Choosing a Recorder
Baroque style and German style

There are two varieties of recorder, "Baroque style (English style)" and "German style." These can be distinguished by the differences in fingering, based on the design.
If the two styles are compared, the following differences in characteristics will be seen.

Baroque style

Soprano F (Alto B♭) tone fingering is not in sequence with the rest of the scale.
Fingering for sharp (♯) and flat (♭) notes is simple.
The same fingering can be applied when playing recorders that differ in size.

German style

Soprano F (Alto B♭) tone fingering is in sequence with the rest of the scale.
Fingering for sharp (♯) and flat (♭) notes is difficult.
The same fingering cannot be applied when playing recorders that differ in size.

On a soprano recorder, playing a simple melody with a narrow range in a pitch range such as C major or F major presents no particular issue with a German style recorder, but performing a piece with a wider range or accidentals (sharps and flats) is more difficult.
Also, as models other than the soprano are mostly made in the Baroque style, if fingering is learned on a German-style soprano model, it cannot be applied on a Baroque-style instrument. For consistency throughout, from elementary school through to lifelong learning, using a Baroque-style instrument is recommended.