Reference

Listen, change one thing, and try again.

Lessons link here for the cross-cutting advice that would otherwise repeat in ninety places: what to do when a note squeaks, how to spend twenty minutes of practice, how to learn a piece you have never seen, and how to prepare for the day you play it for someone else.

Troubleshooting

Use these checks to narrow down a sound problem; change one thing at a time and retry a comfortable note.

Squeaky or shrill: First reseat the thumb and finger pads to seal the holes that should be closed. Then try a little less air. A clear first note needs both a good seal and gentle, steady air.
Airy or fuzzy: Check each covered hole, including the thumb hole, for a small gap; use soft finger pads rather than tips. If a previously clear tone becomes fuzzy as you play, check for moisture too.
Wrong pitch on a covered note: Compare your fingering with the chart for that note, then reseat each finger that should be down; a small gap can change the sound even when a finger looks correctly placed.
Sound cracks when you change notes: Slow down the change and check that the fingers arrive together; keep the air steady and start the new note gently with the tongue.
Tone gets stuffy as you play: Moisture has gathered in the windway. Cover the window with one finger and blow firmly to clear it. If that fails, swab.
Tired lips after a few minutes: You are biting the mouthpiece. Let it rest gently between your lips with the teeth apart. Embouchure should be relaxed.
High notes refuse to speak: Check the chart for that exact note: some fingerings need an open thumb hole, while others need a small thumb vent. For a vented note, roll the thumb slightly to uncover a small opening, keeping the required front holes sealed.

Daily practice

Regular, focused sessions help you build on the previous attempt. Use this twenty-minute outline as a guide; while learning your first notes, a few comfortable minutes are enough.

Warm-up · 3 minutes: Long tones on three or four notes you know well. Listen for steadiness of pitch and volume. No music in front of you.
Today's lesson · 8 minutes: The drill or new technique from the lesson you are currently on. Slow tempo, repeat the difficult bar in isolation, then re-attach it to the surrounding music.
One piece you are learning · 6 minutes: One piece — not three. Pick the hardest two bars, fix them, and only then play the piece through.
One piece you already know · 3 minutes: Play it for enjoyment. End the session on a sound you are proud of.

Learning a piece

Reading through a piece at tempo five times is not practice — it is repetition of mistakes. Use the sequence below.

Scan first. Find the key signature, time signature, repeats, and any unfamiliar notes. Mark breath points with a pencil.
Walk the rhythms. Clap or count the piece without the recorder. If a bar refuses to make sense, write the beat numbers under each note.
Slow play, two bars at a time. Tempo at half speed. Stop at the end of two bars, fix anything that was not clean, then play those two bars again.
Chain. When two bars are clean, add the next two. Then play four-bar chunks. Only after each chunk is clean do you connect them.
Hardest bar first. Find the bar you fail most often. Practise it in isolation more than any other bar. The rest will fall into place.
Bring up to tempo. Raise tempo in steps of five or ten BPM. If a step fails, drop back, secure it, and rise again.
Play through. Only at the end. Once. Then put it down.

Preparing to perform

Playing for someone is a different skill from playing alone, and the only way to learn it is to do it. The advice below assumes you already know the piece — preparation here is for the act of performing, not the act of learning.

The week before

Play the piece through, start to finish, without stopping for any reason — once a day. Mistakes are part of the run; do not restart.
Record one of those run-throughs and listen to it. Notes you did not know you played will surprise you.
Play for one person — anyone — at least twice during the week. A friend on a video call counts.

The day of

Warm up gently, not exhaustively. Long tones, a familiar piece, then stop.
Bring the music even if you have it memorised. Knowing it is there relaxes you.
Arrive early enough to be settled before you play.

The moment before

Breathe out fully, then in, then begin. Do not start on a held-in breath.
Hear the first bar in your head before you sound the first note. Tempo is set internally, not by the room.

If something goes wrong

Keep going. The audience hears the music, not the score.
Do not visibly react. A frown costs you more than a wrong note.
If you lose your place, jump to the next phrase boundary — the start of the next musical idea — and pick up there.

Performing is its own skill, separate from playing. The first few times will be uncomfortable; the tenth will not be. Seek out small performances often.