Customer Reviews

Yamaha YRS-302B Soprano Recorder, Key of C

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I purchased two of these recorders: one as a replacement for my daughter's inexpensive soprano recorder (which my 3 year-old son shattered while playing golf) and one to play when I travel.
My goal was to find an inexpensive, easy-to-care-for recorder with a softer sound than the typical shrieking whistle sold to school children.

I have not been disappointed--the Yahama Soprano recorder has a wonderful warm sound and is very comfortable to play.

A note for parents: This recorder uses Baroque, not German fingering. This means that it is may not a good pre-band instrument, as most band woodwinds (and most recorders for school-age children) use German fingering. For example, on a Flutophone (German fingering), you play F by covering all of the holes on the left hand and only the top hole with the right hand. In Baroque fingering, you play F by covering the first, third and fourth holes on the right hand. It is a bit more challenging to play legato, since you have to cover/uncover multiple holes simultaneously.

Also, some recorders for children (such as the Flutophone) have lipped holes, which seem to make it easier for the child to completely cover the hole. The holes on this recorder are not lipped.

For the price, this recorder is one of the best plastic ones out there. If you are thinking about trying the recorder, I would highly recommend this one over the cheaper ones. The cheaper ones tend to sound shrill when you start playing the higher notes. I think that's part of the reason why recorders have such a bad reputation; kids shrieking on their school issued recorders can send any adult running. In contrast, the Yamaha 302 has a warmer tone and the higher register is not grating on the ears. It comes with a cleaning rod, cream for the joints, a fairly nice carrying case that zips, and a small insert with a fingering chart.

The only drawback to this recorder is that it tends to clog easily. The mouthpeice is thinner, which makes it more comfortable to play, but I think it contributes to the clogging. Of course, clogging in unavoidable in all plastic recorders - all my other recorders clog too so I don't think this detracts from the benefits of this model.

All in all, I have been very happy with mine and I think I could only do better by buying one of the handcrafted wood recorders that run upwards of two hundred.

This Yamaha recorder provides fantastic quality for the price. The Soprano YRS-302B is durable, comfortable, and sounds surprisingly nice. It will meet the needs of most casual players.

The YRS-302 is the best inexpensive recorder you can purchase. To find one better, you'd have to spend 2-3 times as much for a marginal improvement (cheap wood, or wood/plastic mix). If you want to explore whether or not you want to learn to play the recorder, this is a good tester: not so expensive that you lose if you don't like it, but not so cheaply made that you'll be guaranteed to hate it. If you stick with it with this recorder for a year or two, you can then decide what you want to do with your playing.

The sound is smoother than the $2.50 plastic recorders given out to myriad school children. But the soprano recorder may sound shrill to your ear anyway (even an expensive wooden one). If you are concerned about that, look at the alto or tenor recorders.

I own a wooden soprano recorder, but I never play it anymore - I'm always playing this one. It has a very nice, warm sound. The price is a little high - if you're just starting to learn the recorder, buy a cheaper student model. But if you already know the basics of recorder and want to improve your sound, then this is a good product for you.

While I can't compare this plastic recorder to the insanely more expensive wooden models, I can compare it to the ultracheap plastic model I was playing with previously. I could have saved myself quite a bit of frustration had I just gone with this Yamaha model. The difference in tone quality is HUGE - it was only after playing this recorder that I realized how much of my old recorder's sound was breath instead of tone. This instrument sounds *pure*. Also, the difficulty in reaching the high notes has also been fixed with this recorder - it plays second octave notes just as effortlessly as the first octave notes, which was a stunning discovery for me. The notes only start becoming difficult in the third octave, but it's still a world's difference better from my old instrument. It was a great bargain for the price.

Another reviewer mentioned that it "still sounds like a toy," and I'm afraid I have to (mostly) agree. I had high hopes, waiting for this recorder to arrive, and I haven't been disappointed exactly.

This recorder compensates a bit better for some of my inadequacies (I'm still and may always be a beginner!). The sound is DEFINITELY superior to my cheap recorders (one-piece $2.75, three-piece $7), but I am no flautist, it seems, and this instrument is no flute. :-)

The higher notes are surprisingly sharp and clear but I'm still having trouble with the low notes - I think the holes are a little farther apart than on my one-piece, which is the easiest for my smallish hands.

Also, after about two months of learning (call me slow!), I just realized what the term Baroque actually means, and that I have been fingering the F completely wrong. Aaaaagh! Well, it will be nice finally having a decent recorder, but it will probably not make up for what a lousy musician I probably am.

Nevertheless, and toy it may be, if you're looking for an inexpensive instrument, recorder is great for teaching beginners the rudiments of reading music and playing an instrument, and it can really help eliminate frustration (and squeaky off-notes) if you start with a REAL instrument, like this Yamaha, instead of the $2 recorders.

I like to play the Yamaha YRS302B Recorder more than my wooden recorder. Plastic is a modern material for an old instrument and it suits me just fine. It has a cloth carry case that is better than the plastic cases that come with other recorders, and you get a dab of joint grease with it. A good toot, that's an A+ in my book.

As the mother of 4 children, I highly recommend buying this recorder. If you buy a cheaper one, you will regret it by having a very frustrated child. Please buy this model (not a more expensive one either) so you can objectively see if your child has a future in music fields. More expensive ones will be available for when they are really good at playing, but they will use this one to take everywhere- trust me.

This recorder looked better than the $5-$6 colored plastic ones at a local store, but the quality isn't any better. It still sounds like a kid's toy even though it doesn't look like one. The case is nicer though.