How to blow into a recorder correctly: breathing, tongue and a beautiful sound
A good sound on the recorder is 80% breathing. You can place your fingers correctly, but if you blow too hard or unevenly, the recorder will squeal, hiss or sound out of tune. The good news: correct breathing is easy to learn in a few lessons.
How much air a recorder needs
Very little. The recorder is one of the most “economical” wind instruments: unlike a trumpet or a flute, it needs neither strong pressure nor a special lip position. A picture helps children: we breathe into the recorder as if warming frozen hands — with a warm, soft, slow breath.
| What you hear | The reason | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Squealing, squeaking, the note “jumps” up | Breath is too strong | Blow softer, especially on low notes |
| A quiet, dull sound, the note is lower than needed | Breath is too weak | Blow a little more confidently |
| The sound wobbles and “floats” | Uneven breath | Breathe with your belly, breathe out slowly and evenly |
| Hissing along with the sound | The holes are not covered tightly | Press the holes with your finger pads |
How to take the mouthpiece into your mouth
The mouthpiece is put on the lower lip and slightly covered by the upper one — about 1 centimeter. The teeth do not touch the recorder, the cheeks are not puffed out. The window under the mouthpiece must stay open: if you cover it with a lip or a finger, there will be no sound.
Attack of the sound: why say “tu”
Every note is started with a light movement of the tongue, as if silently saying the syllable “tu” into the recorder. This way the note starts clearly, instead of “floating out” of a hiss. Between identical notes the tongue works too: “tu-tu-tu”, not in a single breath. For fast passages you will later use “du” or “tu-ku”, and for high notes — “ti”, to narrow the stream of air.
Belly breathing
Breathe in calmly, through the mouth, without lifting the shoulders: the belly gently moves forward. Breathe out slowly and evenly, as if letting air out of a balloon bit by bit. Breathe in during rests and at the ends of musical phrases, not in the middle of a melody.
Breathing exercises for kids
- “Candle” — blow on your palm (or on a candle flame, with adults watching) so that it flickers but doesn't go out. This is exactly the breath a recorder needs.
- “Long note” — play B and hold it steady for exactly 4, then 6, then 8 seconds. In the game long notes are practiced by the level “Au clair de la lune”.
- “Echo” — play a note loudly (but without squealing), then quietly, like an echo.
- “Tu-tu-tu” — repeat one note with short tongued sounds, without interrupting the breath.