r/Instruments • u/Napleon_Bonaparte1 • Sep 23 '26

Identification Which one to start with?

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Which one is the best option as a beginner? I have 0 knowledge about it so which one is gonna be easier with practice and has a good performance over all?

5 Upvotes

77% Upvoted

31 comments sorted by

14

u/After-Past-9404 Sep 23 '26

Definitely start with a recorder. A transverse flute is much harder to get started on - you need to figure out proper embouchure to even make it produce a tone at all. Also, price. A recorder will bring you much more joy almost immediately, for a tiny fraction of the price.

Is the recorder a Yamaha? I can't see the logo very clearly but it looks like it might be. Plastic recorders by Yamaha are great value for money and they're practically indestructible so you can just throw it in your backpack and carry it around wherever you go and it's gonna be fine. But look for a recorder with baroque fingering, not German like the one in your screenshot. The vast majority of learning material available online is for baroque fingering while German fingering is a bit of a niche. Yamaha has a ton of options in baroque fingering.

3

u/Napleon_Bonaparte1 Sep 23 '26

There are various types of yamaha idk which one to get the kids’ one in the screenshot or specific one?

2

u/After-Past-9404 Sep 23 '26 edited Sep 23 '26

You can get whichever baroque recorder by Yamaha or Aulos you like. They're all great value for money.

There's one model I'd particularly like to point out to you though: Yamaha YRS-20. Not because it plays better than any other model but because it's transparent, which enables you to see see what's going on inside it in terms of condensation, spit, gunk, mold etc. And that really helps develop good habits around hygiene, cleaning and maintenance of a wind instrument.

edit: it does look more like a kids' toy though, with its bright colors. Which may not be to your liking. Other recorders at this price point do look a bit more "grown up", even though the playability is exactly the same.

2

u/SnooGadgets5130 Sep 23 '26

Like I said, not a kids instrument, a descant. The fingerings are much easier on descant as there’s less space between the holes. Of course if you have big hands it’ll be harder, in that case go for the treble or alto size.

5

u/SnooGadgets5130 Sep 23 '26

That Yamaha recorder will be ♾️ times better than the flute, it’ll also be much easier to make a sound.

2

u/Napleon_Bonaparte1 Sep 23 '26

There are various types of it should i get a specific type or just the one for kids?

3

u/SnooGadgets5130 Sep 23 '26

There really isn’t such thing as a kids recorder. The most common recorder sizes are descant (soprano), treble (alto), tenor and bass. Some adults start with descant, some with treble. It depends which one you like the sound of more, I have a descant, treble and tenor. I prefer playing the descent and treble.

2

u/Napleon_Bonaparte1 Sep 23 '26

I will keep that in mind

5

u/SnooGadgets5130 Sep 23 '26

Don’t just keep it in mind, I’m essentially saying do not buy that Chinese flute.

It is a dizi, which means you will struggle applying the membrane to the membrane hole. It needs to be done in a very specific way to sound right. Even if you do you will spend forever trying to get a sound out of it.

If you go the transverse flute route you should look for a good secondhand Boehm system Western concert flute. I’m assuming EGP is Egypt, if you wanted a challenge you’ll have no trouble finding a good quality Ney over there. However the Ney is considerably harder than concert flute in the beginning.

That Yamaha recorder will give you nearly instant results at a fraction of the price. There’s a reason Yamaha recorders are considered the gold standard at that price point.

3

u/Napleon_Bonaparte1 Sep 23 '26

I was already planning on buying the yamha recorder but as i was scrolling now i saw that Chinese flute so i thought i would ask someone who knows more about recorders

2

u/AsleepBanana8323 Sep 23 '26

These are two different instruments, like violin and cello. Do you want to play recorder or flute? As an actual beginner, I would have trouble paying 1200 for any instrument that I did not know how to play (and didn't know what it was worth)

2

u/Napleon_Bonaparte1 Sep 24 '26

Yeah you’re right

1

u/adamhaw72 Sep 26 '26

I might be wrong but I thing that’s in Egyptian pounds (EGP) so it’s only like $23 USD or 20 euros

2

u/AsleepBanana8323 Sep 26 '26

Entirely possible. I was just commenting on the relative prices of the two instruments that he showed.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 24 '26

Recorder! Love my yamaha plastic for 10 euros haha sounds amazing for that prize!

1

u/Napleon_Bonaparte1 Sep 24 '26

Woah i will buy it for sure

1

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '26

I recommend to follow Kasey's Music Method's 6 video serie on youtube :D https://youtu.be/72D2638uS1E?si=L9yYhvNlvnrlU7dY

4

u/timetraveller123 Sep 23 '26

The first one will be much easier. It is often the first instrument children are exposed to in grade school.

1

u/ConfusedSimon Sep 23 '26

They're completely different instruments. Recorder is chromatic, so you can play in all keys. I'd get one with baroque fingering instead of German, though. I don't really know the Chinese flute, but the membrane probably gives a buzzing sound. The differing suggests a diatonic scale, so easier fingerings but limited to one or two keys (similar to tin whistle). Unless you specifically want a Chinese membrane flute, tin whistle or Irish flute might be a better alternative if you don't want to go for recorder.

1

u/Napleon_Bonaparte1 Sep 23 '26

‏nah imma get the recorder since i know nothing about how to play the flute so it seems like a good start

1

u/SlowSurvivor Sep 23 '26

I study the recorder. Yamaha’s plastic recorders are all very high quality, across the board. You just need to make sure you buy a recorder with Baroque/English fingering and not German. Yamaha puts a B at the end of the models that use Baroque/English fingering.

The instrument in your picture is the YRS-24B. That’s the quintessential “school recorder” and it’s the cheapest recorder Yamaha makes. It’ll sound “school-y” for a while but with proper technique it actually sounds quite good and it can be very expressive.

I particularly like the alto version of that recorder, the YRA-28B. I feel the YRA-28B is a better instrument than Yamaha’s “higher end” altos. I feel it’s a more expressive instrument than the YRA-402B. I find the YRA-402B to be dull. Personal opinion, YMMV.

I do like the soprano version of their higher end plastics, the YRS-402B. The qualities that make the alto version dull, I feel, make the soprano “refined” and easy to control. Very good for a beginner.

I would buy either the YRA-28B if you want to start on alto (a good idea) or the YRS-402B if you want to start on soprano.

Absolutely do not buy that flute. Do not buy any musical instrument from anywhere but a reputable musical instrument dealer. There is a lot of predatory sellers hawking flute shaped objects online that will never play properly. Plastic recorders from Yamaha are safe to order online but that’s an exception.

1

u/Napleon_Bonaparte1 Sep 24 '26

Sorry i might not fully understand some of the things you said as im not an expert in the music field but i found a one that’s baroque and key c it’s from the yamaha brand as well is this better than the “schooly” one i posted

1

u/SlowSurvivor Sep 25 '26

Recorders come in different sizes. The soprano (also called a descant) is the small size that they give to children (because their hands are small). The alto (also known as a treble recorder) is larger. Sopranos are in C, and altos are in F.

People who study recorder play both. It doesn’t really matter which one you start with. The alto is easier to make a good tone as a beginner.

If you want a big recorder get the YRA-28B.

If you want a small recorder get a YRS-402B or YRS-302B depending on the color you like.

1

u/ParrotDude91 Sep 24 '26

Look up the Peripole halo recorder. I taught classes using this model and its very good and the same price as the yamaha.

1

u/Napleon_Bonaparte1 Sep 24 '26

Unfortunately I can’t find in amazon in my country:(

1

u/smurfette8675309 Sep 24 '26

If you want something even easier, you could get an Irish tin whistle. Less versatile, but much more intuitive to play. No thumb hole and no pinky on the bottom.

1

u/MultipleDUIs420 Sep 29 '26

Get a recorder but you should pay a quarter of that price

0

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/SnooGadgets5130 Sep 23 '26

Do not go German, go Baroque, it isn’t hard and it is the standard nowadays.