Guide, RFZ Vol. 1

The Recorder from Zero is designed to be used by one or more beginners on soprano recorder with the teacher explaining new concepts and playing the bottom line of the duets on alto (occasionally soprano or tenor) recorder. Introducing note reading is done smoothly since RFZ adheres to the following strategy:

1) Strictly limit note introduction pace
2) Start with longer note values and/or slow tempi
3) Start with stepwise motion
4) Use duets so that student and teacher make music together, even with the simplest of exercises
5) Introduce good music as soon as possible using a limited number of notes
Take a look at Lesson 5: all the soprano parts can be played with just the left hand!

6) Add rhythmic complexity and intervals and introduce additional notes gradually

For real beginners the lessons can be spaced one a week. For beginners who have some music background the pace can naturally be accelerated.

The book also includes an Ear Training Supplement keyed to each lesson, so that the teacher can play two-measure phrases, using a limited amount of notes in different patterns and the student can imitate. The student sees the first note only as well as the rhythmic skeleton above the staff. By reversing the procedure, and having the student play first, the student learns rudimentary improvisation.

Aside from the first four introductory lessons almost all the material is drawn from original medieval and renaissance sources to provide an excellent introduction to early western music, which is continued in Volume II with more rhythmically complex pieces. Wherever melodies from renaissance four part dance music have been used, the pieces have been reduced to two parts for the purposes of instruction. These pieces are marked “Arr. CPF” All other duets in the book are original two part pieces.

The material in RFZ has been used successfully with children as young as 6 as well as with adults. If the book is used in a classroom setting, it is recommended that all the students use the same type of soprano recorder, to reduce intonation problems.

If possible, an inexpensive wide-bore recorder, such as Adri’s Dream Flute from Mollenhauer should be used. Other wide bore recorders are the Aesthé renaissance soprano, the Kobliczek Praetorius soprano, the Kynsecker soprano from Mollenhauer or Moeck, or the Moeck consort series renaissance soprano.

Otherwise, good plastic sopranos are available from Angel, Aulos, Dolmetsch, Yamaha, or Zen-On. All the recorders should have English or Baroque fingering rather than German fingering. The teacher should play an alto that matches her students' sopranos in tone quality. There is a Fingering Chart in the back of the book, keyed to the introduction of notes in the lessons. It uses the convention of 0=left thumb, 1=left index finger, 2=left middle finger, 3=left ring finger, 4=right index finger, 5=right middle finger, 6=right ring finger, 7=right pinky, and H=half hole.

For adults who are willing to pay a bit more and who have the advice and assistance of an experienced teacher, there are many excellent individual makers of renaissance and Ganassi type sopranos and altos. You can find most of them listed at The Recorder Home Page: http://classicalmus.hispeed.com/nickl/recorder.html This site is the most comprehensive gateway into the entire literature, iconography, discography, and research links for the recorder on the web.

A particularly valuable resource for teachers is Volume I of The Modern Recorder Player by Walter van Hauwe. This covers the basics of how to hold the recorder, posture, breathing, blowing, fingering, and tonguing and has copious illustrations and explanations.

Translations of this guide will be placed on the website www.buyrecorders.com as they become available, so that teachers and students whose language is not English can also use RFZ

1 Staff, Treble Clef, 4/4 Time Signature, Whole Note, Half Note, Tonguing using syllable “DA”. Counting mentally while tapping foot in rhythm. Note: b played 01 (using thumb and index finger of left hand while right thumb supports the lower half of the recorder). Note: a played 012 The student should practice relaxing the mouth and jaw so that blowing can puff out the cheeks gently. Blowing in a relaxed manner can be practiced even without the recorder, just by keeping your lips together loosely while blowing.

2 Relaxed breathing in phase groups. Teacher may indicate recommended breath marks on student's copy of the book. Cover holes with pads of fingers, not finger tips.

13 Note: d played – – 2 (English Fingering) or with no fingers or - - - 3 (Renaissance Fingering)
Note: c played 0 – 2. Repeated notes and stepwise motion using only d and c.

14 Stepwise motion for g, a, b, c, and d in half notes. Make sure the student switches fingers 1 and 2 simultaneously when moving from b to c or c to b. A common mistake is to have both fingers 1 and 2 down just for an instant, sounding a momentary 'a'

18 Melodic interval skips of a fourth and fifth in half notes, still using only g, a, b, c, and d

19 C = Common Time = 4/4 Time, Melodic interval skips of fourths and fifths in quarter notes and half notes.

21 Introduces eighth notes. Repeating eighth notes in one measure with stepwise interval switching at new measures,

31 3/4 Time Signature; Compound Time (three beats in one - down for two up for one)

33 Perform the French Dance as a round, with the teacher coming in one measure after the student. The asterisk indicates when the second player begins.

38 Note: low f# played 0123 - - 56 or 0123 - - 56H (English Fingering) or 0123 - - 567 (Renaissance Fingering); Key signature with one sharp.

41 Compound Duple Time (6/8). Dotted eighth and sixteenth in compound duple 6/8. The arrows are underneath the first two measures to indicate the beat. Down for two, up for one.

42 Eighth note pickup in 6/8 compound duple time.
43 Compound Duple Time (6/4); Dotted quarter and eighth in compound duple 6/4

47 Dotted quarter and eighth note rhythm in cut time. Notice that the second four measures on each staff are an ornamented version of the first four measures.

52 Note: Low d played 0123456 Drone (bagpipe) accompaniment. If there is more than one student, have some students play g as an additional drone.

61 Notes: Low f played 01234 - 67 (English Fingering) or 01234 - 6 (Renaissance Fingering)

64 Low c played 01234567 The second player starts after the first player has finished two measures. The song is played several times and ends on the fermata for each player.

73 9/2 Time. Eighth note pickup in 9/2 Time. Players number two (and three) come in at asterisk with pickup note.

84 Two and four sixteenth note groups in Compound Duple 6/8 Time in both short and long positions

86 Renaissance tonguing syllables in groups of two. Start with “Du-De”. Then use “Da-Ra”, with R sound like Spanish R in “Cara”. Dotted slurs indicate groupings. These dotted slurs were not present in the original music. They are used to aid the student in remembering to use renaissance tonguing.

92 Dotted half in 6/4 Compound Duple = half note in cut time. Pulsebeat (tactus) stays constant, but foot shifts from equal down/up to down two/up one beat. Use the arrows for guidance.

93 Similar to 92, but pulse transition starts in second ending of the Ronde and acts as pickup to the Hoboekentanz. Use the arrows for guidance.

Lesson 19