Wooden Recorders

A wooden recorder sounds softer and warmer than a plastic one, which is why more advanced students and early music players reach for it. This category brings together wooden recorders from Moeck, Mollenhauer, Yamaha, Cascha and Hohner in sopranino, soprano, alto and tenor sizes. They are made from maple, pearwood, boxwood, rosewood, olive wood or grenadilla. The type of wood changes the timbre, the weight of the instrument and how much care it needs.

Which wood should you choose for a wooden recorder?

Maple gives a soft, round tone and makes a light instrument. Many first wooden recorders are made of it, such as the Moeck School and Flauto 1 Plus, the Mollenhauer Kynseker or the Yamakawa Wood Start.

Pearwood sounds warm and full. You'll find it in the Mollenhauer Canta, Denner and Adri's Dream series, in the Moeck Flauto Rondo and Rottenburgh, and in the Hohner B9532 soprano recorder.

Boxwood, rosewood, olive wood, grenadilla and ebony are hard, dense woods with a clear tone that carries well. Recorders made from them tend to be heavier and are mostly played by advanced players, for example the Mollenhauer Denner series or the Yamaha YRA 802, YRA 803 and YRA 804 alto recorders.

Baroque or German fingering?

With a soprano recorder, you also choose the fingering system. German fingering makes the note F easier to finger, so some schools use it with complete beginners. Baroque fingering is standard on alto and tenor recorders and in early music, and chromatic notes sound more in tune on it. The Cascha HH 2074 has German fingering, the Cascha HH 2130 and Hohner B9532 are baroque, and the Cascha Hybrid Recorder comes in both versions.

How do you play in a new wooden recorder?

New wood gets used to the moisture in your breath gradually. For the first two to three weeks, play the recorder for just 10 to 15 minutes a day and increase the time slowly. After playing, wipe the water out and let it dry away from radiators and direct sunlight, not in a closed case. Oil the inside of the instrument now and then following the maker's instructions, but don't put oil on the windway by the block.

You'll find an instrument for the first lessons among our recorders for beginners, and more sizes and materials in the recorders category.