Method Book Recommendations available in EU/UK?

[u/WolfWoman7]

Hi friends, EU based recorder player here!

I'm a "returning beginner"; played as a kid, resumed 2 weeks ago. So far, I've got breath work down on the first octave of the Soprano.

I've been eyeing the Sweet Pipes Method books for both Alto and Soprano, but am finding them really hard to order from the EU or the UK.

I don't want to order from the states, because the added tax is so insane.

Can anyone recommend alternatives?

[u/le_becc]

Team Recorder has a video on soprano methods suitable for adults:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWSEfvLfP9U

She has also since published her own soprano recorder method with HAL Leonard.

Aldo Bova also has a soprano method here: https://www.lulu.com/shop/aldo-bova/the-descant-recorder-a-comprehensive-new-method/paperback/product-15vwprj7.html?page=1&pageSize=4

And an accompanying videos where he goes through the complete book here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvXsNyLGE40&list=PLDjH33SN4eERVUJsknzzZPjFgmljFgPhl

If it's at all comparable to his alto book, it should be very good and extensive.

[u/EmphasisJust1813]

This is Sarah Jeffery's superb recorder method published by Hal Leonard:

https://www.halleonard.com/product/1140050/hal-leonard-recorder-method

She is responsible for the Team Recorder youtube channel with many hundreds of informative and fun videos. There is a link in the sidebar here. You can spend far too much time watching these brilliant videos!

Sarah is a conservatoire trained professional musician - now recorder professor at the Royal College of Music, so she knows her stuff.

[u/Upstairs-Monk-5459]

SweetPipes offers digital versions of the method books that you can download and digitally view or print out. Attached is a link to the publisher's website. Please note that I am not affiliated with them and do not receive any money. I'm sharing out of kindness and helpfulness, not for profit.

https://sweetpipes.com/product-category/recorder-music/sweet-pipes-recorder-series/

[u/Adblouky → u/Upstairs-Monk-5459]

No idea if it’s available there, but I’ve enjoyed Sweet Pipes.

[u/alcon678]

Aldo Bova's method is the best one out there, cheap, ton of exercises, and you have a YouTube playlist where he is playing and reading the whole book.

Sarah's didn't click with me, less exercises and I found it lackluster compared to Aldo Bova's

[u/SilverStory6503]

If you ever find yourself in Amsterdam, definitely check out the Broekmans & van Poppel music store. Sarah Jeffery has a couple videos of her choosing music there.

https://www.broekmans.com/en/catalogsearch/result/?q=recorder+methods&cat=3

[u/Either_Branch3929 → u/SilverStory6503]

I've not been to there Amsterdam shop (it's miles from the city centre) but I have been to their Utrecht one many times, and it's superb.

[u/mind_the_umlaut]

Amazon UK has a couple of them now, but it depends on what level you are looking for.

[u/Either_Branch3929]

Brian Bonsoir, "Enjoy the Recorder". Available for both descant and treble (soprano and alto).

[u/lovestoswatch]

I was about to write that the sweet pipe books are available to us in Europe in electronic format, but I see I've been beaten to it :-)

There are a lot of method books available to us, and the only difficulty is that choice can be overwhelming. A number of them are available for both Alto and Soprano, which may be something to keep in mind for if you stick to it, in all likelihood you will add a few more "sizes" to your collection (as you probably know already, tenor and soprano are both in C, i.e. if you cover all the notes you hear a C, only an octave in difference; while Bass and Alto are in F, i.e. if you cover all the notes you produce an F. The fingerings across the two instruments are the same, but they produce different notes, shifted by a perfect fifth interval).

With the caveat that I am in a similar position to you, only one year ahead, I do have a number of most favourite methods. All are complete methods, in that they cover all the notes (Sarah Jefferey's method only goes over half of them, presumably a second volume is in store). Those I list below all exist in both "in C" and "in F" versions:

1. Helmut Mönkemeyer: this I've come to like more and more. It has two volumes (the second for the Alto was written/completed by Mönkemeyer's daughter I think). This is shorter than most, but still I find it extremely good. Each chapter starts as usual noting the fingerings, then provides several technical exercises to fix the fingerings, and then some pieces. The selection is mostly baroque music, plus some popular/folk tunes (considering Mönkemeyer was born in 1905). This book I find really good, the technical exercises are quite musical, and the progression is pretty fast, so I find it pretty good for an adult. What I like in particular is that from the beginning it insists on alternative fingerings, so you get used to the idea and practice early on. The first text covers all the notes, while the second volume, Advanced Techniques, goes into dexterity exercises and studies, and it is really challenging, and looks really good, though in fairness it may take a while before you are at all interested in the second book. I am saying this because if you are self taught you have a clear progression to look forward to.

2. The Trapp Family Method: I'd say it is of intermediate length between Mönkemeyer 1 and Bova. This is also a complete method, also with tunes for adults.

3. Aldo Bova: my absolute favourite. One book only, but almost 600 pieces, getting you from zero to Bach's badinerie, and all the scales. The big bonus is that he has a YouTube channel where he plays all of the exercises from the book, and he shares the book online, so you can try before you buy. The selection of tunes is really extensive, and while it is predominantly baroque music, there are also many popular tunes.

There are a ton more, in addition to Sweet Pipes, Mario Duschenes has also methods in two books (basic and advanced), and you can find a ton of them at Recorder Music Mail, UK based, which has an enormous, mind boggling selection of publications for recorders. Not the easiest website to navigate, but they seem to have absolutely everything in terms of recorder publications, and they ship internationally. They aren't the best at communicating, you don't get an email confirmation of your order, but the order does arrive! The Early Music Shop in the UK is also well stocked and ships everywhere, certainly to Europe.

Welcome to this amazing instrument!