Recorder Studies are intended to sharpen selected aspects of solo technique and to offer the opportunity to display that technique in concert presentation.

1: Amuse-bouche: a preview of the meal to come.

2: French Onion Soup: a French-style overture, with pompous dotted slow sections framing faster fugal material. The flashy ornaments in the outer dotted sections should occur at the very last possible moment for maximum self-importance.

3: Balkan Stew: The main-course meter of 11/8 is broken up into 4-3-4, or further into 2-2-3-2-2 — 2 short pulses, 1 longer pulse, and 2 short pulses again per measure. In the highly seasoned rapid section, notes in parentheses may be dropped for a quick breath. Enjoy a flowing and melodic sip of wine in the major key, requiring fluency in three sharps and full notes at the very bottom of the instrument.

4: Chocolate Fountain: Dripping chocolate is portrayed by carefully controlled finger slides on and off of the holes. Sometimes the chocolate is dripping downward, and sometimes it’s creeping back up. Strive to achieve a smooth glissando from one pitch to the next, taking up the entire note’s value to execute the slide.

5: Full Belly: The happy diner is sated by the meal, and sings along in counterpoint to the recorder, in a contented minor key.