Review: beginner recorders! | NUVO Recorder+ and Fipple

There are some new recorders for beginners on the market - I take them for a test drive! The NUVO Recorder+ and the Mollenhauer Fipple series.
Note: Mollenhauer and NUVO sent me these instruments to test. This video is not sponsored and is my honest opinion.

// chapters
00:00 Intro
00:31 the NUVO Instruments ‘Recorder+’
04:40 the Mollenhauer ‘Fipple’ series
07:38 Comparing the two - sound and price

// Links

[FirefliesFlute]

I'm a professional flutist specializing in contemporary music and early music, and a teacher. And I think your channel is just a treasure!! I learn so much from your videos, even though it's not my instrument. Thank you!

[NocturneLacrymosa]

I'm so glad that Sarah gave Nuvo another chance; they've clearly improved in intonation and tone and it's nice to see this breve redemption arc, after the initial disastrous "how to choose a plastic recorder" video where this brand was first featured.

I loved the Fipple as well. I learned from them browsing through Mollenhauer's website and I like the concept and playfulness of it, and of course, the sound and construction of it; you can really push it far.

Sarah, congratulations on reaching 200K subs! I never gave up on you, I always have known (even as a beginner recorder player in 2013, now advanced flute player) that the recorder is a wonderful instrument and have defended it since that time from anyone who'd dare call it a "kid" or "toy" instrument. Your success is proof that what you've been doing for this long, has had a definite impact on a new generation of musicians and the whole musician community of YouTube as a whole. Thank you for always being yourself and for your honest and brave display!

[papermoontarot]

You're correct, the fine motor skills for a beginner older person with arthritis to find and close holes can be challenging, too (especially the 7th hole), so I'm happy to hear about some new options. Congratulations on the 200, 000 subscribers!

[InkByt]

200K - many congratulations Sarah, I'll celebrate with you, good luck for your next milestones! The fipple recorder sounds really great, and clever to keep the head joint out of plastic so that expenses of wood carving are decreased :)

[austrobaileya]

Congratulations on the growth of your channel!!.
All that hard work paying off.
I suspect you have contributed to increasing the popularity of the recorder significantly.

[boredgrass]

no surprise! I don't play recorder and my favourite instruments are strings, piano and woodwind instruments. But your kindness, your open mindednesses, your humour and your insightful presentations are a great pleasure to watch and got me interested into the recorder!

[marcusmicksch]

Hup! Hup! Hooray! I'm still enjoying your last recommendation of recorder literature the marvellous and motivating "Recorder for beginners - The Tudor way!". So good that you are curating all the interesting bits and pieces of the recorder world and opening it up for us! Thank you a thousand times!

[sanaebon]

Congrats to 200K subs! GO TEAM RECORDER!👊

[cmdrerniepaul]

Thanks to this video, I decided to get one of these NUVOs this past week. I got to try it out for the first time today! Way more successful getting clear tones out of it than my previous attempts with other cheap recorders! Looking forward to finally learning a new instrument. Also looking forward to layering this recorder over my future string and percussion videos. I also love how light and portable it is. Thank you very much for all you do Sarah!

[kharmaviv]

Love this review and... Congratulations on 200, 000 subscribers! Yay!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[TJtheBee]

Very curious about whether the silicone pads for the Recorder+ are removeable; I absolutely agree that for many students, it can make the recordable accessible, though I know that as an autistic person with sensory issues, the "soft" silicone would drive me mad! Unfortunately, the surface of an object can bother me a LOT, even if it's more ergonomic for my hands. I can picture teachers having a range of recorders with this feature and a range without so students could try and see which they like; that being said, I'm sure there are more options out there for recorders with keys!

[douglasboyle]

Happy to be part of the 200k, I'm not even a musician, I'm just here to learn stuff!

[wipjenni]

Congratulations! 🎉 You and your channel are awesome.

[AshArAis]

I've been using other nuvo instruments and they are very useful to get younger kids going. There can be that struggle at the start when holes are not fully covered that needs a lot of encouragement and persistence, and the silicone pads help to get the groundwork in first before tackling those fine motor skills further.

I'm using one of those mollenhauers myself as it's not my main instrument. It was a little cheaper than mentioned but didn't have the games/bonus material. Love the compact and lightness of the instrument and case, and the sound of the wood. It provides an aspirational sound for the kids on the usual plastic recorders.

[abbeyhudec]

I recently bought a fipple for myself. I have a adri’s dream and I love it but it is quite loud so I got the fipple to be a similar level but lets me practice without bothering my husband. I know it’s aimed toward kids but I’m a lady with small hands so it works well for me. I love it :)

[JennyWarden]

Hi Sarah, the Fipple looks brilliant, are they making a treble version? I have very small hands and that would be ideal. Congratulations on the 200K subscribers 👍👍

[oxoelfoxo]

'grats on the 200k, Sarah! i always watch even if i can't relate, haha

[buzzinbethan]

Still loving your videos years on. As a wind teacher I found nuvo years ago for a dood and toot then the Jsax. But I’m glad they’ve improved the recorder. Just brought a tenor recorder at a charity shop today for not very much so happy!

[Murgo-ul]

The difference in sound is very notable even in the ears of a non-recorder player. The Fipple sounds much nicer at least to me. Making the head joint out of plastic is great way of keeping the price down as obviously it's the most costly part to make out of wood.

[michaellee]

I personally own a Nuvo flute, and I personally like it. It’s fun to play with. You can play with it outside easy to play.