What You Need To Know About Flute
The Flute
The flute is an ancient musical instrument used in almost every part of the world. It is one of the musical instruments from the woodwind family.
Typically, many woodwind instruments are reed instruments, but the flute is a reedless woodwind instrument, unlike the oboe, clarinet and saxophone.
Moreover, flutes belong to the family of musical instruments known as aerophones.
Specifically, Hornbostel–Sachs instrument classification further classified the flute as an edge-blown aerophones instrument.
Aerophone instruments are instruments that produce their sounds by air vibration.
As a result, the flute is classified as an aerophone instrument because it produces its sound when air flows across an opening pipe.
Flautist or flutist is used to refer to any musician that plays the flute and other instruments from the flute family. Sometimes a musician that plays the flute is simply called a flute player.
Note that before the baroque era, any hollow instrument that was played by holding it vertically or horizontally is known as a flute.
Therefore, the first generation of flutes was played in either a vertical position like a recorder or in the horizontal position as we have it in Western concert flutes.
Categorically, the recorder was considered the flute up till the mid-18th century. Thereafter, the flute was distinguished from the recorder as a sideways-held instrument.
As a result, the common flute known nowadays is the sideways held flute commonly called a transverse flute.
Generally, the horizontal playing position is also known as the transverse or side-blown position, so we have a transverse flute or side-blown flute.
The History Of Flute In Brief
Obviously, the history of the flute is very complex and can be traced back to the prehistoric period.
Interestingly, different archaeological discoveries have revealed and confirmed that the flute has existed since the prehistoric period.
For instance, in 1995, a chunk of a cave bear’s thigh bone with two holes drilled in it was found in Slovenia.
The scientists that discovered the bone concluded that the bone was one of the flutes Neanderthals used more than 43,000 years ago.
As a matter of fact, different cultures across the world have different flute-like instruments during the Paleolithic period.
Generally, the flute-like instrument was known in Egypt, China, and other parts of the world by about 900 BC.
For instance, ancient Sumerians and Egyptians played the vertical flute. Likewise, ancient Greeks played Syrinx or panpipes and ancient China played a globular, vessel flute called Xūn.
However, the instrument that developed into what we know today as the Western concert flute, reached Europe by about 1100 AD.
When it reached Europe, it was adopted into the military in German-speaking areas and became a military instrument in those areas. As a result, it was called the German flute in those days.
Moreover, the family of flutes, ranging from soprano to bass, was played in 16th-century and 17th-century chamber music. Specifically, these flutes had a cylindrical bore, and six finger holes and were constructed in one piece.
The Hotteterre Family New Flute Design
The typical Western concert flute popularly known today is a form of transverse flute and is very well popular in orchestra music.
It developed from the ancient traverse flutes that found their way to Europe.
Basically, the flute experienced a notable redesign in the late 1600s.
The Hotteterre family of French woodwind makers redesigned the flute. They built the new instrument in three sections, or joints, and added one key to it.
Also, the pipe of the new design of the Hotteterre family came with a conical bore taper away from the player. This new design displaced the recorder as the regular orchestral flute in the late 1700s.
Gradually, additional keys were added to the new design to improve the intonation of certain tones produced by the instrument.
By about 1800 flutes with four keys became popular. Later in the 19th century, flutes with eight keys were developed.
Theobald Boehm Flute design
The flute was further redesigned in the 1800s by German flute maker Theobald Boehm. Specifically, Theobald Boehm created an improved conical-bore flute in 1832.
Thereafter, in 1847, Theobald Boehm patented his cylindrical-bore design. The Boehm cylindrical-bore design became the most widely used model in the 20th century.
In particular, the Boehm cylindrical-bore flute is constructed with metal (or wood).
Also, the cylindrical Boehm flute possesses thirteen or more tone holes controlled by padded key mechanisms.
In addition, the range of Boehm cylindrical bore flutes spread across three octaves ascending from middle C upward.
What Type Of Instrument Is A Flute?
The flute is classified as a woodwind instrument. This is so because the flutes of old were typically made of ivory or boxwood along with open finger holes.
We should not be surprised that the flute is classified as a woodwind instrument because most modern concert flutes are usually made with metals, like silver and other valuable metals, like gold.
Truly, the modern or Western concert flute we use now is a sophisticated metallic instrument with a complex mechanism of different keys and springs.
However, flutes are classified as woodwind instruments based on their initial construction with wood.
Also, the wind part of the woodwind classification is based on how the instrument produces its sound and plays.
In particular, flute classification as a woodwind instrument does not base on the material it’s currently made with in any way.
Common Categories of Flutes
The flute can be classified into different categories, depending on the way the instrument was positioned with the player’s body. Also, another classification is based on the ranges of the pitch in which the instrument plays.
Using a playing position to categorize a flute we have a side-blown flute and an end-blown flute. These are globally recognized categories of flute that we have around the world.
However, we still have other categories of flute based on different means of classification.
In this section, we will quickly look into the different categories of flutes we have.
Side-Blown Flute
A side-blown flute is also called a transverse flute. The flutes in this category are played in the horizontal position in relation to the body of the player.
Basically, the side-blown flute is held sideways to play by blowing through the hole on the side of the instrument.
The side-blown flute is the most common form of flute in the market today.
This flute category evolved from a simple and keyless one-piece instrument to varieties of sophisticated transverse concert flutes.
The Keyless transverse flute, the ancestor of the modern concert transverse flute, was used before and during the Baroque period.
Notwithstanding, these keyless transverse or side-blown flutes are used around the world, in some folk music. For instance, Irish folk music made use of keyless side-blown flute up till today.
Some examples of side-blown flutes are Piccolo, Irish (keyless) flute, Fife, and modern concert flute.
End-Blown Flute
The flutes in this category mostly play in vertical positions. This speaks about the flute position in relation to the body of the flautists. Basically, the end-blown flutes are played by blowing into the tube through the hole at its end.
Specifically, the player blows into the end of the end-blown flute’s tube. An end-blown flute is also known as the rim-blown flute or edge-blown flute.
The Neolithic bone flute found at Bornholm in Denmark is a typical example of end-blown flutes. The common examples of end-blown flutes in today’s world are Danso, Shakuhachi, Ney and Xiao.
There are also many other flutes around the globe in different cultures that are end-blown flutes. For instance, the kōauau, ngūru and pūtõrino play by the Māori, who are indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand.
End-blown flutes were further categorized into duct flutes and rim-blown flutes.
Duct Flutes
Any end-blown flute that is played by blowing air across the edge of the tube into a channel is known as a duct flute. Typically, the channel or duct in this flute directs the air player blown across into the edge.
The flutes in this category are also called the fipple flutes. One of the common duct flutes is a recorder. Other examples of the duct flute are whistles, ocarina and flutophone.
Rim-Blown Flutes
This is an end-blown flute played by blowing across the top of a flute. The flute in this category possesses a notch or a sharp edge, which splits the air blown across the tube’s top. However, because of the notch, it is also called notched flutes.
The Pan flute is a typical example of the rim-blown flute.
What Are Flutes Made Of?
Originally, most antique flutes were made with animal bones. However, this later changed, and materials like bamboo, and wood, were used to make the flutes.
Afterwards, the making of the flute gets advanced, and most flutes are made from plastics and metallic materials.
The instrument is commonly made now with different materials ranging from expensive metals to wood.
Currently, the most common material used for flute making is stainless steel, nickel-silver, plastics, and wood.
Also, flutes are made from expensive materials like solid silver, gold, and platinum.
The material used for the instrument contributes to how the instrument sounds. Also, the feel, weight, and durability of the flute are affected by the material it is made from.
In addition, the material a flute is made of contributes to its price in the market. For instance, the flute made of gold can never close in price to the plastic flute.
How to Play the Flute
You play the transverse flute in a horizontal position and the vertical flute in a vertical position.
The vertical flutes are like recorders, and the transverse flutes are like the modern concert flute in Western orchestras. It has been the orchestra instrument since around 1700.
Generally, the flutes are played by holding them vertically or horizontally with the fingers of both hands while blowing across the mouth hole or the blow hole.
The blow or mouth hole we blow through to play the instrument is located in the mouthpiece side of the instrument and is also known as ” embouchure”.
The vertical flute is just like a recorder and the wind is blowing directly through the end of the instrument. On the other hand, the transverse flute is the one we hold horizontally with the mouth hole at the edge of the tube.
To play the transverse flute, the air is blowing across the side mouth hole near the edge of the tube.
The air through the blowhole of the instrument will hit the sharp edge inside the pipe and produce a sound.
The pitch of the sound produced can be altered by using the fingers to open and close the instrument tone holes. Also, in the modern concert flute keys are pressed with the fingers to open and close the instrument tone holes.
Learn more about how to play the flute and the principle behind the instrument in the post with the link.
Concert Flute Family
Flutes have evolved over the years and metamorphosis into what are popularly known as concert flutes today. Besides, there are many kinds of folk flutes as well as orchestral varieties that come together to form the flute family.
The flute family includes many different kinds of flutes we have in today’s world. The most popular member of the flute family is listed and discussed below.
Flute Care and Maintenance
Proper maintenance of our flute is very paramount to its longevity and functionality.
Generally, flutes need proper and special care and maintenance just like any other woodwind instrument.
This woodwind instrument called the flute is a delicate instrument and needs to be handled with utmost care at all times.
In a nutshell, proper flute care and maintenance are required to ensure our flute responds to playing at optimal levels.
General Care Against Split
We need to prevent flutes from splitting which is caused by the moisture build-up from playing.
Also, the flute can split as a result of sudden exposure to the cold atmosphere. In addition, playing the flute that is too cold can make it split as well.
Specifically, some flute models are coated inside with a hard finish that prevents them from the moisture of playing that causes them to split.
However, when flutes are not coated with a hard finish inside, special care is needed to prevent splitting. To achieve this, we can occasionally use proper oil like the light mineral oil to rub the flute inside.
Notwithstanding, the best way to maintain the flute against splitting is the proper binding of the flute. This is done by binding the flute tightly with a strong cord. The binding is done once below the flute’s mouth-hole, and once at the bottom end of the flute.
In the case of the plastic flute, cleaning can be done with the aid of a scouring pad. Also, the plastic flute can be cleaned with a bathroom cleanser or baking soda or on a damp sponge.
Flute Corks Cares
To take care of the flute corks, ensure you place them justly to bring the two octaves nearly in tune with one another while maintaining a good tone.
To do this, you may need to take note of the position of your cork provided it moves out of the position.
Note that the cork has to be airtight. And in case it gets loose, we can use tallow, beeswax, or cork grease to coat it.
Flute Storage
Also, we should store our flute properly in its designated case after usage. This is very important because the flute can easily get damaged by accident if we leave it out of the case.
The flute should be stored in a very dry and cool cake to prevent it from tarnishing. In addition, the case we use to store our flute should also be kept in a safe place.
Proper maintenance of our flute to these standards will ensure its continued performance at the highest level.
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