now 6 beats per bar. There is more however. Each bar generally divides the six beats into two groups of three. So each bar seems to have two "pulses", each having three beats. Listen to the 6/4 tune below, "Grimstock" from Playford's Dancing Master. Can you detect the two pulses per bar, and also the dance like feel of the tune?

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As always, off to the music library, this time to practice your new high E note and some tunes in 6/4 time.

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Hark the Herald Angels
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Cuckholds all a Row
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Allemande
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