Learning & Craft · Kimber Books Journal
Two fingering systems, one clearer learning path
How a clean visual reference can support both common soprano-recorder fingering systems without overwhelming the learner.
The short answer
What is this book?
Recorder Fingering Charts, Scales & Songs is a recorder visual reference for beginners, developing players, and returning musicians. It brings the note map, scales, songs into one place so players can spend less time searching and more time making music.
This beginner-friendly book makes it easy and enjoyable to get started on the recorder, even with no prior experience.
With clear fingering charts, simple music, and skill-building scales, players can begin making music right away.
Inside the book
What you will find on the pages
- ✓
Fingering charts covering the full range of the soprano recorder
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Selected note pages with matching diagrams
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Major scales in practical keys
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Simple, familiar songs
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A complete fingering chart for quick reference
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On Top of Spaghetti
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…and many more
Designed as a visual reference and practice companion, this book brings together essential fingerings, commonly used scales, and familiar songs in one place.
The learning idea
Read it. See it. Play it. Hear it.
The most useful feature is not any single chart. It is the connection among four views of the same musical idea. Standard notation shows where a note lives on the staff. The note name gives a beginner a temporary confidence rail. The diagram shows what the hands must do. Scales and songs turn that isolated note into music.
Support for both German and Baroque systems makes the chart easier to use across classrooms and starter instruments, where fingering conventions can otherwise create confusion.
The reference works best when the player also listens closely to a teacher, ensemble, or reliable recording and compares the sound to the page.
A practical routine
How to use the book without turning practice into homework
- 01
Choose one small target
Pick a note, one scale fragment, or four measures of a song. A narrow goal produces better repetition than trying to “finish a page.”
- 02
Connect the three visual layers
Say the note name, find it on the staff, and match it to the fingering or position. Then remove the spoken cue and read it again.
- 03
Use a scale as the bridge
Play slowly enough that every change is deliberate. The goal is even movement and reliable recognition, not speed.
- 04
Finish with music
Apply the same notes to a familiar song. End while the sound is still improving, and leave a clear starting point for next time.
Reader fit
Who is it best for?
- Beginners getting started on recorder
- Students working alongside school programs
- Homeschool use and self-directed practice
- Teachers who want a clear, visual reference
Honest expectations
What this reference does—and what it does not
A chart can answer “Which fingering or position belongs to this note?” It cannot watch hand shape, adjust embouchure, diagnose tension, or hear whether the tone is centered. That distinction matters. This book is designed to complement instruction and structured practice, not pretend that a static page can replace feedback.
Used for the job it actually does, it can be extremely handy: a stable visual map, a scale reference, a bank of playable material, and a quick way back into the instrument after time away.
Questions, answered
What readers usually want to know
•Is Recorder Fingering Charts, Scales & Songs suitable for a complete beginner?
Yes. The book is designed as a visual starting reference for beginners and a reusable refresher for developing or returning recorder players. It does not assume advanced theory knowledge.
•What does the visual learning system show?
The pages connect standard notation and note names to the matching fingering, hole pattern, valve combination, or slide position. Scales and songs then use those same notes in musical context.
•Does this book replace a teacher or full method?
No. It works best as a visual reference and practice companion. A teacher or comprehensive method can provide individualized feedback on posture, tone, breathing, embouchure, rhythm, and interpretation.
•Does the book include listening support?
Check the current Amazon product page for any audio features included with this edition.
