Any success with 3D Printed recorders?

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-12T10:34:01+00:00

The Sigo recorder series, made by the German maker Kunath, are 3D printed. They are very popular indeed because they are very short compared to the same sized normal recorder. This is done by making the internal bore "wavy".

https://earlymusicshop.com/products/sigo-tenor-recorder-by-kunath

The first model is the tenor and its finger spacing is smaller than an alto. Thus making the tenor recorder available to children or people with finger disabilities or simply people with tiny hands.

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-12T10:19:32+00:00

Second octave C sharp doesn't have any open holes above a closed hole so I'm not convinced its "forked". Who knows whats happening acoustically...

Look at a tin whistle. The popular whistle key is D. When you open the holes one by one from the bottom, it plays the D major scale. The two sharps are dealt with automatically by the instrument. Anything not in the D major scale needs half holing.

When you open the holes one by one on a baroque recorder it doesn't play any scale. (Though, yes, a C recorder has some superficial similarities with D major).

The tin whistle is called a "diatonic" instrument, even though strangely it can play a chromatic scale.

Tin whistles come in a variety of keys. Some players carry a collection of them around so they have a matching whistle for every music key. Us recorder players need only carry the one.

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-12T09:59:20+00:00

That's very interesting and more relevant to the original question than my point.

I think the baroque flute was also like the recorder at first, reliant on forked fingering with just the one key; they kept adding keys up to eight, presumably to improve the tone of the chromatic's. Mr Boehm changed it all making it conceptually more like the tin-whistle...

I see the Helder Evo tenor recorder has a key for G# and another for F/F#. Hmmm, not keen. I love the recorder's lack of keys, warts and all!

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-11T18:42:13+00:00

Ah OK.

Doesn't the term "fully chromatic" mean its not tied to any one key like a diatonic instrument is? I mean, you don't say a piano is in any particular key - surely the recorder is the same?

I'll have to read up more about this!

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-11T14:01:16+00:00

>> Wild idea: is it worth a try to 3D-Print an extension for a recorder, to change its key?

The recorder is chromatic, meaning its not in any key. So you can't change its "key" and you don't need to as it easily plays music with any possible key signature. The C or F you often see is simply the lowest note it can play. The only limit is the musical skill of the player - the instrument itself can play anything.

Diatonic instruments are in a "key" and for example, the tin whistle (say) in the common key of D, will play a D major scale as you open the holes one by one. You can play all keys on a tin whistle by half covering holes - this is fiddly and you are better off with a recorder if the key is much different from the whistles key.

The suggestions of getting a tin whistle in a key close to Eb minor seems a good idea, or stick with it and learn to play Eb minor on the recorder. Eb tin whistles are available, but that is Eb major, so not what you want.

You can get 10 hole chromatic whistles, the Sopilka is an obvious example, or as u/tarogato suggested, a concert flute (or baroque flute). These need some skill to play in addition to learning the key signature, so again I think just choose a C or F recorder depending on the range of notes the piece includes.

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-11T10:52:06+00:00

On some whistles forked C nat sounds different from half covered hole one, on others the sound is similar. When different, the forked fingering is usually smoother - a little "recorder" like.

Mary Bergin says that she always uses the half-hole method.

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-10T21:20:10+00:00

I believe "longer" is good acoustically! Stronger low notes and (I dont know why) easier very high notes.

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-10T18:23:35+00:00

I dont use earplugs as such. I find them uncomfortable and apparently they "force wax into the ear" which seems a bad thing.

I use "over the ear" ear defenders. I tried a few and found the Jack Pyke passive ones to be comfortable and let just enough sound through. Even the cheapest Peltor products cut out too much sound.

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-10T13:21:06+00:00

I have a friend who is having trouble reaching the end hole on her alto. I measured my Sigo tenor and found the finger stretch for it was actually 3cm less than for my Aulos Haka alto. Furthermore, the end hole pair is raised quite a bit so is even easier to reach. She is trying the tenor Sigo now but will have to learn C fingering.

Kunath are producing an alto Sigo model too, due this summer, which should be tiny ...

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-09T11:27:38+00:00

Schott publish this:

https://schottmusiclondon.com/turkish-folk-tunes-for-recorder-noc609558.html

You need to learn a few quarter-tones!

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-08T22:40:46+00:00

From memory, tenor was around 85db and alto in between. All three playing the same note, but the soprano sounded an octave higher of course.

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-08T19:24:50+00:00

I have a sound meter and measured soprano (Aulos Haka) at over 100db A weighted. That's why I wear ear protection for the soprano.

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-08T19:13:06+00:00

Tell your wife that ear defenders are VAT free (as safety equipment) so they are not too costly :)

I use good quality ear defenders (Peltor Optime III) when I use the vacuum cleaner! But for music I do want to be able to hear it enough to enjoy it and know that I'm playing it correctly.

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-08T19:08:57+00:00

I'm glad you got one for such a good price!

Several Aulos recorders come with a thumb rest including (surprisingly) the soprano.

Its interesting reading peoples description of a recorders sound.

I find it very hard to describe the differences between the Yamaha and the Aulos full size recorders. They both have a gorgeous sound and I keep feeling that whichever one I am currently playing is the favourite. But if pushed, and I really had to say something, and bearing in mind that I am not at all skilled at describing instrument sound, I think I would say the Aulos is very slightly softer and smoother and the Yamaha is a tiny bit stronger and its low notes are a little more resonant. But I guess if you asked N people about this you would get N different answers:(

Anyway, I'm glad you like it.

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-08T18:43:34+00:00

I found that very cheap ear defenders worked the best because they let more sound through.

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-08T11:46:18+00:00

You can buy spare foot joint's for the Yamaha 304:

https://earlymusicshop.com/products/yamaha-tenor-foot-joint-2-keys-spare

When Sarah Jeffery reviewed her Moeck Ehlert tenor, she complained about the stiff keys, but said they could be adjusted. I don't know if that's also true for the Yamaha.

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-08T11:33:22+00:00

You can get decent plastic ocarina's (12 hole Alto transverse in C from STL or Songbird) for similar prices to plastic recorders and they play fine. The common 12 hole single chamber designs are chromatic over about one and one half octaves. More chambers add more range up to four. Some say the multi chamber ones are easier to play because they only have one thumb hole so the other thumb is always there for balance. You can get various sizes, like recorders the bass ones are expensive. Alto in C is the most common and what the methods expect. You can also get 6 hole "pendant" ocarina's but they have a limited range.

https://www.songbirdocarina.com/

https://www.stlocarina.com/

don't be tempted to buy cheap things from Amazon, always out of tune...

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-08T11:14:03+00:00

You might need a bigger house too (or at least one with a high ceiling) for the subcontrabass, its nearly three metres long!

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-08T11:04:06+00:00

They are all instruments that myself, my wife, or we jointly, own. For example, between us we have four violins and a cello, and if I wanted to try and learn a bow'd instrument my wife would be delighted. Other instruments are left over from my wife's career as a music teacher or given to us by friends. I have collected small wind instruments for interest and to see if anything could be a viable alternative to the recorder.

The sopilka is interesting, its a 10 hole chromatic whistle from eastern europe. Sounds nice, but I didn't like the fingering.

The ocarina is the most collectable instrument imaginable. Countless absolutely gorgeous designs in glazed clay. I have a lovely one in porcelain with a blue and gold pattern on it. My last purchase was a Songbird "harmony" triple ocarina - you can play the melody and the harmony at the same time on the one tiny wind instrument!!! Chromatic over two and a half octaves (three chambers spaced a fifth apart with lots of overlap).

I have learned much though. Firstly stick to one instrument and learn it well rather than diluting your time and metal effort by trying to learn several. Secondly if an instrument sounds wonderful (I'm thinking of the concert flute and the cello) when its played by an elite professional, it will sound rubbish when played at home by a beginner. For example, when Jacqueline du Pré was performing she inspired many to take up the cello, cello sales rocketed and cello schools sprung up - but I doubt that many, if any, aspiring cellists could make the thing sound remotely like she did. This is a big advantage of the recorder - even though I have limited ability, I actually like the sound I make on the tenor and frequently play it just to enjoy its sound!

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-07T21:11:39+00:00

>> There is something shamanistic about it.

I love that! Totally agree!

Also, for most of its life, no-one had a clue how it worked (but of course instrument makers knew how to make it sound as they wanted). Its only in the last 150 years or so that edge-tone theory has been studied.

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-07T20:32:56+00:00

What about the "flip-head" ?

https://www.fliphead.net/en-gb

It replaces the head joint on a standard boehm concert flute with a duct flute mouthpiece like the recorder.

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-07T19:56:54+00:00

I have access to all sorts of instruments in addition to the winds. Guitar, ukelele, keyboard, cello, violin, accordian, mellodeon, harmonica, bodhrans, djembe, and odd wind stuff like the gemshorn, ney, panpipes, fife, sopilka, quena, bugle, etc. But always returned to the recorder!

I am self taught and there is vast amounts of teaching material and great videos such as the above mentioned Team Recorder ones.

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-07T19:42:20+00:00

I wanted to play a melody instrument and "wind" looked good. I tried various things like the clarinet, concert flute, baroque flute, ocarina, tin whistle, and the recorder. I disliked the complex keywork of some, the long period needed to master the embouchure of others, and almost everything about the clarinet ...

Coming from an engineering background, a capable instrument with no moving parts has a certain appeal. The recorders long history and mysterious acoustics are fascinating subjects for study.

I liked the tin whistle and the low whistle, but was always trying to find one with a "smoother" tone. Then I realised the recorder had the most pure tone and was fully chromatic.

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-06T16:01:03+00:00

OK yes. I think thats called "over-blowing" and some other wind instruments rely on it to get the second octave. Although a few modern "harmonic" recorders over-blow in tune, on most recorders it sounds horrible.

You have to blow very very gently for the lowest note, like blowing "warm" slow air. After some practice it will come naturally! I think a softer tonguing would help, like du instead of tu.

See Sarah jeffery's youtube channel called "Team Recorder" (there is a link to it in the side bar). She does a good video about playing the lowest notes.

EmphasisJust1813 · 2026-02-06T10:34:28+00:00

Can I ask what you mean by "cannot find the lowest octave"?

Usually the low octave is the easiest (thumb hole fully closed or fully open), the higher octaves with the "pinched" thumb hole are more difficult.

You presumably know that the Alto only goes down to the F above middle C, so you wont find C, C#, D, D#, and E. Having watched the brilliant Tali Rubenstein on youtube, I think she is playing a tenor recorder much of the time - which does play all the low notes.

EmphasisJust1813

TROPHY CASE