Yamaha YRT-304B Tenor Recorder, Key of C , Black

Marvellously engineered, this is a beautifully sonorous instrument, solo or ensemble. At the top of the resin heap, the YRT304B has become my favorite out of the entire recorder family. It is also affordable at $59 - a fraction (10%-20%) of the cost of a wooden recorder of equivalent quality. Easy to maintain without the need for the initial "breaking in" process or need for ongoing oiling, it is immediately playable out of the box and easily replaceable should it be lost or damaged, though due to it's durable resin construct, it is an extremely hard wearing instrument which navigates temperature fluctuations well (not affected as with it's sensitive wooden counterparts). Washable, portable - what more can you ask. The only thing it is short of is: prestige value and the "edge" of exceptional handmade counterparts. Great utility and performance. Ideal spare or travel instrument or to bring on the road. Marketed as "professional" line. For the Adult Beginner seeking an instrument to play - this is ideal. Most relate to tenor recorder's sonorous tones and find it has a relaxing quality, calming even organic (wooden sound) - the only reason school children start learning those squeaky high pitched descants is because of reach limitations. Strain-free playing for smaller hands ======================== Out of the box, the YRT304B requires the widest reach handspanwise due to its unique hole positions (the Bass is easier to play because it already comes goosenecked and with added keys) and of those who manage to play the Tenor in it's straight unmodified form, there is talk about hand strains and sprains after prolonged play. All's not lost however, due to an emerging demographic of aging and arthritic tenor players, the Tenor can be now be professionally "custom modified" per individual requirements - so that smaller hands/shorter arms can now play it with ease and so that universally, the instrument can be played without undue sprains and strains, previously endured by tenor players. Well to start with my hands are too small for it, but I was determined to play the Tenor, so I had it professionally modified in the US prior to shipping at Bill Lazar's earlymusicshop based in CA. He simply added a gooseneck to the headjoint to shorten the instrument and two added keys at the 3rd and 4th holes on the body - in short, I had the works. Depending on your body's unique dimensions, each person has different requirements. In my case I needed all three mods, whilst for another it could be just the one of 3 and for another, 2 of 3 in varying combos. Bill did a great job - it wasn't cheap but I can now play the tenor EASILY AND ENJOY it. Well worth the investment. The total cost of a new tenor with full modification comes up to just a little over a quarter the cost of a wooden Mollenhauer. Well it may not have the prestige of a wooden European recorder but it fulfils it's niche function excellently. $59 from amazon, it is RRP$199 which is usually discounted down to $149 in oz. Hard to pass by. Buy with confidence as each instrument is of uniform quality which delivers a known reliable level of performance, unlike handmade gems which need to be painstakingly picked out from a bunch of instruments and difficult to replace due to it's unique handmade qualities. The 3 top reviews have said mostly everything there is to say about the YRT-304B II. Hope this adds some further value to what is already said.

To preface this review, I have only been actively playing for a few months, and began on my old soprano (equivalent to a yamaha 20 series) from elementary school. I purchased this recorder a few months ago, and I've been quite happy with my purchase. I chose the tenor because I was still learning the C fingerings, and didn't want to confuse myself so early in the learning process. The transition wasn't AS simple as it seemed, since the spread of the instrument takes time to get used to, but I (along with my roommate and girlfriend) found the lower tone well worth the effort. I have not personally heard any other tenor recorders, so I can't compare to others, but when played well, the sound is full, rich, and enjoyable. I feel like I have more expressive flexibility within each note than I did with my own soprano, which may be quality related, or may just be the nature of the instrument. The biggest issue I've had with the instrument is comfort. The first week and a half of playing was brutal on my hands. I'm kind of tall, and have relatively large hands, and it still took time to get used to this instrument. Playing sitting down has become a non-issue, but playing standing up is another story. The included thumbrest takes trial and error to find the perfect placement, and the double sided tape included couldn't handle it. I ended up finding a position that was a bit higher than I needed, and I used part of a command strip situate it. I then cut up a wine cork to make a softer, adjustable thumbrest. If you try hard enough you can make the thumbrest work, otherwise there are plenty of inexpensive detachable thumbrests online that I'm sure would do the trick. On an unrelated note, this recorder clogs with moisture like any other plastic instrument. It isn't that big of a deal though. If you want a recorder with C fingering and an awesome deep tone, this recorder is perfect. Just be aware, it's rather large, and takes time to adjust to.

A bit of background: I studied recorder for a fair number of years in musical school in childhood, and recently got back to music playing bass. Just for fun, decided to recall how to play woodwinds and discovered my childhood (soprano) recorders were really crappy and out of tune, besides I don't much like high pitch shrilling timbre of soprano recorder anymore, so I decided to get a tenor recorder, and this one sounded like a good idea. It turned out it was a good decision: 1) The instrument of excellent quality, everything is in tune (though you need some proper breathing technique to get notes' pitch exactly on spot, e.g. G sounds is a bit flat unless you add some air compared to F ). 2) All skills from the soprano recorder are directly transferable to tenor one. However large size requires a little practice to get used to and fingers need some stretching before you could get a consistent fingering, especially when playing fast. 3) Timbre is a very pleasant one, low and raspy and surprisingly not at all "plastic-y". Personally, I love it much better than even a wooden soprano recorder, though maybe that's a bass player in me speaking ("the lower the better") :) Overall I'm extremely pleased with the purchase - it is an excellent instrument which is a pleasure to play on. At the price it is sold it is a real bargain - it is cheap enough to buy on impulse to play around with (as I did), yet it is a proper musical instrument you can perform on, not a toy.

I own this Yamaha model in an alto version, so I knew exactly what to expect when I purchased this. I was not disappointed! If you want to learn how to play a tenor, need a back up, a practice instrument, or a travel instrument, or you’re not ready to invest in a wooden model, this Yamaha model based on the Rottenburgh recorder style offers the most exceptional value for the money of any on the market. Many professional musicians have Yamaha models as their practice instruments, and yet the sound quality is good enough to play in an ensemble. The tone is lovely, smooth, and clear. The keys are strong and the whole in time to is solidly made. There is nothing flimsy about this instrument. It will last a lifetime. Although the description says that it does not come with a thumb rest, it actually does have a small one, as well as recorder joint cream, and a cleaning rod. You can use the rod with an eye glass cleaning cloth or a cotton sock. Use anything that doesn’t dishes fibers. Clean the cloth regularly. Before you play, as with all recorders, you always need to warm up your hands and fingers and engage in stretching exercises so that your fingers will be able to reach all the holes properly. It is a challenge for almost everyone at first to properly play the middle register C (the lowest note), so you don’t think that your instrument is defective. It is a process of learning how to make sure all the holes are covered and that you are applying the proper breath. This instrument is a great value for the money and I’m thrilled to have one. Although I do plan to buy my wooden recorder within the next four months, I will continue to use this one, as I do my Yamaha alto even though I have two other wooden altos, for my extended practices, as well as for my playing enjoyment.

I love the sound when I can get the lower notes but my hands are average woman size and it hurts to play them, the stretch is a little too far for me with my arthritis. The instrument is good and well-made, the only problem is my hands are a tad too small.

While I am musically untrained, I wanted an instrument. I had played a recorder in 5th grade(not exactly music training) and at that time I realized I had some natural ability to "calculate" finger position for notes not taught and I could fairly easily figure out songs - I also recalled the "soprano" from school being rather shrill and as I have a migraine that never subsides, . . well, finding that a Tenor version was available got me excited(I did not even know what "tenor" meant I had to research). Perhaps I should add that I also have a traumatic brain injury from 11 years ago! I mention this because "learning" is virtually impossible and my on demand "memory recall" is demanding: It is cognitively excruciating for me to do simple everyday tasks because I have to think about each step. Most pleasantly I have discovered this Yamaha Tenor is an absolute joy to play. For one thing, miraculously I subconsciously recall the fingering for most notes, and, I have retained a natural ability to calculate the fingering of other notes.. But, MOST incredible is I finally have a hobby I love which gives my brain a vacation. I feel refreshed after playing not cognitively exhausted. It also has an excellent tone... ability; I know because sometimes I can find it. There is a learning curve to finding and holding the subtle, and elusive, precious quality of which this instrument is capable of producing.. (yes the finger spread is wide, I am 5'8" with long fingers, though not a broad hand - a combination of both would ideal. My 5'4" friend can not make the reach at all but she has short fingers). I invested myself into writing this review hoping to give others needing a mental vacation on a regular basis, an option to consider. Slightly costly of a gamble, but $70 is not terrible and you could possibly resell and recover most of your money if it does not work out - I bought mine used on Amazon.com

The Yamaha 304 tenor recorder (which is what this is, although it is $1 less than the same instrument listed for some reason), is a solid instrument with a wonderfully pleasing, low, and rich sound. I am used to a soprano recorder and was kind of worried about this product because of people commenting on the finger spacing being quite wide, much to my joy the finger spacing is no problem. The product is almost twice the size of a soprano recorder, the spacing is much wider for the finger holes, but anyone with normal sized hands won't have a problem, and the recorder itself is very solid in its construction. The thumbrest included with the product it pretty much useless unless you put some superglue on it, however I don't really need one when I am sitting down and playing (which I usually am). Due to the finger holes being larger, you will have to adjust your grip to ensure that you are properly covering the holes when playing this instrument if you are used to a soprano, but it will become second nature to keep the holes covered properly very quickly. This recorder has the same benefits and negatives effecting all plastic recorders. The benefit is the thing will basically last forever and will require almost non-existant upkeep, the down side is that the material does not absorb moisture at all and the buildup will lead to blockage when playing pretty frequently. I am not detracting from the instruments quality, as that is common place when dealing with plastic recorders, but it is something that needs to be mentioned for those new to recorders. It makes up for that in price though, being less than a tenth of the price of a similar quality wooden recorder. The tone is absolutely remarkable with this instrument and if you are considering getting a tenor recorder I can't recommend it highly enough. If you are considering one for a child though, you should get a soprano recorder due to size and finger spacing and such. The good news is that this instrument is in the same key as a soprano and any skill learned with a soprano can be carried over to a tenor. Enjoy the music :)

The instrument itself seems to be of good quality it is all in tune. There is some difficulty playing the lower C. Before buying I listened to samples found on youtube, sounded fine. I expected when playing the live instrument it should have a breathtaking timbre. It is not. To me it sounds rather plain, nothing special. Just did not meet expectations.

Sonido muy agradable

Why did you choose this product over others?: Good reputation of brand Size: Tenor keys are easier to reach than other brands I have small hands & with practice can reach the lowest notes comfortably- but you will take a little time to get accustomed to the stretch Cleaning ability: easy to clean with the cleaning rod provided Build quality: remember to remove the white protective ends before you assemble this tenor

I love this tenor recorder. Once you master the fingering you’ll love it too. I admit it took sheer determination to get my fingers to stretch out to reach the notes but it was worth it. A good sound.

Schnelle Lieferung

Suena muy bien.