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)Descant Tutors provide a sound-playing technique a mastery of simple notation and contain 570 tunes including concert pieces by Bonsor carols attractive rounds and melodies by 'early music' composers. Clear line drawings greatly assist the pupil making them especially suitable for self-instruction.

Old Macdonald’s Christmas Book is a collection of Christmas songs and carols for recorders and voices that everyone can enjoy. All the tunes can be both sung and played- some additional recorder phrasing marks have been added to the vocal parts to encourage expressive playing. Many of the traditional carols have also been given descant parts giving recorder groups their own musical part to play in carol concerts and school nativity plays. Easy keyboard accompaniments are also provided so that the Christmas songs can be enjoyed as concert pieces or used for music-making at home!

Six Pieces-A new edition of this popular work. Originally published by Peacock Press.

A Selection of Renaissance Tunes Instrument : treble recorder and piano Nombre de Pages : 56 Steven Rosenberg writes in the preface: This book is intended to give recorder players a repertoire of solo pieces from the Renaissance. Solo literature for the recorder is often dominated by music of the baroque era, while the music of Renaissance is primarily preformed by consorts. I hope that this collection will expand the solo repertoire by bringing to recorder players some of the most beautiful melodies of this period. I have performed all of these pieces in public and have taken care only to include music that is of performance quality. Some of the pieces are grouped in suites, but you should feel free to play them in the order of your choice. For those of you equally at home on descant (soprano) and treble (alto), fell free to intersperse pieces from the companion book for descant recorder. The edition is part of the ABRSM Summer 2006 syllabus (grades 1-3) and the Trinity syllabus 2007 (grade 6). Content : Four Elizabethan Masque Dances: 1. The Fairy Masque (Johnson) - Four Elizabethan Masque Dances: 2. Wilson's Love (Anon) - Four Elizabethan Masque Dances: 3. The Witches - Second Dance (Anon) - Four Elizabethan Masque Dances: 4. The King's Mistress (Anon) - Three English Country Dances from John Playford's Dancing Master: 1. The Merry Milkmaids - Three English Country Dances from John Playford's Dancing Master: 2. Dissembling Love (or The Lost Heart) - Three English Country Dances from John Playford's Dancing Master: 3. Newcastle - Two Country Dances from John Playford collection: 1. Bellamira - Two Country Dances from John Playford collection: 2. Pell-mell - Allemande (1) (Susato) - Allemande (2) (Susato) - Lady Bannings Almand (Sturte) - Le coeur est bon (Susato) - Pass et medio (Susato) - Pavane Mille regretz (Susato) - Recercada quinta (Ortiz) - Recercada segunda (Ortiz) - Recercada segunda sobre 'O Felici Occhi Miei' (Ortiz) - Ronde Mon amy (Susato) - Ronde III (Susato) - Ronde IV (Susato) - Ronde V (Susato) - Ronde VI (Susato) - The Leaves be Green (Phalese) - What if a Day (Dowland) - Woodycock (Anon)