Advice? Tenor Flauto Rondo vs Comfort Tenot?

[Kristen V]

I am thinking of getting a tenor with 4 keys. Deciding between these 2 and would love any feedback. Thanks!

Mollenhauer Comfort Tenor in Rosewood or Cherry.
WHIch? Suggestions?

OR – Moeck Flauto Rondo 2920 has 4 keys in maple.

Thank you!
Kristen

[Richard Hureau]

My only thoughts are that if you have never played a tenor and think you need the extra keys (4 instead of 2), you may also want a bent neck (“Knick” style). I know that I do – I need the 4 keys plus a bent neck in order to have any hope at all of playing a tenor. You can get the sense of such an arrangement by looking at a Yamaha plastic BASS.

[Brian Thompson]

My wife and I play tenor a lot. She owns a Kung Sinor tenor which has 4 keys and a bent neck. This tenor is little bigger than an alto recorder. By that I mean the knick moves the finger positions upward quite a bit. This makes if easy to get your hands to cover the lower position and the low C keys. It plays both octaves very well. The low C is easy to sound and strong(loud). The keys fall nicely to the hand and are airtight which means the instrument plays all of its notes cleanly and well. I know you are not asking about this instrument but this is a viable choice.

[Ken In Dallas]

I see that it’s five months since the last post here, but if you (or someone else) are still investigating Tenors, I cannot over recommend Antique Sound Workshop’s guide to Tenors: https://aswltd.com/guiderec.htm#tenor

I’ve played Tenor for 60 years. Everything you hear from most people about buying a Tenor is likely inaccurate. I wouldn’t buy a Tenor without playing it – maybe for a week. Most REAL recorder shops have try-out shipping systems. They also know what questions to ask of you. The most you can lose is the postage, which is much better than buying a lifetime of regret.

The Tenor is wonderful. It’s low register is an absolute joy. It’s high register is sometimes not as well ‘developed’ by some makers. I wouldn’t buy a Tenor till I could read to the top of its range chromatically and judge the instrument’s upper voice. Again, best to read the link above. — k

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