: Is it possible to play a low A on a recorder I know this is a ridiculous question, but thought I'd ask anyways since I saw an article on wikihow for a low B. http://www.ehow.com/how_5210357_play-low-recorder.html I need a

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First, be aware that recorders only transpose by the octave. To go on a tangent for a moment, saxophones all transpose so that their standard range is (written) Bb3 to F6. They are alternately pitched in Bb and Eb, but always read the same. The recorder family is similar, being alternately pitched in C and F, but rather than transpose so they all play the same, they only transpose by the octave, so soprano and tenor play C4-C6 while alto and bass play F4-F6 with the same fingerings.

If your goal is to play a low (concert) A, then the obvious choice is to use a lower recorder. I'm assuming you have a soprano; get an alto and learn the offset fingerings.

All woodwinds can artificially lower their lowest note by about a half step by blocking the bell, limited only by the practicality of doing so. But you're not going to be able to go further than that. Another trick is to put something (usually a rolled up piece of paper) in the bell to physically extend the instrument, but this only converts your lowest note into a lower one. Meaning, if you added [I'm guessing about 2 inches of] paper to achieve a low A, then you wouldn't be able to play your normal low C, or B or Bb for that matter, which is probably not practical.

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I remembered that there are some exotic trick fingerings to go high, but I also had a memory of seeing a low one used by some really good players.

After a bunch of looking I found it - here is a link: www.wfg.woodwind.org/recorder/rec_alt_1.html
Look for the first entry - the e on an f recorder or the b on a c recorder.

I just tried it - tricky to get it exactly in pitch. But it does work. I couldn't get it lower than a half step. You cover all holes and then partially cover the bell hole with your leg. Very useful for that darn piece of music that goes to the tonic with a leading tone at the low end! Although, of course, you look ridiculous.

Here is a link for some of the exotic high notes:
www.recorderhomepage.net/technique/fingering/the-third-octave
Jack

ps - thanks to Todd Wilcox for pointing out that I can edit my formerly erroneous posting.

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The first question I would ask is which recorder are you playing on? The soprano and tenor recorders can go as low as C and the sopranino and alto recorders go down to low F. In the link you shared, I believe they are discussing an alto recorder. That being said, if you want to finger a low A on an alto recorder, cover the left hand holes as described in the link, then add the right hand index and middle fingers.

You can find a nice interactive fingering chart for C recorders and F recorders at these links. Just be sure to use the correct chart for the instrument you are playing.

If you are ever confused about which type of recorder you are playing, the difference is mostly just in the size. The most common recorder is the Soprano. If you have a tuner or piano, you can check the key of the recorder (whether it is a C or F recorder) by playing the note that covers all the holes and see which pitch comes out.