The Cheapest Recorder on Amazon | Band Director Reviews

[@jennajamison6508]

Two remarks: you used the percussionist way to spell definitely. Secondly, there is a shocking lack of hot cross buns, truly the anthem song of the recorder. That is all... Nice work ;)

[@MadMusicBand]

☝️My wife ladies and gentlemen... I asked her how she liked the video and all she said was I spelled a word wrong... So I left it in 😂 I do feel deep regret at not realizing Mary Had a Little Lamb wasn't Hot Cross Buns. Amateur Hour. Love you Jenn 😘

[@DabblerDave]

I'd like to hear Brandenburg Concerto No 3 or Toccata and Fugue in D minor on a Conn Song Flute, but that's probably just me.

[@MadMusicBand]

You should "Definitely" try out that blind test, and "definitely" let me know if you could tell the difference! Definitely... :)

[@necrozma1324]

You’re onna my favorite creators thank you for making content so I can get distracted from practicing

[@MadMusicBand]

Thanks, but... Go practice! 😂

[@Smilodon1985]

I have played *at* recorder for the last 50 years or so (being a 60-year-old man), and I picked up a Hohner 9544 maple recorder (Baroque) back in 1985, when it cost about $45. I got a rude shock when I saw the price for them now... I also have a set of Yamaha recorders (all four between Sopranino and Tenor) that I just *had* to have a few years later (Yamaha had apparently sold a few sets of them in a single briefcase-style carrying case, and it was too much for a starving grad student to resist... My kids, when they were in elementary school, had cheapies that cost about $3 at the local band specialty music store (they should be ashamed...) I picked up one for myself and tried it - for science, of course! Other than the fact that all three were Baroque, I found almost exactly the same results as you did, in spades. The wooden recorder has a sweet, light tone about it that is responsive to things like vibrato and dynamic range that the cheapies just can't reach - add the fact that anything played using the right hand sounds like the instrument has a mechanic's shop rag wrapped around it, and you have a very difficult, and discouraging, instrument to play. While that Yamaha doesn't have the finesse of the Hohner, it comes very close - and if it helps a fourth grader feel some smidgen of the joy of making music, then maybe spending the extra few bucks is worth it. (I think Elementary music teachers deserve hazardous duty pay - the idea of wading into a room with 20 kids blasting away on cheap, trash recorders a couple of days every week for 6-12 weeks is too much to bear...)

[@MadMusicBand]

Yea, good quality recorders are definitely priced as such, but it can really be a beautiful instrument if you play it correctly. I used to be part of an early music ensemble that was a recorder quartet plus me on percussion, and I absolutely loved it. It's the reason I bought mine in the first place, but it was before I started playing any wind instruments so I was terrible and ended up not putting effort into it. I'll have to pick it back up now that I can actually play winds. Recorders get a bad rap because of all the bad cheap ones being played by young kids.

[@MadMusicBand]

Also, agreed on the hazard pay 😂. I typically draw the line at 5th graders, idk how elementary teachers teach those youngins every day, they're heroes.

[@trumpet_guy_111]

I have Mollenhauer Tenors, Alto and Sopranos. No sopranino but a cheap plastic garklein off thomann.

[@paishocajun]

​@@MadMusicBand Answers In Progress did a video on recorders about the same time you did this one and one thing brought up was "why do we judge recorders based on the music played by children with cheap instruments? imagine if we judged violins like that"

[@MadMusicBand]

@@paishocajun absolutely agree. These instruments get a bad rap because of how cheap and accessible they can be, but those are actually good things!

[@SO-ym3zs]

A three-piece recorder has a big advantage: you can turn the foot joint to best match the reach of your pinky.

[@MadMusicBand]

Yea, that's true, but for a novice it may be better to have consistency there. I agree though, having options is typically better.

[@robertnoblitt518]

I'm a recorder player with a sizeable collection of recorders in various sizes from sopranino to bass. I agree with your conclusion and recommendation for the Yamaha, but I would recommend spending about $20 for the Yamaha YRS-302B. For that you get better quality materials and an arched windway (compared to a straight windway on the $10 Yamaha). With the YRS-302B you get a better sounding, better looking instrument that might be a bit easier to play. The cheap (SoulMate) recorder has German fingering which will be a problem for a child whose instructor will be teaching Baroque fingerings. Your Mollenhauer certainly sounded better, with a warmer, more pleasant sound which makes a significant difference if you play for an audience. That Mollenhauer is very inexpensive for a wooden recorder.

[@MadMusicBand]

Great information, thank you! :)

[@DOODLES31]

Dude, I’m so excited for whenever your next video will come out and also I personally find it cool that you’re clarinet video has beat your trombone video

[@MadMusicBand]

Should be out tomorrow! :)

[@harrisinstruments]

At the beginning of the school year my shop sells a boat load of recorders. However right before covid hit, one of the local discount stores started selling a "recorder shaped object" for only $3.... I had a band director show me one of these things as several of her students had brought one in.... It would only play one note because it wasn't a recorder. It was a whistle that was shaped as a recorder. The "mouthpiece" was sealed off and did not allow air to pass to the lower joint.

[@MadMusicBand]

Yikes, that's especially bad. You could at least play off this cheap one even though it's noticeably worse

[@toothless7849]

4th grade recorder class was my introduction to music. I worked SO hard to be able to play Hot Cross Buns on my little Yamaha. Unfortunately the concert included all students in the class, and what was supposed to be Hot Cross Buns sounded like the world's saddest hodpodge of off tune plastic recorders. As dramatic as I make it sound, it was hilarious. I didn't pick up another instrument until my mid 20's.

[@MadMusicBand]

A concert full of 4th graders on recorders in just asking for trouble, but it's also hilarious and a great opportunity to get everyone in their first performance setting. Maybe we should try that out, we do a lot of instruments at our school for the young kids but actually haven't done recorders yet...

[@toothless7849]

@@MadMusicBand back in the day at my school, it was a choice. 6 hole plastic ocarina or recorder. When I went to the 4th grade, it was just recorder. Some kids took it very seriously, most didn’t. The kids who did take it seriously were usually the ones who took up actual band class the following year. It seems they used it as an introductory class to get our feet wet. But it was mandatory for all students and was considered an art class.

[@thesoreenman2498]

Came across your channel recently and just wanted to say that the quality of your videos is amazing!! You're so natural on camera, wishing you all the best!

[@MadMusicBand]

Thanks so much :)

[@tw11tube]

Regarding the low end tuning of the plastic recorders: You are supposed to tune by both moving the mouth piece and the tail piece. They recommend to move the tail piece half the distance you move the mouth piece. It looks like you only tuned by adjusting the mouth piece, so it's not surprising the low notes (which are more affected by moving the tail piece) get slightly sharp.

[@MadMusicBand]

I'll be honest, I'm not fantastically knowledgeable about the recorder, but I've never heard about moving the tailpiece. If I were to try and moved the blue recorder's tailpiece it would fall off, and the wooden one is one piece so literally won't move. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone suggesting adjusting the tailpiece, so I'd love it if you could link me a video or article of that being suggested somewhere so I could learn more. :)

[@tw11tube]

@@MadMusicBand If I remember correctly, I read the "66% of elongation at the head, 33% at the tail" suggestion in the owner's manual that came with the plastic Yamaha recorder I had as kid. It was probably one or two grades higher than the 10$ recorder you obtained. I'm sorry I currently can't find an online refernce, though. On the other hand, I can find claims online that Yamaha recorders are targetted at A=442Hz, and if you tune them down to A=440Hz, you will always get some ill effects because you can't actually re-tune a recorder in a way all notes are shifted the same amount.

[@ViewtifulSam]

Love these comparison videos! This one reminded me to play my own Yamaha recorder that's been forgotten inside the closet for years haha

[@MadMusicBand]

Thanks! Good luck on your new recorder adventures 😂

[@Shdowwolf-q8f]

I love your videos so underrated!

[@MadMusicBand]

Thanks! 😊 I enjoy making them

[@Not_Caroline6]

can you try a picilo or a oboe? I found you today and cant stop watching!❤🎉🎉 I'm going into 6th grade and I wish you were my band teacher! (Mr.shuh if you see this no offense😂)

[@SWAYXElol]

i think he will do those eventually. he is already doing baritone so idk but it’s likely at some point

[@MadMusicBand]

Haha thanks! I'm sure Mr. Shuh is doing a great job, but here I'll be your director for a second...ahem GO PRACTICE!!! There you go ;) I'll try and get to both of those eventually! My wife would love me to get to piccolo, it just isn't something I can easily justify since we don't need one at our school right now 😂

[@acerbt]

One issue I came to learn about after I did recorder songs in school is the tuning inconsisency between units. I have several recorders and they are tuned higher and lower relative to each other by a small but noticible amount.

[@FN0844]

Next time on Band Director Reviews, you should test Cheap VS. Expensive Mayonnaise. Maybe even Horseradish if you want to get fancy.

[@MadMusicBand]

Not a fan of mayonnaise myself, too loud ;)

[@Cinders7]

Yamaha makes nice resin recorders. Their 300 series is amazing for the price. Please be sure to use the correct fingering for the low F - it's kind of pitchy with the fingering you used.

[@lesliefranklin1870]

BTW, you can get the Yamaha in a clear pink, blue, or green color too.

[@OddDude712]

Id recommend trying the banjo, I think you'd be quite surprised in the difference.

[@MadMusicBand]

Banjo would be a ton of fun!

[@adalyman773]

Yamaha will always be my ride or die. Most of mine and my husband's instruments are Yamahas. We didn't plan it that way. It just kind of happened. lol.

[@MadMusicBand]

Can't go wrong there!

[@SWAYXElol]

banger video as always👏👏👏

[@MadMusicBand]

Thanks! 😊

[@Elemental029]

I wonder IF you can look into Wessex Tubas (they do more than just tubas) warning, they're not cheapest Amazon price but it's in the low end... I think... I just want more Wessex reviews

[@MadMusicBand]

I'd love to, but they're definitely out of my price range right now

[@artemi-music]

Hey man, I know that you’re gonna try the oboe eventually 😅 Thanks for your videos!

[@MadMusicBand]

There's a lot of instruments out there to get to, that's for sure 😂. I've been eyeing Temu oboes lately, just haven't pulled the trigger yet :p

[@AnotherGenericChannel]

Was looking at recorders on ebay and one of them had an option for 6 holes, had to buy it to see if it was a whistle that was recorder shaped. Sounded just like a recorder but it was a whistle. Cost less than $5 shipped.

[@KindaDaGoat15]

I remember playing hot cross buns on these things 😂

[@MadMusicBand]

And here I forgot to feature hot cross buns in the video! Huge fail on my part

[@KindaDaGoat15]

@@MadMusicBand I still loved the vid 🫶

[@KindaDaGoat15]

@@MadMusicBandwhat is your favourite instrument to play?

[@jenson6568]

Great video! Just wondering what app did you use for your tuning. Coming from a brass player, I need to find a good way to constantly see my perfectly in tune playing 😂

[@MadMusicBand]

tunable! I've had it for years and can't say enough nice things about it. I use it as my metronome and tuner and it works great.

[@remley8877]

I remember in the 3rd grade in 1988, my first week of school we could either use the "sanitized" school recorders or buy a shitty plastic recorder for $10 that wasn't even in tune. This, mind you was at a time when rent was $150 a month in a nice neighborhood in Orlando FL and when you could eat steak 3 times a week and 8 oz of meat at every meal and check out at Costco with two carts full to feed a family of 3 people and utilities were about $150 a month. $10 then, was like $80 or so now.

[@Zonniezonnie_Minecraft]

Well, since you put a picture up of the cheap one in the expensive one while you're doing your speech at the beginning of the video I'm gonna take a little wild guess lol

[@ajgentle7754]

Gotta love the yamaha support. I play a unlaquered yamaha 667d french horn, and it has held up amazing!

[@MadMusicBand]

I agree, my Yamaha drum set has held up to many many years of me beating the heck out of it.

[@Declan8878]

I can't exactly think of the horn I have but I also play f horn. I'm pretty sure it was also from yamaha and yeah, they have great quality instruments!

[@WilliamHostman]

The rotating foot allows making the C and C# easier to hit accurately; it can make a timbre difference if too far to the side. My entire set are Yamaha... I used my Yamaha Tenor (C-root) for teaching - same fingerings 8vb. Better, being an octave down, I could hear them separate from myself. I can also note that the 2003 catalog price to stores for the Yamaha was $4.50, MSRP $8, and direct bulk for districts for the same was $3.95/unit for 50-1000 units.... Note that many elementary kids cannot accurately hit the "default Typical note order was BAGEDC'B'FDC You're using the wrong fingering on your wooden one. And the Yamaha - split F. Your soft was (as is typical) also flat. MP and lower are almost always flat; PP is usually a full semitone. I've used Aulos in GSnSATB, and Yamaha in SnSATB; the difference was negligible, save for the Garkeline (aka C-Sopranino), which, Yamaha didn't make one of, and the serpentine tenor being available. And Aulos was triple the price of Yamaha... size for size in the 00's. Haven't had reason to check since 2012) That Yamaha is definitely better a choice than the Soulmate. $10 is a meal at McDonalds or BK. Or a Recorder that will stand up to years of play. (Mine are 20 years old and play just fine. And Yamaha HAS made them in transparent colors... I've seen Red, Blue, Purple, Smoke, and a vibrant green. I've also seen white, brown, and black opaque plastic. My Tenor and bass are both brown. For comparisons, when I bought mine in the early 00's, the soprano was $8, the Sopranino was $20, the alto was $30, the straight Tenor $100, and the bent-neck bass $495 (standard serpentine was same price) The tone quality difference of the Mollenhauer didn't come through well.

[@MadMusicBand]

Great information, thanks for your comment! Someday I'd like to get a tenor or possibly a bass, but the price sure does ramp up fast!

[@WilliamHostman]

@@MadMusicBand Get the tenor. it's worth it. It's so much mellower a tone, and unlike the Alto, no transposition in the head. A bass, however... Knowing how insane a secondary school director's life is, the bass recorder is a luxury. Tho' I've used it in many an open mic night, accompanying.

[@MadMusicBand]

@@WilliamHostman I'll keep that in mind! (you're not wrong about the insane school director life haha).

[@AlexRCarlson]

Recorder guy here, highly suggest the 302 series of yamaha recorders over this one. It is double this price, but knocking on professional level instrument for $20 is like the standard of recorders.

[@ILoveMellos]

Could you try to do a French horn cheap vs expensive?

[@MadMusicBand]

I'll get to it eventually! I've got a few other videos in the works first. Also...I may have to borrow an expensive one if that's the case, but I could at the very least check out a cheap one :)

[@ILoveMellos]

@@MadMusicBand Wow you responded fast I wasn't expecting it ! Thank you for getting to my comment though and can't wait to see the video !

[@SO-ym3zs]

It's worth noting that Yamaha makes different ranges of plastic recorders with different windways. For thirty bucks, you can get one of their nicer soprano recorders, for example. Aulos also makes quality, inexpensive plastic recorders. Thirty bucks will also get you a surprisingly good wooden soprano from Eastar.

[@MadMusicBand]

I was eyeing that Eastar wooden recorder, I may try that out eventually...

[@cyclewithsteve6202]

@@MadMusicBandit’s not just materials that will affect the sound. Coming from a pipe organ background I look at these instruments in a similar fashion to organ pipes. The ratio of width to height of the mouth affects the sound, as does the airway between the lower lip and the languid, as well as taking into account the way the air strikes the upper lip, and the nature of the upper lip itself. The size of the bore will affect the sound, and a tapered bore would also give a different tone. To my ears the three instruments have very different tonal and speech qualities.

[@reallyoldtom9352]

Should have tried the Yamaha mouthpiece on the blue one.

[@MadMusicBand]

Ah shoot! Missed opportunity, I'll have to try that

[@ContrabassChris]

“You can tell what version you have by… check with your teacher to make sure you get the right type!” 😏🤭🤷🏻‍♂️ #flutecorkgrease

[@MadMusicBand]

Lol, I'll never live that down

[@ContrabassChris]

@@MadMusicBand I’ll try to suppress the good-natured trolling on this point moving forward 😉

[@MadMusicBand]

@@ContrabassChris I deserve it ;)

[@saxisgi]

I Have an Yamaha yas1 and Its so unbeliveably good I just Like to Play with it and Its beginnen Level but it feels Like an Professional one

[@SoulsPhobia]

what is your recommended concert snare cause im starting band and trying to find a good one

[@MadMusicBand]

I use a pearl philharmonic which is great but kind of expensive. I can also suggest their symphonic series for a bit less, though honestly any snare drum that is in good condition will work fine. I can even suggest a practice pad as a cheaper alternative that will be a fantastic practice tool.

[@SoulsPhobia]

@@MadMusicBand ok thanks! i really appreciate it

[@lesliefranklin1870]

If you ordered the Soulmate as a Baroque and received a German, that's a problem. There is just a little difference in the fingerings, but it is a difference.

[@baileysenger1618]

Man I was severely disappointed when I found out you only started making videos a year ago and don't have enough content for me to binge watch everything 😩

[@ScarletWitchMain]

GOOD VID

[@Thebluevrplayer]

Can you do tuba if you can

[@MadMusicBand]

I'll try to get to it eventually! :)

[@DoJ22]

For sure do alto sax, or any sax tbh

[@MadMusicBand]

Recorded alto sax last night! 🎉

[@rangefromtblt4047]

Nice. 😂😂😂😂

[@justanothermusicarranger]

Some recorders are actually $200+ btw

[@MadMusicBand]

Yup, most people don't even realize recorders can be actual, legit instruments so $80 might be crazy to them 😂. Sadly I couldn't afford anything more in grad school.

[@justanothermusicarranger]

@@MadMusicBand Yeah. I was surprised when I found out there was like a bunch of professional bass recorder players, I mean like, what the heck is a bass recorder? Also, I love the content! Actually! I started playing the tuba 3 years ago in 7th grade. Have a nice morning/day/afternoon/evening/night!

[@trumpet_guy_111]

For the discussions: 80 dollars is a good instrument but still not a professional/expensive recorder.

[@MadMusicBand]

Yup I'm with ya, but totally in a different league than the $5 one.

[@trumpet_guy_111]

@@MadMusicBand 👍

[@AlexRCarlson]

German is universally hated in the recorder world FYI. Don't even give it away.

[@DevilSeiji]

I should not have watched this. I know too much about recorder T°T

[@trembeczkigabor9089]

You can't play recorder.

[@DabblerDave]

The Conn Plastic Song Flute looks like a recorder swallowed an ocarina, out of hand it might be a great idea. Priced like other inexpensive plastic recorders. Related search hit, to search: Wikipedia Commons File:Pre-band fipple flutes English: Yamaha soprano recorder, Swanson Tonette, Conn-Selmer Song Flute, Grover-Trophy Flutophone, Suzuki Precorder About 32 types: Wikipedia Category:Internal fipple flutes

[@wept_in_the]

Do not buy German recorders!

[@acerbt]

One issue I came to learn about after I did recorder songs in school is the tuning inconsisency between units. I have several recorders and they are tuned higher and lower relative to each other by a small but noticible amount.