The 8 Best Soprano Recorders

For a first recorder at school or at home, the Yamaha YRS-24B is the safe bet. It uses baroque fingering, which most method books and real music assume, and its straight air channel gives a soft, steady tone without much breath control. The plastic body comes apart in three pieces, so it's simple to wash, and the foot turns to suit small hands. A cloth bag comes with it, but you'll need your own cleaning rod.

Adults who plan to stick with it should look at the Yamaha YRS-302B, which Teton Music names its top choice for committed adult beginners. Its curved air channel shapes a fuller sound and gives more control over soft and loud notes. It uses baroque fingering, and the dark brown body with cream rings looks more like an instrument than a school toy. It rewards a steady breath, though, and it squeaks when you blow too hard.

The Yamaha YRS-402B is made from Ecodear, a plastic that Yamaha makes partly from plants. It shares the shape and curved air channel of the brand's 300 line, so it plays with the same control, and it uses baroque fingering. Yamaha says the material gives a mellower, more wooden tone. The tan body with gray rings stands out on a music stand. That warmer sound rests on the maker's word, since few players have compared it in public.

If a class list asks for German fingering, the Yamaha YRS-23 is the one most schools mean. That system makes the early F easier for children, and the doubled holes near the bottom help the two lowest notes sound in tune. It comes with a cloth bag and a fingering chart. German fingering leaves several sharps and flats sounding off, so a student who keeps playing will want a baroque recorder later.

Real wood on a small budget is rare, and the Eastar ERS-31GM is made of maple. It arrives in a hard case with a cleaning kit and a fingering chart, and Eastar backs it for a year. Wood asks for more care than plastic: take it apart and let it dry after each session. It only comes in German fingering, and early-music players often find that budget wood doesn't sound better than a good plastic recorder.

A beginner who wants everything in one box can start with the Eastar ERS-21BB. It plays with baroque fingering and comes with a cleaning rod, a faux-leather bag and a thumb rest that clips on or off. The dark brown body with cream rings looks classic, and Eastar covers it for a year. Eastar sells mostly online and has little history with school music teachers, so its tuning gets less outside scrutiny.

Players who like the look of wood but not the upkeep can choose the Yamaha YRS-312B. It's plastic under a printed rosewood finish, so it shrugs off humidity and can be washed. Inside, it has the curved air channel and baroque fingering of Yamaha's 300 line, with clear tone and even tuning across its range, according to Yamaha. The finish adds cost without changing the sound, so pick it for looks.

Young kids who care about color will like the bright pink Eastar ERS-21GP, and other shades are sold too. The kit adds a cleaning rod, a cloth bag and a chart, so it's ready for a first lesson. It uses German fingering, which many elementary classes still teach, but check the class list first. That system leaves some sharps and flats out of tune, and a child who sticks with music will need a baroque recorder later.