Flute Family
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Western concert flute The Western concert flute can refer to the common C concert flute or to the family of transverse flute, transverse (side-blown) flutes to which the C flute belongs. Almost all are made of metal or wood, or a combination of the two. A musician w ...
family has a wide range of instruments.Montagu, Jeremy, Howard Mayer Brown, Jaap Frank, and Ardal Powell. "Flute." ''Grove Music Online''. 2001. Oxford University Press. Date of access 9 Feb. 2024


Piccolo

The piccolo is the highest-pitched member of the flute family, with a range an
octave In music, an octave (: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is an interval between two notes, one having twice the frequency of vibration of the other. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referr ...
above that of the concert flute. It is usually the highest-pitched instrument within orchestras and bands. The piccolo is known for being difficult to play in tune due to its small size.


Treble flute

The treble flute is pitched in the
key of G Key, Keys, The Key or The Keys may refer to: Common uses * Key (cryptography), a piece of information needed to encode or decode a message * Key (instrument), a component of a musical instrument * Key (lock), a device used to operate a lock * ...
, a fifth above the concert flute. The instrument is rare today, only occasionally found in
flute choir A flute ensemble is an instrumental chamber ensemble consisting of members of the flute family. Flute quartet In a more traditional sense, a flute quartet consists of a flute and a string trio (i.e., a violin, viola, and cello). This arrange ...
s or private collections.


Soprano flute

This distinctive-sounding instrument is rarely found at present. A few American publications for flute choir currently include a part for an E (soprano) flute, an instrument pitched a minor third higher than the standard C flute. In these publications, an alternative part is provided either for the C flute or for the piccolo.


Concert flute

The standard concert flute, also called C flute, Boehm flute, silver flute, or simply flute, is by far the most common member of the flute family. The flute is used in many ensembles including
concert band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind instrument, woodwind, brass ...
s,
orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...
s, flute ensembles, occasionally
jazz band A jazz band (jazz ensemble or jazz combo) is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands vary in the quantity of its members and the style of jazz that they play but it is common to find a jazz band made up of a rhythm section and a ho ...
s and
big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...
s. The instrument is pitched in C and has a range of just over three octaves starting from the musical note C4 (corresponding to middle C on the piano), however, some experienced flautists are able to reach C8. Many professional flutes have a longer B-foot joint, which can reach B3.


Flûte d'amour

The ''flûte d'amour'' or ''flauto d'amore'' is pitched in A, A, or B and is intermediate in size between the modern C concert flute and the alto flute in G. It is the mezzo-soprano member of the flute family. It is sometimes referred to as a tenor flute. The range of the instrument is from G3 to E7. The B version is usually used for
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
because both the tenor saxophone and clarinet are in B.


Alto flute

The alto flute is characterized by its distinct, mellow tone in the lower portion of its range. The tube of the alto flute is considerably thicker and longer than a C flute and requires more breath from the player. However, this gives it a greater dynamic presence in the bottom octave and a half of its range. It is pitched in the key of G (sounding a fourth lower than written) with its range stretching from E3 to G6. The headjoint may be straight or curved.


Bass flute

The bass flute is pitched in the key of C, and one octave below the concert flute. Because of the length of its tube (approximately ), it is usually made with a curved headjoint, sometimes in a "J" shape, to bring the embouchure hole within reach of the player. It is usually only used in flute choirs, as it is easily drowned out by other instruments of comparable register, such as the
clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...
.


Contra-alto flute

The contra-alto flute (also called contrabass flute in G) is in the key of G, pitched one octave below the alto flute, and a fourth below the bass flute. It is so large that the instrument's body is held vertically, with an adjustable floor peg similar to that of the
bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common Soprano clarinet, soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays no ...
.


Contrabass flute

The contrabass flute (sometimes also called octobass flute) is used mostly in flute ensembles. Its range is similar to that of the regular concert flute, except that it is pitched two octaves lower; the lowest performable note is C2 (equivalent to the lowest C on the cello). Many contrabass flutes in C are also equipped with a low B1 (in the same manner as many modern standard sized flutes are). The contra-alto flute is sometimes referred to as a ''contrabass flute in G''.


Subcontrabass flute

The subcontrabass flute is pitched either in the key of G, a fourth below the
contrabass flute The contrabass flute is one of the rarer members of the flute family. Typically seen in flute ensembles, it is sometimes also used in solo and chamber music situations. Its range is similar to the regular concert flute, except it is pitched two ...
in C and two octaves below the
alto flute The alto flute is an instrument in the Western concert flute family, pitched below the standard C flute and the uncommon flûte d'amour. It is the third most common member of its family after the standard C flute and the piccolo. It is chara ...
in G, or in F, a fifth below the contrabass flute. It is sometimes called the double contra-alto flute.


Double contrabass flute

The double contrabass flute (sometimes also called octobass flute) is pitched in the key of C, three octaves below the concert flute (two octaves below the bass flute, and one octave below the contrabass flute). Its lowest note is C1, one octave below the cello's lowest C. Despite the tendency of the larger sizes of flute to be quiet, the double contrabass flute has a surprisingly powerful tone, though it benefits from amplification in ensembles.


Hyperbass flute

The hyperbass flute is the largest and lowest instrument in the flute family. It is pitched in C, four octaves below the concert flute (and three octaves below the bass flute, two octaves below the contrabass flute, and one octave below the double contrabass flute). It is made of
PVC Polyvinyl chloride (alternatively: poly(vinyl chloride), colloquial: vinyl or polyvinyl; abbreviated: PVC) is the world's third-most widely produced synthetic polymer of plastic (after polyethylene and polypropylene). About 40 million tons o ...
and wood, its tubing is over in length and its lowest note is C0 (16 Hz), below what is generally considered the range of human hearing. The only known example of the instrument is a
prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...
built for Italian flautist Roberto Fabbriciani by Francesco Romei, a Florentine craftsman.


References

{{Flutes Side-blown flutes