Easy Classical Alto Recorder Solos: Featuring music of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner and others.

This book is beyond me. I'm just starting to play an instrument (adult). "Easy" in the title is probably from the point of view of a musician. It may be a fine book for some, but for a complete beginner who doesn't read music, it isn't a good choice. Greensleeves, for example, sounded interesting, but five flats?! I'm still slowly translating music on a staff into letters, writing the letters down, and using the guide to discover where to put my fingers to play notes. For me, this is an aspirational book. The Internet is a better bet if you are getting started. Search using terms like "beginner" and "easy" along with "recorder." A number of elementary schools have materials posted for third and fourth graders. If you are ready for sheet music, 8notes.com offers some free easy pieces in a number of different styles to get you going. Although most of the grade school music is presented for soprano recorder and small hands, those materials and fingering work fine on an alto recorder. The songs just play at a lower pitch.

If you know how to play by ear, and have had a recorder for a few months, you might be able to learn these songs within a matter of days without the book. After playing for 6 months, I looked at the starting note to each piece and was able to play the rest of the tune from memory. If you don't play by ear, this might be a great beginner's book for you; I have no idea.

This is a fun book for when you’ve learned how to play the notes of the alto recorder up to high C. The selections are all very well-known, and you’ll probably be able to recognize them even if you’re a beginner at reading music notation. There’s a nice summary of music notation and a fingering chart too. The Kindle version is readable. Great!

One song per page and a decent enough size to be able to see the notes. I picked up the recorder again after a long time and have been playing several months. The first song is very easy and some I haven't attempted yet like one with 5 flats but that is the exception- most only have 2 flats. No sixteenth notes. The songs are interesting enough and present some challenge but not overwhelming. I'm happy I bought this book.

This is a very simplified shortened version of melodies from famous classical music pieces. They are easy to play, except for the few that are presented, somewhat mysteriously, in keys with an unnecessary large number of flat and sharps. These are hard to play. The music has no development, and is not nearly as interesting as the pieces, in for example, the sweet pipes alto recorder instruction manuals. I would not purchase again. But it is nice, if trite, music.

Nice collection of pieces. They are definitely easy.

I have been studying on my own the alto and sopranino recorders (they're in the same key and have the same fingering). This book gives you songs to play that are of an intermediate level of difficulty. This helps you advance your playing techniques and avoids the boredom of the real simple songs found in books for absolute beginners. Highly recommended.

Fun to play

The reason I am not happy with this app, is because on the staff of many of the pieces, the odd lines are missing, here and there, also some of the notes are without their downward or upward "stick" especially on the crotchets - hardly a good way to help easy recognition, making for good and enjoyable practise, especially if one is not too proficient. Should it be possible to re-send the app (making sure that the printing is there in its entirety). I would be happy to retract my statement and my heading. As it stands, it's just not worth the price it commands.Sorry about that, but that is how it shows on my Amazon Fire HD10 Kindle in portrait mode, and that is very off-putting.I would be pleased to hear from you regarding this matter.Chris Peel

There are lots of familiar melodies in this book, and learning to play them has pushed me to improve. They range from fairly easy to fairly difficult (for someone who learned descant/soprano recorder at school, and has - in middle age - recently taken up alto/treble) but they are not presented in order of difficulty. Not a book for absolute beginners, but once you are confident with the basics this is a way to extend your range playing pieces from famous composers.

Thank you for producing such an amazing book. I have just started to play the alto (treble) recorder after a gap of over 30 years. This book has the most brilliant introductory pages - "Playing Guide" - explaining all the symbols to learn to read music and a fingering chart for the alto. The beautiful, classical pieces (Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss etc) really do have simple arrangements. There are some gems here - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Für Elise, The Blue Danube... This book does 'what is says on the tin' and more!!!!!

perfect

A useful book for this 74yo recorder student.