Customer Reviews

Yamaha YRT-304B Tenor Recorder, Key of C

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

On the positive side:
1. This is a very nice sounding recorder--it does not sound plasticky at all.

2. The recorder is not made of wood, which means that you do not have to worry about cracking, shrinking, breaking-in, etc.

On the negative side:
1. Yahama provides a detached plastic thumbrest; YOU have to pick a spot and glue it to the recorder (you provide the glue). I think that this is a bad design--they should provide an adjustable thumbrest molded to the instrument itself.

2. I find that my right hand aches after playing for a while, due to the long reach from F to C. Part of the problem is the placement of the C keys, which could be moved a little higher on the instrument. After a couple of years, I switched to the Yahama Alto (also excellent). I miss the warm, dulcet tones of the tenor, but find the alto far more comfortable to play.

3. Yahama provides a slotted stick for you to clean your instrument. It would be awfully nice if they would provide an appropriately sized piece of cotton rag to go into this slot.

I bought my yamaha 300 tenor about five years ago. In terms of tone and tuning, I've been very happy with it. You do have to work a little harder to get it in tune for the higher octave, but this has been the case with all of the tenors I've played. The lack of absorbtion can be an issue though. It gets clogged up very easily.

Also, do you have small hands? - it is a big instrument. If your hands are small like mine are, you will probably find yourself avoiding middle Cs, C#s, and Fs (or suffering the consequences, as I am currently... ouch). I can only play it for short amounts of time. Some others who have played it haven't any problems in that respect though. But I wouldn't reccomend it for young kids.

WOW! Excellent product! Nicely constructed with very handy accessories. My daughter (9 yrs. old/the recipient of the recorder) is STILL practicing with it (despite her initial experience with a soprano recorder over the past year). We are VERY satisfied customers.
Thank You Very Much.

I got the Yamaha 304 tenor for about $60 plus shipping...and am not at all disappointed. The tone color is remarkable for a plastic instrument, and the high notes are very strong and sweet by any tenor recorder standards, wood or plastic. Many tenors suffer from weak second octaves, especially faulty tuning or thin, often cracking, tones.

There are only two and a half issues with this model: the thumbrest is not the best kind they could have used, especially since it doesn't have a hole for a neck strap. Also the stretch for the right hand can be VERY difficult, especially if your hands are small. There are in fact other tenors that are easier on the hands! In addition on my instrument, the C-key mechanism is rather tight and takes quite a bit of finger pressure to close, which helps contribute to the pain caused by a wide hole spread. This is probably just a specimen anomaly, as I tried another Y304 tenor with a much easier key mechanism. And I heard that the spring in the key can be loosened quite easily. If moisture clogging is a problem (not much so on my instrument) you can reduce the problem by swishing a weak detergent solution - or 'Duponol' - into the upper windway for a few seconds, then drying it out without rinsing all the soap away.

If you've played alto and soprano for quite a while and are looking to add some diversity to your collection, a Y304 tenor makes an excellent companion, especially for the deeper, haunting folk-flute sound. Then add a Y302B bass if/when you can afford, for another fine price-quality combination. This whistle is a much better choice than other tenors of similar (or slightly higher) price but poorer quality, especially the first one I bought for $85 with constant clogging and no C# key!

This recorder has lovely deep tones and is a joy to hear! We use them for midevil and baroque music for a truly authentic sound.

This is a great recorder - as good as it gets in plastic. Definitely better then other plastic recorders that look the same. I have had a Frederick and Yamaha plastic tenor recorders side by side - the playability, tone, resonance and quality of the plastic is noticeably better in the Yamaha, and defiantly worth the difference in price.

The tone is awesome, when it's clear. The only problem with plastic (and probably the only reason to pay the big $$ for wood) is that all plastic recorders `load up' at times from the moisture in the player's breath. When this happens, the tone gets muted, muddy, and fuzzy. There are a couple of tricks to minimize this. One is to wash the mouthpiece in a mild solution of dish detergent and let it dry by itself. The thin layer of soap that remains in the mouthpiece helps to keep the moisture from collecting there. Another trick is to gently warm up the mouthpiece and body with a blow dryer, which helps to prevent the warm, moist breath from condensing on the cold plastic.

One of the problems playing tenor recorders is the spacing of the holes. They are too far apart for some people to ever play, while others spend months practicing before they can finger the holes at a reasonable playing speed. However, if you like this recorder, are having trouble with the hole spacing, and are willing to spend a little money, you can have additional keys (levers) added for the holes that are hard to reach. One place that will do that is Magnamusic: [...]. With shipping it costs about $100 per key - most people get two, for the 3rd and 4th holes. I did, and I am absolutely delighted! It's easier to play now than my Alto. I posted a picture of my recorder with additional keys at: www.Bevitt.ws/Keys on tenor recorder.jpg. They really did a professional job - even countersunk the holes underneath the key pads. I love the tenor recorder, and when I get ready to spend the $1000+ for a quality wood one, I'll certainly get extra keys put on it.

I bought my Yamaha 304B in 2003 because I heard a friend's and absolutely loved the low tones of a tenor. I didn't know how to play it when I first bought it, I can't really read music either. In spite of this, within 10 months of purchase, I was able to play almost any song I heard by ear. The Tenor recorder is a great instrument because it is easy to learn, pleasant to hear, and is much more portable than other common instruments such as a guitar. The Yamaha has fairly good sound, is easy to clean, and is durable. I will say that it tends to get clogged with moisture fairly easy, but I can't be too picky for the price. Any time I play my tenor people always are entranced by it's smooth and haunting sound, it surprises people who believe that a recorder is some shrill and screechy child's toy. I do hope to get a wood recorder when I can afford it, but the Yamaha is a good place to start for a person who wants to give it a try without investing a week's pay.

For the money this is a wonderful instrument. I never expected a plastic recorder to have such a rich tone. The reach for the third and fourth right hand fingers is difficult, but that's not a fault of the instrument; it's the size of my hands. Also, being plastic, it clogs up very quickly with saliva, so I need to clean it out constantly. But I'm having a lot of fun with this recorder playing all sorts of music.

Excellent product; the Yamaha 300 series of recorders are the best quality and finest tone plastic recorders I've had experience with (I own the soprano, alto, tenor and bass). A very rich and beautiful tone in this tenor; I've found it can be richer even than the bass of the same series.

As mentioned in prior reviews, if you have small hands (as I do) it will hurt to play for more than a short while (ironically, the bass recorder has closer finger holes and a neck strap, making it more comfortable than this one to play). My sister bypassed the thumbrest adjustment issue by inserting a cut into the side of a wine cork and then placing it over the thumbrest. This way different corks can be cut to appropriate lengths for different people. Further, it creates a more padded thumbrest. This, however, does not make it less of stretch for small fingers. I would still highly recommend this recorder for anyone who wants a tenor to play - it is a fantastic deal and the tone is unsurpassed for a plastic recorder.

I was looking for a deal. Our recorder club need a few tenors for 2 part music. I purchased a used one for only $45.00 plus $5.99 shipping. My alto players love the tone and the part work they are playing. I was totally shocked to see a review with three stars. These instruments are awesome! I am now in the process on sending them to Lazar's Early music to have a head joint job to change the body to a knick style. This will bring the fingering in closer and make for an easier time of playing. These modifications along with keys on the hard to reach holes will fix the problems of reaching certain holes. It will resemble the Yamaha YRB-302B but smaller. I would never use an alto recorder when this tenor can nearly cover the range of an alto and there is no comparison with the TONE! And to top it all off, the fingering for the tenor is the same as the soprano with an octave lower range. Talk about easy to learn. Everyone has to learn on a soprano.