RFZ Vol. 1

The Recorder From Zero, Vol 1 is a systematic approach for beginners on the soprano recorder which treats the instrument in its proper historical context. This revised and expanded 2^nd edition contains 107 pieces of carefully graded original, folk, renaissance, and medieval music as well as an introduction to renaissance tonguing and a brief introduction to modal theory. Although RFZ is intended to be used with a teacher, who guides the student and plays the bottom part of the duets, the mature student who has had some previous musical training can also use this method for self-study. Take a look at Lessons 1-10, which you can print out for free and and try with your student/s (if you are a teacher) or with your teacher (if you are a student) or with your partner if you are an experienced player already - it’s all great music!

From reviews of the 2^nd edition, vol. 1 (2001):

Information for both the teacher and pupil is commendable and up-to-date. The fingerings include those which might be necessary alternatives on renaissance recorders. The Recorder From Zero strikes me as a well-conceived concept and a thorough introduction to playing the soprano recorder.
Adam Dopadlik in The Recorder Magazine, Spring 2002

The Recorder From Zero was welcomed by the recorder-teacher community in 1975 as a method using Medieval and Renaissance Music. I called this method a ‘must buy’ at the time. I am very much pleased to discover that Charles Fischer has put out a second edition, completely re-set in Finale. Improvements in this edition include a much more readable and expanded musical content. I like Mr. Fischer's emphasis on wide-bore recorders (now beginning to be affordable by amateurs). This book is for its musical content alone of great value to recorder teachers and beginning players.

Martha Bixler in The American Recorder, May 2002

Best method books I own, October 19, 2003 - Reviewer: "b__2" (Albuquerque, NM USA)
I bought both volumes of this book for my daughter then 8 based on recommendations (...). I was intrigued by the idea of starting her with "real" music from the get-go. The books were a great success - it was a pleasure to work through the lessons with her and now she eagerly plays everything she can in both books. The books themselves are beautifully printed and easy to read. They are mostly just the music with little or no text interspersed among the pieces. This means that a beginner will need some additional help with some of the basics - holding the recorder, breathing, basic fingering, etc. There are plenty of method books that cover those details, but no other books I know of give you so much interesting music.

It's easy for beginners to get the feel for what early music and recorder playing is really like. I strongly recommend these books. If you are an adult beginner with access to a teacher then I suggest you look for volume 1 for the alto recorder, if and when it is available. Altos are easier and more fun to play than soprano recorders if your hands are bigger than an 11-year old's.

Best Recorder Instruction, October 14, 2003 - Reviewer: Drina Brooke (CA)
Inspiration is a great motivator, to practice and to really play well. Charles Fischer, himself a performer of the recorder, has compiled such a beautiful selection of Medieval and Renaissance pieces,in characteristically eerie modes, that even beginners may be excited by truly beautiful music. This book is organized in step-by-step progression, from simple drills which very quickly graduate to really nice music, using simple finger combinations to more progressive, adding rhythm drills and theoretical instruction. Fischer has mastered the art of instructing with beauty, and artfully combined this with pure common sense. To combine artistic instruction with pedagogy is a challenge, indeed, and Fischer has done a beautiful job. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Early Music. --Drina Brooke, recorder instructor/performer, author, trained with internationally-acclaimed Eva Legene

Can't say enough good things!, July 11, 2002 - Reviewer: Brent (Manitoba, Canada)
I've been using the revised edition of Volume 1 for almost a year now in my private teaching and in a University setting. Most spectacularly, I used it as an 'introduction to the recorder' for a music education class earlier this year. One of the commonest complaints I hear from music education students is that they don't know where to turn to find good repertoire when they want to introduce recorders into their classrooms. Students have been singing Hot Cross Buns since Grade 1, and are easily bored with it by the time they're in Grade 4! With Fischer's book, teachers can use authentic recorder material that follows the same sequence of notes as the earliest songs use, and a large class can be divided up to include percussion and movement.

At the moment I'm introducing it to students in a Kodaly Level 1 summer course, and the students are having a blast. After 30 minutes this afternoon, four very insecure recorder players were performing 6 Renaissance dances comfortably and musically. Volume 1 is a must-have for any music teacher who deals with recorders, and I can't wait for Volume 2.

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Recorder From Zero, Vol. 1

The Recorder From Zero, Vol. 1 (2nd edition, 2001 - 27 pp.) $17.95 plus $1.00 shipping in US

Lesson	Piece #	Title	Composer	Year	New Notes	Pedagogy
1	1, 2	Exercise	CPF	2001	b, a	whole, half, 4/4 time, tonguing
	3, 4	"	"	"	g	"
	5, 6	"	"	"		quarter notes
2	7	"	"	"		b to g in wholes
	8	"	"	"		b to g in halves
	10 - 12	"	"	"		b to g in quarters
3	13 - 16	"	"	"	d, c	stepwise
	17, 18	"	"	"		intervals in halves
4	19, 20	"	"	"		intervals in quarters
	21, 22	"	"	"		eighth notes
	23, 24	"	"	"		stepwise in eighths
5	25	Bransle	Caroubel	16th c.		repeat signs
	26	Bransle	Gervaise	1551
	27	Bransle	Gervaise	1551
	28	Bransle	Praetorius	1612
	29	Bransle	Moderne	1550
	30	Bransle	Gervaise	1551		dotted quarter and eighth note
6	31, 32	Exercise	CPF	1975		compound 3/4
	33	French Dance	Anon.	13th c.		round
	34	Oats, Peas, Beans, and Barley	American	18th c.
	35	Fais Do Do	French	18th c.		D.C. al Fine
	36	Exercise for Slurs	CPF	1975		slurs
	37	Stantipe	English	13th c.
7	38	Bransle	Gervaise	16th c.	low f#
	39	Gilotte	Praetorius	1612		1st and 2nd endings
	40	Bransle	Gervaise	1551
8	41	Half Hannikin	Playford	1650		compound duple 6/8
	42	Picking of Sticks	Playford	1650		pickup note
	43	Bransle Courant	Gervaise	1551		compound duple 6/4
	44	Saltarello	Phalese	1583
9	45	Bransle de Champaigne	Gervaise	1550		cut time
	46	Bransle de Champaigne	Gervaise	1555
	47	Bransle Double	CPF	2001		(written out divisions)
10	48	Lament from the Bennada Glens	Irish	18th c.
	49	Bransle de Champaigne	Gervaise	1550	low e
	50	Almande Lorayne	Phalese	1571		low f# to e fingering
	51	Stantipe	English	13th c.		a to low f# fingering
11	52	Ungaresca	Phalese	1583	low d
	53	Bransle de Poictu	Gervaise	1550
	54	Bransle de Champaigne	Gervaise	1550
	55	Bransle	Praetorius	1612		dotted quarter and two sixteenth notes in cut time
	56	Stantipe	English	13th c.
12	57	There Was a Pretty Lass	Irish	18th c.
	58	Canecutter’s Lament	South Australian	18th c.
	59	Canecutter’s Lament	North Australian	18th c.
	60	Spanish Ladies	Sea Chanty	18th c.
	61	Bransle	Gervaise	1550
	62	Exercise for low notes	CPF	1975
	63	Greenwood	Playford	1651
13	64	Round for 2	Anon.	17th c.		low c
	65	Christmas is Coming	Anon.	17th c.
	66	Round for 2, 3, or 4	Anon.	17th c.
	67	If All the World Were Paper	Playford	1651
	68	Winder Wie ist nu dein Kraft	Neidhart von Reuental	c. 1225
	69	Maienzeidt	"	c. 1225
	70	Stantipe	English	13th c.
	71	Stantipe	English	13th c.
	72	Stantipe	English	13th c.
14	73	Herr Wirt uns Durstet Sehre	Oswald von Wolkenstein	1410		Ionian, Dorian modes playing without barlines
	74	Da Castitatis	Anon.	c. 1260
15	75	English Dance	Anon.	13th c.		Transposed Ionian mode
	76	Goddesses	English Folk Song	17th c.		Dorian mode
	77	Scarborough Fair	English Folk Song	17th c.		Dorian mode
	78	Sinc An Gulden Huon	Neidhart von Reunthal	c. 1225		Dorian mode
	79	Da Que Deus Mamou	Alphonso X El Sabio	c. 1250		Dorian mode
	80	A Reynna	"	"		Dorian mode
	81	Como Poden	"	"		two 16th notes in 6/8
16	82	O Virgo Splendens	Spanish Round	c. 1320
	83	A Senor Que	Alphonso X El Sabio	c. 1250		Dorian mode
	84	Exercise	CPF	1975		four 16th notes in 6/8
	85	Motet	French	13th c.		Dorian mode
17	86a	Exercise for Renaissance Tonguing Syllables	CPF	2002		renaissance tonguing (written)
	86b	"	"	"		renaissance tonguing (sounding)
	87	"	"	1975
	88	Allemande	Susato	1551
	89	Exercise for Renaissance Tonguing Syllables	CPF	2002
	90	Ribbon Dance	English	17th c.
	91	English Folkdance	Traditional	17th c.
18	92	Ronde and Dance	CPF	1975		dotted half = half (equal pulse)
	93	Ronde & Hoboekentanz	Susato	1551		Dorian mode
19	94	Round in Phrygian Mode	CPF	1975		Phrygian mode, 16th note triplets in 6/8
	95	Phrygian Melody	"	"		Phrygian mode
	96	Phrygian Exercise	"	"		16th note triplets in 6/8
	97	Motet	French	13th c.		Phrygian mode
20	98	Nota	English	13th c.		review of lessons 1-19
	99	Finger Control Exercise	CPF	2002
	100	"	"	"
	101	Apley House	English Folk Song	17th c.		Ionian mode
	102	Two Part Round	English	17th c.		Ionian mode
	103	Come Follow, Follow Me	John Hilton	1652		Ionian mode
	104	White Cockle Bells	English	17th c.		Ionian mode
	105	Sans Orgeuil	French Motet	13th c.		Dorian mode
	106	Mit Gunstlichem Herzen	Oswald von Wolkenstein	c. 1410		Dorian/Ionian mode
	107	Bransle	Praetorius	1612		Transposed Ionian mode

Telephone:	(408) 569-2781
email:	bizweb5@yahoo.com
Address:	Charles Fischer/Unicorn Music 2324 Linden Hill Dr. Bloomington, IN 47401
SkypID:	UnicornMusic