![brendam chiff and fipple brendam chiff and fipple](https://demo.fdocuments.in/img/766x1032/reader024/reader/2021010909/5a7155fb7f8b9aac538cbbb6/r-2.jpg)
There is mention of flute players in early Irish documents dating back to the 7th century. The oldest surviving whistle flutes date from the 12th century, with others from the 14th century. In Europe, the earliest specimens of fipple flutes date back to the Iron Age, and were made of animal bones. In contrast with other fipple flutes, the recorder has a thumb-hole and three finger-holes for the upper hand, and four finger-holes for the lower hand. Many such instruments have long and ancient histories. While it’s the best known fipple flute in the Western classical tradition, other similar vertical flutes are found throughout world cultures, including the South American quena, and Japanese shakuhachi. That means they have a whistle-type mouthpiece. In technical terms, the recorder belongs to the flute family, and specifically, to the group called internal duct flutes. The recorder, in fact, has an illustrious history, and a golden era where its place in the musical canon was never in question. At best, pop culture considers the recorder a novelty suitable for a cute TikTok video.īut, it wasn’t always so. Beginners produce a shrill tone that, if and when it improves, migrates to other musical instruments. The most common modern recorder is a soprano made of plastic or resin. Nowadays, if most people think of the recorder, it’s with fond memories of kindergarten or elementary school - or, as a parent, with a wince at the memory of seemingly endless hours of practice. Hendrick ter Brugghen (1588–1629): Boy Playing a Recorder A Man Holding a Recorder circa 1550-1600, artist unknown French school 17th century, artist unknown (Public domain images)