The best way to learn any instrument is to have lessons from a good experienced teacher. Although happily the number of such teachers is constantly growing the recorder is still frequently taught by enthusiastic but inexperienced teachers and many players start by teaching themselves.This series of books sets out to help learners of all ages in all three situations. Experienced teachers who may choose to disregard much of the text as personal demonstration is always clearer than the written word will find exercises and fine tunes a-plenty to support their own mathod at each stage. The less experienced willbenefit from many valuable teaching hints culled fromlong experience and may rely on the books to lead to a sound playing technique and a mastery of simple notation.Those learning by themseves - and I started in this way - are urged to work carefully and systematically through the books taking plenty of time to assimilate each point before moving on. For them without the personal model provided by a live teacher it is vitally important to listen as often as possible to fine players in person or on record so that they have in their mind's ear a clear notion of the kind of sound they would like to produce.But however they start I can only wish that all who use these books will derive as much pleasure and musical satisfaction and gain as many lasting and valued friendships as I have through this most subtle delightful and sociable of instruments. (Brian Bonsor)“...this work is likely to become a standart work very quickly and is to be recommended to all schools where recorder studies are undertaken“ (Oliver James Contact Magazine)These two tutors with accompanying teacher's books are for newcomers to the instrument who are beginning on the treble and so assume no previous knowledge either of the instrument or of musical notation.

Six Recorder Sonatas. At the beginning of the 18th century, the recorder enjoyed great popularity as a solo instrument for amateurs. Among these were also the princesses of the English court, for whose musical entertainment and training Handel?s six recorder sonatas were probably written in 1725/26. Only four of them appeared shortly thereafter in print and thus also reached a broader audience; the other two were first discovered for the recorder in the 20th century. Thanks to their melodic and rhythmic incisiveness, the pieces, whose recorder parts are relatively easily mastered, number among the most beautiful written for this instrument. Owing to wide-ranging bass lines and copious figures, the continuo instrument requires a rather well-versed player. In the score of the Urtext edition, Ullrich Scheideler provides a moderate continuo realisation; the additionally available performance score (HN 1574) with figured basso part offers the advanced musician latitude for his/her own improvisation.