How to Play Hot Cross Buns on the Recorder

Holding the Recorder

Hold the recorder with your left hand at the top. This is the “Golden Rule” for holding a recorder, even if you’re right-handed. On the front of the recorder, the top three holes are designated for three fingers from your left hand: the finger above your middle finger (pointer), your middle finger, and the finger below your middle finger (ring). The bottom four holes are for the four fingers of your right hand (the right thumb is not involved). The hole in the back is where your left thumb goes.

Learn proper finger placement. Each of your fingers is assigned a specific hole on the recorder. For "Hot Cross Buns", you’ll only be using the first three holes and the thumb hole. Your pointer finger will always be covering the first hole. Your thumb will always be covering the back. Your middle finger is assigned to the second hole. Your ring finger is assigned to the third.

Practice blowing a clean note into the mouthpiece. Place your lips on the beak (the very tip of the mouthpiece) and make sure you don’t have it so far in your mouth that your teeth are touching it. Blow gently into the recorder, using your tongue to help start and end the note. Your tongue should move the same way it does when you say “do.”

Learning the Notes

Find the sheet music for "Hot Cross Buns". If you don’t know how to read music, no big deal! The song only uses three simple notes: B, A, and G, so it’s easy to learn without having to teach yourself to read music. "Hot Cross Buns" is divided into four measures (also called bars), which are sections that help you keep track of where you are in the song. The first, second, and fourth measures are all identical and play as B A G. The third measure looks like GGGG AAAA.

Play the B note. With your pointer finger covering the first hole and your thumb covering the back, simply blow once into the recorder. This is the B note, which is the first note of the song.

Play the A note. With your pointer finger on the first hole and your thumb on the back, cover the second hole with your middle finger. With these three holes covered, blow once into the recorder. This is the second note of the song.

Play the G note. With the three holes still covered, go ahead and cover the third hole with your ring finger. With these four holes covered, blow into the recorder once. This is the third note of the song.

Putting It All Together

Play the first two measures of the song. The first and second measures are identical, so play B A G, rest, B A G, moving your fingers according to the note you’re on.

Play the third measure of the song. This looks like GGGG AAAA. Set your fingers up for the G note and then blow four times quickly into the recorder. Then switch to the A note and blow four times quickly. This is the third measure.

Play the fourth measure. Again, the fourth measure is the same as the first and second measures, so play the B note once, then the A note once, then the G note once. You’ve now played the fourth measure and completed the song.

Practice. Practicing helps you memorize proper finger placement for the notes, which will ensure accuracy and also help you move more quickly.