Learn to Play Recorder

Lesson 18: High E and F

  • Produce E5 and F5 cleanly without overblowing.
  • Produce upper A and Bb (on your alto staff) cleanly without overblowing.
  • Play a melody that climbs into the upper register and back.

The thumb's half-vent is the recorder's octave key.

E5 and F5 are the upper-octave twins of E4 and F4: the same finger pattern below, but the thumb is half-vented to crack the octave. Too much vent and the note skips up another octave; too little and it falls back down. Roll the thumb slightly downward so the nail edge cracks the hole open a millimetre or two — a feel, not a measurement.

The upper A and Bb on your alto staff are the upper-octave twins of the low A and Bb: the same finger pattern below, but the thumb is half-vented to crack the octave. Too much vent and the note skips up another octave; too little and it falls back down. Roll the thumb slightly downward so the nail edge cracks the hole open a millimetre or two — a feel, not a measurement.

E5

A (upper)

Thumb half-vented; on the front, the same fingering as E4 but offset by the thumb pinch.

Thumb half-vented; on the front, the same fingering as the lower A on your alto staff but offset by the thumb pinch.

F5

Bb (upper)

Thumb half-vented; the forked F shape below. The trickier of the two — you may need to refine the thumb opening over several attempts.

Thumb half-vented; the forked Bb shape below. The trickier of the two — you may need to refine the thumb opening over several attempts.

Whisper air and let the thumb find each note's half-vent.

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Play: a melody that uses the whole range

The line below climbs from G4 up to F5 and returns. The work is in the connection: every half-vent must arrive without an octave crack.

The line below climbs from C up to the upper Bb on your alto staff and returns. The work is in the connection: every half-vent must arrive without an octave crack.

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Now play these

Minuet in G
Climbs to the new high E again and again.
Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho
Its climax sits on high E.
All in a Garden Green
The second strain reaches high E.

When E5 and F5 speak cleanly on demand — no octave cracks — move on to Lesson 19.

When the upper A and Bb on your alto staff speak cleanly on demand — no octave cracks — move on to Lesson 19.

Octave cracking? The thumb half-vent is the usual culprit — see troubleshooting.