Hi guys. Been lurking on this forum for a while. I play Chromatic harmonica, Bansuri (bamboo Indian flute), Xaphoon (a sort of keyless Clarinet with Tenor sax reed) as well as guitar and bass.

I'm looking to take up the recorder. The Mollenhauer 0119S Adris Dream Recorder Soprano (plastic) is affordable enough to be an impluse purchase but I've heard bad things on this forum about the plastic dream recorder.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/mollenhauer_01 ... floete.htm

I contacted Thomann and they said their latest stock of these arrived today. Should get one or bite the bullet and buy one of the pearwood ones that are about £70?

http://www.thomann.de/gb/mollenhauer_41 ... te_rot.htm

A wooden recorder is a delicate, temperamental instrument that has to be babied (not played more than a certain time per day; always left out to dry; oiled regularly...) and is fairly difficult to manufacture since each piece of wood is unique. A good wooden recorder is hand-finished by a professional to ensure good intonation and tone. Of course, such an instrument is also very expensive.

For a beginner instrument, plastic makes much more sense because plastic instruments are consistent, cheap, and you can practice as much as you like without fear of breaking it.

I don't know about the Mollenhauer Dream but Yamaha (300-series) and Aulos plastic recorders are both highly recommended. I have a YRA-302BIII Yamaha Alto recorder and it's great. Cost me 35 bucks. Many people say they are as good as wooden recorders for ten times the price.

Also - are you sure you want a soprano? Alto is much easier on the ears and is probably the most versatile recorder to start with.

... I have one, and it's a fine instrument at an excellent price, but, as a self-taught play-at-home amateur, it's not an instrument I'd recommend to an absolute beginner on the recorder. It does take a bit more "puff" to keep it in tune and the upper reaches of the second octave can be hard work to hit consistently. To become familiar with the recorder, in the first instance, I'd suggest a plastic Aulos (from personal preference), followed by, in no particular order, a Moeck, Yamaha or Dolmetsch. They're all easy to play across two octaves. Second-hand plastic instruments are easily sterilised and available for very little from the usual sources

After a few weeks/months, if you still want to press on with the recorder, then you can decide on a plastic or wood Adris Dream and will probably get more out of it

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"I'm playing all the right notes—but not necessarily in the right order."

I received a Mollenhauer 0119S a short while ago as a gift from a very kind soul. I am not a recorder player, but this instrument is more open sounding, with bigger holes, which suits me fine. It still sounds like a recorder, but has a much softer voice, without the high buzzing I hear in many recorders, and is louder, all of which I like. The biggest problem was that on the one I received the second octave was way sharp, no way to bend it down. I used a trick someone wrote about, and put a bit of poster putty inside the body, near the tenon side, on the upper side (so condensate can run out). This works, acting as a bore restriction and flattens the too sharp upper octave. After this tweak the instrument plays quite fine (in tune with tenon 1mm pulled out), and I am slowly getting used to baroque recorder fingering. I still have to do something about the "gold" paint, need to make it a bit darker at least, so it does not stick out so much. But that is purely aestetics.

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Hans Bracker - Handcrafted Whistles from Scotland - http://www.music.bracker.uk
Custom built aluminium whistles in any key and other speciality whistles and flutes

Since I am from a Jazz/Pop background i am most likely going to be teaching my self tunes such as 'Sweet Georgia Brown' however I would one day like to learn the Badinerie from Bach's 2nd French Suite in B minor (see video below). What would be the best register of recorder for me to consider?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVARLQol ... lpage&t=87

... well, the text associated with that video clip quotes the very competent young lady as playing a specific model of soprano Aulos ... given how well she makes it sound, could there be a better recommendation?

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"I'm playing all the right notes—but not necessarily in the right order."

Well, the Badinerie is written for the baroque flute, not the recorder. She is playing it on a soprano recorder. To fit into the range of the instrument, she is playing it an octave higher than written and in a different key (A minor instead of B minor).

For what it's worth, here's Badinerie played on the alto recorder, in E minor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0Z9TWL-dyw

The standard size recorder closest in range to the baroque flute would be the tenor, an octave lower than the soprano.

The main argument against the soprano is that it's just too high-pitched and shrill and you would get tired of hearing yourself play.
The main argument against the tenor is that it's a bit big and difficult to hold. Tenors often have keys.
Alto is the standard recorder for which most of solo recorder music has been written.