I find myself wondering if you took on too much too soon. You didn’t mention if you purchased a method book. All that I’ve seen start with a note or three using the left hand – the easiest to play and make a sound pleasant. The notes below those take a different ‘feel’ when you play them. The notes above that left hand have their own different ‘feel’ to play.
When I work with a new player – no matter what their musical background – I have them use a book. I teach with “The Sweet Pipes Recorder Book – A Method for Adults and Older Beginners,” but they’re all much the same. The only thing you need to identify right off is if you own a Descant/Soprano recorder or a Treble/Alto recorder. You want a book for the instrument you have. Some even teach both at the same time.
Method books introduce a note in musical notation and then have an exercise or two to get used to using that note. As you learn more notes, these exercises will develop your skill in feeling for and using the notes. Sometimes you learn timing; sometimes you learn something like part of a scale or the jumping of an interval. (Your fingers are learning to dance.) Lastly, a book will provide some melodies or more melodic groups of notes to give you something pleasant to do with the note(s) while reinforcing your skills.
Today, even a ‘cheap plastic’ recorder is a marvel of engineering and likely won’t hold you back. Does it have the beautiful tone needed to play a solo accompanied by a symphony orchestra? It will likely do it’s job to teach the basics and then later help you find what you want in a more expensive instrument. Recorder players are very lucky. Our plastic instruments affordable and playable. Sometimes we even come to own too many of them. Ask my wife.
There’s a wonderful woman on YouTube that’s produced a series called, “Team Recorder.” She has a first and second lesson video. Here’s the first:
She also has a video on method books. She likely has a video on anything you want to know about your instrument. Take a look…. And welcome to the club. – k –