Basic Self-Rating Guide for Recorder Players

Self-rating is never an easy task but encourages us to take an honest look at our playing level and abilities. The intent of this very basic guide is to help players assess their level prior to signing up for classes in a group setting at a workshop. Additionally, it helps the music director sort players into the proper classes, so the instructors can best target the instruction to be a win/win for everyone.
There are many facets of recorder playing and you may be at different levels for these, especially if you are an experienced musician new to recorder playing. These facets can be categorized into the following:

• Technical ability: finger dexterity, tonguing, breath control, tone production and quality.
• Musicianship: reading skills, ensemble playing, theoretical knowledge, responding to a director, etc.
• Musicality: playing with sensitivity to the style of music, responding to other players, confidence using nuances of expression, etc.

If, when filling out a registration form, you don’t find that you fit into a single category, describe some specifics about your abilities and what you would like to get out of your learning experience.

• Lower Intermediate player: is becoming familiar with most notes on one instrument. Is becoming aware of breath control and articulation, perhaps starting an instrument with a different fingering and/or clef. This player is beginning to be able to follow a conductor, has been introduced to counting with a half note beat, and can get back in when lost in simple music.
• Intermediate player: is comfortable with most notes on both C and F fingering, and should be starting to play “alto up” or bass. Becoming familiar reading large note values and, if not alone on a part, can keep their place in easy polyphonic music at a moderate tempo. This player, with practice (and reminding), can attend to phrasing, articulation and intonation while playing with others, and with a conductor, can often get back in when lost.
• Upper Intermediate player: can play C & F fingerings fluently, reads bass clef and alto up. Historic articulation patterns, phrasing, intonation and stylistic musical differences are becoming second nature. Counting large note values is not often a problem and keeping place while alone on a part is not a problem except in complicated music.
• Advanced player: has reliable, nimble fingers, can quickly adjust intonation and dynamics with breath and/or alternate fingerings, is secure with historic articulation patterns, plays all sizes, reads alto up fluently, (maybe starting to read C clefs), quickly finds their place when playing in an ensemble, and has a sense of appropriate style for Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music. If applicable can play renaissance instruments securely without hesitation.