A recorder is a musical instrument that looks like a thin wooden or plastic tube with holes along its length. You play it by blowing into the mouthpiece at one end and covering different combinations of holes with your fingers to create different notes. The recorder produces a clear, whistling sound that can be quite beautiful when played well.

Many schools teach recorder in music class because it helps students learn to read music and understand how notes work together. The instrument has been around for hundreds of years: composers like Bach wrote music for it, and it was popular in medieval and Renaissance times. While recorders are often associated with beginners, skilled musicians can play complex and moving pieces on them.

The word recorder also means a device that captures sound or video. A voice recorder saves what people say, while a video recorder captures moving images. Modern smartphones act as recorders when you use their camera or voice memo features.

Someone who records things, like a court reporter who documents everything said during a trial, can also be called a recorder.