In this second episode of my series Recorder Technique Essentials, I will go over general body alignment, space, embouchure, holding the recorder properly and finger position and shape. Don't forget to activate the subtitles if you prefer them! General body alignment: If your body is aligned, you avoid unnecessary muscular tension. So: head over heart, heart over pelvis, Shoulders relaxed. Knees are not locked but loose. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, with your body weight evenly distributed upon both feet. The recorder should be at an angle of 45 degrees, and straight in front of your body. Your elbows should hang down but should not be pressed into your body nor lifted, so that there is a little bit of space between your elbows and your torso. Space: When you play, your arms form an inner circle, be conscious of it. Notice all the space around you, even under you. Feel how the Earth supports you! Being conscious of all this space helps you to get a better connection with your body while playing. It avoids unnecessary muscle tension and makes correct breathing technique easier. When you are nervous, for example in a performance, it helps you to relax. Support points: Technically, there can be two points of support, but three points give much more stability, and they avoid a rigid left thumb: the lower lip, the right thumb and the right little finger, just below the little ridge above the last finger hole (not below). Without this third support point, the recorder is unstable and there is almost always a tendency of the left thumb to support the weight, which gives this finger a lot of pressure and takes away its possibility of moving freely. We only use the right little finger when no fingers of the right hand are covering any holes. This means that there will always be an alternation between the right little finger and the other right fingers. In this video I will show you how to practise this. Embouchure: The jaw has to be loose and in a neutral position. Make sure the jaw doesn’t move while you play! The greater part of the tongue is also relaxed within the mouth. It is only the tip of the tongue that is active. The embouchure itself is loose, with a slight U-shape (or “kissy mouth” shape), where the cheeks and the space between the nose and mouth are relaxed, so that they can serve as resonance chambers. When you inhale, open your mouth as if you were saying "Ah" or "Oh". This way, your inhale is soundless and efficient. The weight of the recorder stays on your lower lip. Finger position and especially thumb placement: Locked finger joints with pressure on them (because the fingers are pressing down on the recorder) are detrimental. Chronic pressure can wear down the joints, which could lead to arthritis, in addition to creating other types of inflammation, such as tendinitis. This happens most often in the case of the left thumb, with either inflammation of the tendon at the base of the thumb joint or an inflammation of a nerve, because the channel there is very narrow. On the recorder we play with rounded fingers, covering the holes with the finger tips. Straight fingers will make the entire hand work, while rounded fingers are much more efficient and healthier for the hand. For a healthy hand position, focus especially on three fingers: the middle fingers and the left thumb. If I place my middle fingers “diagonally on the tip” (so not completely on the tip but rather on the fleshy part), then the other fingers will position themselves in a healthy way. The thumb posture is essential. Not only to prevent injuries but also for an efficient change in posture between the first and higher registers. In this video I show you exactly how it should be placed and how the higher octaves should be played. Semitones in the right hand: In order to cover only half of the finger holes 6 and 7, we slide the whole hand rather than the finger. Look how it's done in the video. Note that we need to use this movement quite often, as G sharp on the soprano and C sharp on the alto use half of the sixth finger hole.