Flute

This article is about the musical instrument. For the sailing ship, see Fluyt. For the drinkware, see Champagne flute.

The Western concert flutes

The Western concert flute is a transverse flute which is closed at the top. Near the top is the embouchure hole, against which the player blows. The flute has circular finger-holes, various combinations of which can be opened or closed by the flautist, by means of a mechanism of keys, to produce the various notes in the flute's playing range. The note produced depends on which finger-holes are opened or closed by the flautist and on how the flute is blown by the flautist. With rare exceptions (i.e., flutes with custom-made fingering-systems), the Boehm system is the fingering-system in correspondence with which Western concert flutes are designed and manufactured.

Related Topics:
Western concert flute - Playing range - Boehm system

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The standard concert flute is pitched in C and has a range of about 3 and a half octaves starting from middle C. However, many professional flutes have an extra key to reach the B directly below middle C. Also commonly used in orchestras is the piccolo, a small flute usually pitched one octave above the concert flute. Alto and bass flutes, respectively pitched a perfect fourth and an octave below the concert flute, are used occasionally. Parts for the alto flute are more common than for the bass. Many other sizes of flute and piccolo are used from time to time. A much-less common instrument of the current pitching system is the treble G flute. An older pitching system, used principally in older wind-band music, includes D-flat piccolos, E-flat soprano flutes (the primary instrument, equivalent to today's concert C flutes), F alto flutes, and B-flat bass flutes.

Related Topics:
Pitch - Octave - Middle C - Orchestra - Piccolo

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The modern professional concert flute is generally made of silver, gold, or combinations of the two. Student instruments are usually made of nickel silver, or silver-plated brass. Wooden flutes and headjoints are more widely available than in the past.

Related Topics:
Silver - Gold - Brass

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The modern concert flute comes with various options. The B-flat key (invented and pioneered by Briccialdi) and the B foot joint (which extends the flute's range down one semitone) are practically standard.

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Open hole flutes (where some keys have a hole through the middle resembling donuts, and whose holes the player must then cover with fingertips) are common among concert-level players, though some flautists (particularly students, but sometimes even professional flautists as well) select closed-hole "plateau" keys. Students often use temporary plugs to cover the holes in the keys until they master the more exact finger-placement that open-hole keys demand. Some people believe that open-hole keys permit louder and clearer sound projection in the flute's lower range. Open-hole keys are also needed for some modern "extended" avant garde pieces, including those requiring the player to play harmonic overtones, or to manipulate "breathy" sounds in addition to the traditional "pure" tone.

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Open-hole keys are typical of French technique, championed by the Paris Conservatoire, which dominated in the 20th century. However, the century has changed, and the French school is under fire; specifically, the placement of the G-key (previously offset in student models and inline in professional models) may or may not be moving, depending on whom you ask. Less controversial options include the amusingly named "gizmo key", which facilitates C7.

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To play the Western concert flute, one holds the flute in this position, and blows gently across the hole in the mouth piece. To distinguish separate notes, one pushes down the keys of the flute in distinct fingerings. However, there are a few alternate fingerings that will assist one in playing difficult passages.

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