Soprano Recorder Method, Volume 1

This classic soprano/tenor recorder method from Moeck Verlag (full German title: Das Spiel auf der Sopran Blockflote oder Tenor-Blockflote, Teil 1 : Grundlehrgang) is ideal for adults and motivated students who have a basic knowledge of music-reading, or who are working individually with a teacher. It moves rather quickly, does not teach music-reading, and advances to an upper intemediate/advanced level of playing.

It can also be used as a supplement to other individual methods, as it includes many purposefully tricky technical passages, plus numerous enjoyable German folk tunes, chorales, and musical excerpts from the Renaissance to early Classical period. There are many duets, a few of which require an F instrument (or wider-ranged C instrument such as a violin.)

This method is, as one would expect from a German method written in the 1960's, focused on creating serious performers. From the beginning, Helmut Monkemeyer instructs the player to use different articulations and subdivisions on certain excercises. The standard alternate fingerings for B4 and E5 are introduced and explored right away, as are several other tuning-based alternate fingerings. The full range (written as C4 to F6) is introduced, as are trills, mordents, and Baroque grace notes. There is a trill fingering table, but no standard fingering table; each note gets a fingering diagram as it is introduced. German and Baroque fingerings are presented for the F's and F#'s.