Customer Reviews

Melissa & Doug Recorder

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I think it's safe to say that I'm about five times older then I was the last time I played a recorder. But I work at the Renaissance Faire and I want to be able to keep making music when my voice gives out from the dust and the dry conditions. The plastic Angel 101A Three-Piece F Alto Recorder I got from the music store was great to learn on, but not exactly period, so I needed a wooden recorder. On a whim, I ordered this one and I'm very pleased with the result. (Particularly since the Amazon seller I got it from has free shipping, which made it an especially good deal.)

This is a one piece instrument. It appears that the flute was manufactured in two pieces and then joined, but they seem to have fixed the halves together so it can't be disassembled. It didn't come with a cleaning rod, so I'll have to look for one elsewhere. (Specifically a cleaning rod long enough for a one piece recorder.)

I rated the durability at a three but to be honest I haven't really had a chance to place it in harms way. I'm concerned about it, because it's made of wood; but it's got a reasonable heft to it and feels well made. The seal in the place where the flute appears to have been assembled is tight and it doesn't jiggle at all. I'm probably being conservative considering this thing is intended for Kindergartners. The company Melissa & Doug appear to specialize in toys and activities for young children, if they're still around in this day and age of heavy scrutiny over toy safety one can probably assume durability is something they take rather seriously. I'm a grownup adult lady who generally takes care of her stuff, so I imagine I have little to worry about.

I only have the one of these, so I can't tell you how consistently they're manufactured. I can tell you that the one I have sounds very good. It appears to be pitched correctly when I compare it with my Angel. The quality of the notes in the Melissa & Doug instrument are a little hollow sounding in comparison with my other recorder or other (more expensive) wooden recorders I've come across. However, the sound is clean and clear; you don't really notice the hollowness unless you're not the only recorder playing at the time.

If you're looking for a good quality wooden recorder this one will do right by you until you've saved up for one of those really fancy instraments.

Even though this is meant to be a toy, I bought one for myself because I knew that a wooden recorder should sound better than the cheap plastic one I was playing before, and it exceeded my expectations. The intonation is not perfect, but it's quite close, and the sound is clean and pleasant. The tuning is a little high. I suspect it's been intentionally tuned to a pitch a little above A440, not quite a half step above, as is common for recorders. The holes are a little smaller and harder to feel than on a typical plastic recorder, so I may put a bevel around the edges of mine to make them easier to find when playing. No fingering chart or anything is supplied. The fifth hole is rather small (unlike in the pictures shown), which usually means that it uses German fingering (the easier fingering) but it sounds fine when played with standard (a.k.a. English or Baroque) fingering. Keep in mind, though, that the last two holes are single holes rather than double, so certain notes (C# and D# in particular) will require half-holing, which is less easy. Playing in the key of C is easy, though, since you can simply cover each hole completely. Some people have said that this recorder is made in a single solid piece, or from two pieces that are glued together. It is definitely two separate pieces. Mine easily come apart with a twist and slide back together with a good seal. The two pieces are sealed with a strip of cork that's glued in place, as you would expect on any two-piece wooden recorder. It's possible that some of the glue may leak and cause the parts to stick together. The wood is sturdy enough that you can give it a firm twist and see if they will come apart without worrying about breaking it. The bore inside is a bit rough, but it doesn't hurt the sound any. It's probably a good idea to brush out the inside to remove any loose bits of wood so that they aren't accidentally inhaled. Overall, this is quite a decent recorder for an adult player on a budget, and probably sturdy enough to stand up to children, though the joint is a bit of a weak point. If you want to teach your child to play recorder, this is a great choice, though I'm not sure I would recommend it for someone in a class where students will be playing together since it is not tuned in concert pitch.

I think it's safe to say that I'm about five times older then I was the last time I played a recorder. But I work at the Renaissance Faire and I want to be able to keep making music when my voice gives out from the dust and the dry conditions. The plastic Angel 101A Three-Piece F Alto Recorder I got from the music store was great to learn on, but not exactly period, so I needed a wooden recorder. On a whim, I ordered this one and I'm very pleased with the result. (Particularly since the Amazon seller I got it from has free shipping, which made it an especially good deal.)

This is a one piece instrument. It appears that the flute was manufactured in two pieces and then joined, but they seem to have fixed the halves together so it can't be disassembled. It didn't come with a cleaning rod, so I'll have to look for one elsewhere. (Specifically a cleaning rod long enough for a one piece recorder.)

I rated the durability at a three but to be honest I haven't really had a chance to place it in harms way. I'm concerned about it, because it's made of wood; but it's got a reasonable heft to it and feels well made. The seal in the place where the flute appears to have been assembled is tight and it doesn't jiggle at all. I'm probably being conservative considering this thing is intended for Kindergartners. The company Melissa & Doug appear to specialize in toys and activities for young children, if they're still around in this day and age of heavy scrutiny over toy safety one can probably assume durability is something they take rather seriously. I'm a grownup adult lady who generally takes care of her stuff, so I imagine I have little to worry about.

I only have the one of these, so I can't tell you how consistently they're manufactured. I can tell you that the one I have sounds very good. It appears to be pitched correctly when I compare it with my Angel. The quality of the notes in the Melissa & Doug instrument are a little hollow sounding in comparison with my other recorder or other (more expensive) wooden recorders I've come across. However, the sound is clean and clear; you don't really notice the hollowness unless you're not the only recorder playing at the time.

If you're looking for a good quality wooden recorder this one will do right by you until you've saved up for one of those really fancy instraments.

The recorder's head area developed a huge crack after one day of my four year old son's hard playing. Never dropped, banged on something or anything like that. The product seems to be made of very poor quality wood.

Even though this is meant to be a toy, I bought one for myself because I knew that a wooden recorder should sound better than the cheap plastic one I was playing before, and it exceeded my expectations. The intonation is not perfect, but it's quite close, and the sound is clean and pleasant. The tuning is a little high. I suspect it's been intentionally tuned to a pitch a little above A440, not quite a half step above, as is common for recorders. The holes are a little smaller and harder to feel than on a typical plastic recorder, so I may put a bevel around the edges of mine to make them easier to find when playing. No fingering chart or anything is supplied. The fifth hole is rather small (unlike in the pictures shown), which usually means that it uses German fingering (the easier fingering) but it sounds fine when played with standard (a.k.a. English or Baroque) fingering. Keep in mind, though, that the last two holes are single holes rather than double, so certain notes (C# and D# in particular) will require half-holing, which is less easy. Playing in the key of C is easy, though, since you can simply cover each hole completely. Some people have said that this recorder is made in a single solid piece, or from two pieces that are glued together. It is definitely two separate pieces. Mine easily come apart with a twist and slide back together with a good seal. The two pieces are sealed with a strip of cork that's glued in place, as you would expect on any two-piece wooden recorder. It's possible that some of the glue may leak and cause the parts to stick together. The wood is sturdy enough that you can give it a firm twist and see if they will come apart without worrying about breaking it. The bore inside is a bit rough, but it doesn't hurt the sound any. It's probably a good idea to brush out the inside to remove any loose bits of wood so that they aren't accidentally inhaled. Overall, this is quite a decent recorder for an adult player on a budget, and probably sturdy enough to stand up to children, though the joint is a bit of a weak point. If you want to teach your child to play recorder, this is a great choice, though I'm not sure I would recommend it for someone in a class where students will be playing together since it is not tuned in concert pitch.

My 5 year old daughter received this recorder for Christmas. She's been wanting one for a while and decided that's what she was asking Santa for. Unfortunately, my 2 year old just threw the recorder down on our CARPETED family room floor and the top part of the recorder cracked and popped off. The plastic recorders usually disassemble into 3 pieces. This one, however, does not. It is one solid unit. Now, my 5 year old is downstairs crying and wanting another recorder. She'll have to have this exact one, or it won't be the same. I will buy another one, because it's like the first one. That's the only reason. The quality of this product is substandard to our many other Melissa and Doug toys. Don't expect too much from this one.

Was Xmas gift for grandson, very durbale, as all Melissa and Doug items are. He played it while opening his other gifts!

I bought this recorder for my two and a half-year-old and he loves it. I chose it because it was the cheapest wood recorder I could find. My son loves playing with it in a variety of creative ways and tries to make music with it. He would rate it 5 stars.

I rate it slightly lower because the sound is disappointing and because the instrument is already breaking. I find it very hard to play the low C and D notes clearly, and the sound of the instrument is generally weak. The varnish is coming off wherever my son puts the instrument in his mouth. After two months of almost constant play, the top part has developed a 3 inch long crack, partly because the bottom part swells when wet and stretches the top part when reassembling. Because it comes apart, my son disassembles it constantly and bangs the two ends together and blows on all the ends.

It doesn't change notes when you cover different holes. I am no expert, but isn't the sound supposed to change when you add fingers to the holes? Also, the sound the instrument makes is annoying--it just seems more shrill than it is supposed to.

We bought this for our toddler to learn to blow and hear music. While it does the basic job of making notes, I can't say it's very reliable. When I cover some of the holes, it doesn't necessarily change the sound. When I play the same holes a different time, they do affect the pitch. I'm not sure if there's a big seal between the two pieces of the recorder.

The other thing I dislike is that the lacquer on the mouth piece has already worn off. We've only had it a few months and don't play with it every day.

It's entertaining for a small child but not a good choice if you actually want to play tunes regularly.