FEHR, ‘Model S’, alto in F ', Baroque double-hole, 415 Hz, based on Stanesby, pear wood

The instrument with the item number: 3S3BI415-FEH, manufactured by Fehr Blockflötenbau, is an instrument that is a joy to play time and time again in everyday use.
This is down to the carefully considered combination of the ingenious instrument design and the tonal qualities of the pear wood used as material.

The material used in this instrument is remarkable for its unique sound characteristics. These characteristics are best described as follows: Pear wood: a soft, choral sound. Suitable for ensemble playing.

The scale

The instrument’s bore is slightly cylindroconical. This type of bore profile gives the recorder its characteristic sound.
In general, instruments with a wider bore sound warmer, fuller and more fundamental, and are therefore better suited to ensemble playing than models with a narrower bore.

Which musical styles is the instrument best suited to?

Pear wood is particularly suitable for instruments used in ensembles, choral playing and as solo instruments.

Who is the instrument aimed at?

It follows from the above that instruments made from pear wood are particularly suitable for ambitious amateur players and advanced players. Another general rule is that, in most cases, a high-quality instrument makes ensemble playing easier than a supposedly cheap one.

The windway of the recorder

The windway is the area in the head of the instrument where the player’s breath is shaped into a thin air sheet. This air sheet is the key element in the instrument’s sound production. At the labium, this air sheet gives rise to the vibration that fundamentally generates the recorder’s tone. The shape of the windway is therefore one of the defining characteristics of the recorder’s musical expressiveness.

The windway of the 3S3BI415-FEH model from Fehr Blockflötenbau is constructed as follows: curved, conical.
Conical windways accelerate the air stream more than cylindrical ones.
Due to the nature of the system, the design of windways is extremely complex, and many parameters influence one another.

fingering

The Fehr Blockflötenbau model 3S3BI415-FEH is available in the following fingering: Baroque double-hole.

construction method

The number of individual parts in a woodwind instrument influences in many ways how the recorder performs in use: on the one hand, it ensures ease of handling in terms of simple assembly; on the other, it allows for compact transport.
This is a factor that should not be underestimated, particularly when transporting larger (and in some cases multiple) instruments.
Experienced ensemble players know this all too well.

Packaging and accessories

This model comes as standard with a hard case and the appropriate accessories: cleaning rod, drying cloth, cork grease, care instructions, fingering chart

Hygiene tips

If the recorder is played by several people, it is advisable to sterilise the windway at regular intervals to prevent the spread of illness. Flautisept has proven to be a reliable aid for this purpose. Flautisept is available in our collection. It is suitable for use on the following surfaces:

1. Varnished surfaces
2. Untreated wooden surfaces
3. ABS plastics
4. Waxed surfaces
5. RESONA
6. Linseed oil-treated surfaces
7. Glazed surfaces
8. Alcohol-stained surfaces

To be on the safe side, however, please test Fautisept on an inconspicuous area of your recorder before use to ensure it does not cause any adverse effects.

Optional information on keys

It is not always possible to position the tone holes in places that are easy and comfortable to reach with the fingers. Particularly with low-pitched recorders, some tone holes are ergonomically difficult to reach for acoustic reasons. On these instruments, the instrument maker fits keys that make playing significantly easier, or indeed make it possible in the first place.
The 3S3BI415-FEH model features the following keys: . This makes it exceptionally easy to play, even for players with smaller hands.

Notes on choosing a new recorder

How to find a new instrument with ease
Seek expert advice!
However, do not let so-called ‘universally applicable’ rules – such as ‘material XY is completely unsuitable for ensemble playing or for professionals’ – deter you from trying out a recorder for yourself. Your musical perception is as unique as you are. Therefore, only you can decide which recorder makes you happy.
Our recommendation is therefore: try out new designs that you’ve never tried before. You’ve got nothing to lose, only experience to gain.