Why don't they make recorders with keys just like the flute and clarinet?

i don't know why they don't make them but that sure would be neat...
i'd get one real quick!

Maybe it's because on the D and C holes, there are two holes for the sharps, flats etc... and it would be hard to make keys for those holes.

that could be a fairly easy thing to fix by having a separate small mechanism to open one or both of the holes (on C and D) by addinga bit more pressure..so less pressure to open one and a little extra pressue to open both...i cant quite explain it without drawing a picture lol... but i think it could be done.

yesterday I used my alto recorder headjoint and had it fitted on my Gemeinhardt flute body. The bore of recorder is bigger so I used some paper-tape and wound around the flute to make it tight and leak-free. I was really surprised that it was well in tune (still in F key!) from top to bottom!

The bigger recorders do have keys on them. At least some tenor recorders have keys on the bottom hole (C/C#). I don't know how similar they are to flute keys. They work by having two circles that cover up the hole, one on top of the other. The top circle has no holes and the bottom circle has one. Each circle has a tab thing attached to it, which you press with your finger. If you press the tab of the top circle then the top circle goes down (and the one with the hole, underneath it) and covers the hole completely and you play a C (with all other fingers down). If you push the tab for the hole circle, then only the hole circle goes down, and you cover the hole just right for playing a C#.

Bass recorders have another higher key that just is one circle that covers a hole completely. (Come to think of it, I think some tenors have a low key that doesn't allow for half holes. I wonder how you play with one of those?) Great bass recorders and bigger have even more keys.

Why don't they have keys on smaller recorders? Dunno. Maybe it's more expensive, and no one thinks that it's worth it when people can generally reach the holes without trouble? That would be pretty cool, though. =)

actually I think I lied about great basses having more. Some basses have three keys and I just found a picture of a great bass that didn't look like it had any more than the bottom one. I give up. =P

A recorder with full key system? Check this ebay link..

"http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-GERMAN-CLARINET-HORN-RECORDER-GERMANY-RARE_W0QQitemZ280483972894QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item414e25c71e"

^ where? i dont see it anywhere

If by keys you mean why dont recorders come with Boem keys systems like flutes oboes and clarinets do then:

In for example Bach's day they didn't. The had just holes with perhaps isolated keys for hard to reach holes as you mentioned for tenor recorders. The same goes for the early clarinets in Mozarts day. Without the keys, it is difficult to play the instruments in tune (Mozart hated the flute for that reason). Also after Bach, composers stopped writing for the recorder. So when Boem invented his key system for the flute, the recorder was no longer played by anyone. Makers of Clarinets and oboes followed suite and developed similar key systems for their instruments, but no one was making recorders so no one invented a key system for the recorder. One of the resaons why there are a lot of keys on this system is that a lot of the holes were designed to be normally closed and a key had to be pressed to open the hole, whereas on a recorder, the holes are normally open and you have to close them. This means you do not need a key unless the hole physically cannot be reached (i.e. tenor and bass recorders as you stated) The same situation applies for the Boem key systems, i.e. holes that are normally open do not have keys (the rings that you see around holes are keys to open or close other holes as needed).

When the modern day revival of the recorder happened, it was to either: play Bach's music in an authentic manner or as a "toy" instrument.

I have no idea, from you post, whether you are playing "proper music" in which case you are using a proper instrument or whether you are using it as a "toy" in which case a boem key system would put the instrument out of the price range of toys. Either way, recorders do not need Boem key systems.

If after all of that, you disagree and think that it should them there is nothing to stop you from doing as Boem did and developing your own system.

P.S. I trust that you will take my references to toys in the spirit it was meant and not take offence.

They do make some altos with keys (and tenors without keys). Fundamental reason for omitting keys is that you don't need them to play chromatically. It's assumed that recorders aren't supposed to have the same degree of mechanical perfection that modern Boehm woodwinds do. And the soprano and alto sizes are usually small enough to cover all holes comfortably, except the very smallest hands who would benefit from a keyed alto. And by "keyed" I'm referring mainly to the bottom hole; all the others are open.

They do make recorders with keys!I have one!But its only for people who haven't got a fully completed hand,and can only play with one hand.

According to the BBC Music Magazine, Wenner Floten make an instrument called a Csakan that is apparantly a keyed recorder. So there you go. Their website is "http://wennerfloeten.de/einblock_csakan.html". A snip at the price of 3500 euros!