Low G# weak and unstable

[David Wright]

I have an Aulos bass recorder which mostly I like very much. However low G# is tricky – I have to reduce the wind pressure significantly or it quickly becomes unstable and wobbles. Certain passages are quite hard to manage. Is there anything I can do to help?

[Pavane]

That is often a very weak note on many instruments. I no longer have an Aulos bass or I’d try it myself. Is it poor compared with other recorders you have? Kenneth Wollitz in The Recorder Book goes through all the notes and comments on this one that it is “another rather weak note and may tend to be sharp” – if sharp, it can be brought down to pitch by blowing more softly. It might just be that this is how it is!

[David Wright]

Thanks for your thoughts. I can live with the fact that it’s weaker than other notes, my main concern is that even if I blow more gently the pitch is not very stable – it tends to flutter. Occasionally it behaves a bit better but I haven’t worked out why!
I have a set of 4 Aulos recorders (although I rarely play the other 3) and find that they all show the same tendency. Maybe I just have to live with it? I wonder if any other makes are any better?
I’ll talk to other members of the consort and see what their experience is.

[David Wright]

I have discovered it definitely helps if I position my finger-tip as far as possible to the right so it doesn’t begin to shade the smaller hole.

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