Is there a recorder-analog for the flute?

Question

I have used soprano baroque recorders for students aged 8-10 as a "pre-band" instrument. I find that most students enjoy practicing note-reading, and the average student is able to progress reasonably far in two years of study. I find that students who can master at least the first octave of the instrument progress very quickly on clarinet or saxophone in their next year after playing recorder. I suspect it's because there are so many similarities (the basic fingerings, breathing, etc.).

I have also noticed that beginner flute players struggle tremendously because it's so much harder to produce a tone on a flute. I know that playing a single-reed instrument is obviously different than a fipple flute but it's a similar shape and size and students seem to adapt quickly. The concert ("band") flute is quite different and in my experience, harder. Flute students at this age (10 or 11 years) seem to more frequently lose interest as their reed-playing classmates advance beyond their skill level.

I'd like to be able to give all the students a chance to learn some rudimentary skills for flute playing, too.

I'm curious... does there exist a simple instrument that could do for the flute what the recorder does for clarinet and saxophone? Is there such thing as a "transverse recorder," say?

Answer 1

TL;DR

• Step 1: Soda bottle
• Step 2: Fife

---

Soda bottle

Flute players are sometimes told that blowing across the top of a soda bottle is similar to blowing a flute. (Anecdotally, A flute-playing acquaintance confirms that this offered some help in developing their embouchure.)

Though the flute tone hole is generally smaller and differently shaped, the techniques are similar, and the bottle can be easier. Using a common object can be very appealing and fun for kids.

Some additional advantages:

1. Very inexpensive
2. Lends itself to a natural physical experiment: put various amounts of water in the bottle and observe the changes in pitch.)
3. Neat party trick with friends; awesomely annoying party trick with parents and siblings.

A couple of internet reference points:
(Note that these do not directly advocate soda bottles as a teaching tool.)

• Flute Embouchure: What is Normal?

A common way to explain the flute embouchure is to equate flute playing to blowing into a pop, or soda, bottle.

Flute Techniques, by Dr. Karen McLaughlin-Large, Kansas State University, 2013

Exercise 2

1.ALWAYS begin students with head joint exercises.

2.Cover the lip plate and blow over the end of the head joint like playing a bottle.

3.Use little tension. Very relaxed.

4.Remember to use the surprise breath.

However, for a contrary opinion, see

• Tips For Teaching Beginning Flute Players

The flute should not be played like a coke bottle.

Fife

I would look first at the fife (Wikipedia). It's held and blown like a transverse flute, but is smaller, lighter, and non-keyed. Given the setting, where many students many need instruments, there are inexpensive plastic fife's available. For example, at the time of this post, Yamaha makes a plastic fife, available on Amazon for $10.55.

And here is a detail showing the mouthpiece.

There are other transverse flutes, such as those listed on Wikipedia:

Indian classical flutes (the bansuri and the venu), the Chinese dizi, the Western fife, a number of Japanese fue, and Korean flutes such as daegeum, junggeum and sogeum.

Answer 2

Not meaning to detract from the excellent answer from @Aaron, I tried out some of the Yamaha fifes. The answer is...

Yes, Yamaha makes a fife that is in the same price range as a recorder, but no, it is not a good pre-band instrument. The size of the tone hole is smaller than a flute (and harder to hit squarely). The fingerings are different enough that a recorder player gets them confused easily, and it's more difficult to play than a flute.

Answer 3

I have seen flutes with a recorder headjoint. However, those are not cheap and usually considered a crutch anyway. Your flute students need to learn to deal with embouchure at some point.

The suggestion of a fife is a reasonable one, especially the Yamaha with a plastic lip plate that is flute like, rather than the traditional "military" fife. The shorter instrument is more responsive, and because of the higher register carries more than a concert flute.

But I wonder, is it the band environment that is putting them off? In a distant past I learned flute and never gave it a second thought that my tone got better and better. Yes, my teacher, and flute players on records, were better but that never discouraged me.