Re: [MMM] Quartertone recorder

Recorder fingerings vary widely, with a few major systems as guidelines, as the variations can really come from instrument to instrument. Most modern instruments out there have some version of the so-called Baroque or English fingering, some, mostly cheaper school instruments have the German system, and there are increasing numbers of instruments with other historical (conjectured medieval, renaissance, Ganassi) or innovative modern systems. Further complicating this is the fact that fingerings can often be shaded up or down by partially opening or closing holes ("leaking"). In ordinary playing, this is important for both correcting pitch and ornamental vibrato, which on the recorder is usually a finger vibrato.

A fingering chart is only a point of departure. Here are a few that might be helpful:

http://www.recorderhomepage.net/finger.html
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/philippe_bolton/tablhistogb.html

Once you know which pitches you're after, consult all the fingering charts you can and use a good tuner to help find the fingering that best fits your instrument and the way that you play it.

I have a custom-built set of renaissance recorders (g-alto, tenor, bass) in meantone, but I've found that I can coax a lot more than meantone out of the instruments, and I find that the renaissance-style instruments, with the wider bore and no double holes, and infinitely more forgiving to tuning demands than the baroque-style instruments. But again, it all depends upon what particular instrument you have in your hands and what your particular set of hands, mouth, and ears can do.

DJW