YRS-302B Soprano Recorder, Baroque fingering, Key of C

The Yamaha YRW-302B soprano recorder met all of my expectations. It is well made instrument with very good intonation. It's tone is bright and crisp. It's bell section comes off smoothly for swabbing. I use it as a practice instrument complementing a Moeck maple recorder. The Moeck has a softer and more mellow tone while the plastic Yamaha is brighter and louder. The Yamaha is a joy to play.

I own a Yamaha Alto recorder. The alto recorder proved to be of such high quality and sound that I decided to purchase a Yamaha soprano recorder. It is a beautiful little recorder that plays easily with wonderful sound. Playing these high quality plastic recorders saves wear & tear on my much older wooden recorders. I was skeptical about a plastic recorder being able to have as good of sound as the wooden ones. They have proven themselves to be every bit as good. The price is very reasonable, too. I highly recommend these recorders.

Great quality. Sound is very nice. So much better than the cheap ones.

This is my first recorder that I've bought. I recently acquired in interest in baroque music, especially after hearing some of Telemann's music, so I thought I'd give it a try. The only kind of experience I really have with woodwinds is the clarinet and flute, but I suppose its better than starting off blind. First off, this thing responds greatly. I've been able to get into the high register pretty easily and none of the notes feel stuffy or weak. Really beautiful sounding instrument, even my father who doesn't have a single musical bone can tell that it sounds more than just a plastic toy. It's rather easy to maintain and take care off, and the bag is of high quality as well. The recorder has no wiggle room in it, but also isn't being squished so I know its safe. The only bad thing I've come to notice (other than my squeaking) is that in the high register the notes get quite sharp. I'm not sure if this is because of my air or playing, but it's nothing I can fix right now. This may improve with practice though. I also find myself having to clean the moisture building up every 15 minutes or so because the sound gets blocked up (albeit I've never played the recorder before so I can't say much). If you want to get into the recorder or are even an intermediate player yourself, I'd recommend this.

For a modicum price, you get an in-tune chromatic instrument that you can produce real music with, a recorder that performs better costs currently ten times as much. It's truly a display of technical prowess from Yamaha (and its competitor in this space, Aulos) to offer the world such a gift. I have since made the jump to recorders with better qualities, but I will forever be grateful to Yamaha for making the YRS-302b recorder. Now, specifics, this thing is in tune, honestly, buy something cheaper or a low-end wooden recorder, and the difference is night and day. The articulation can be slightly tricky, the lower notes are more sensitive to pressure than more expensive recorders, so switching up and down requires a fair bit of attention, but it's well within the range of what's reasonable. To learn, this instrument won't really limit you. Really, get it, get it now.

I own several expensive wood recorders and have been playing recorder on and off for around 45 years. I got this just to have an extra, inexpensive one for traveling or what not. It has a surprisingly nice tone and seems to be in tune for all 2 1/2 octaves or so. If you're thinking of trying the recorder, I suggest buying one like this instead of one of those super cheap ones with crappy sound. I also recommend the Sweetpipes recorder books, with CORRECT fingering charts.

Holes are closer together making playing easier.

Exactly what my daughter needed for music class. It is very durable and has lived in her backpack for months with no damage. Great for introduction to music.