Flute

From Oddwinds

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Revision as of 15:05, 13 September 2006

Flutes are reedless woodwind instruments. Before about 1680 flutes were made with a cylindrical bore; after than an inverted conical bore until the mid 19th century; after that, Boehm system flutes with cylindrical bore became the standard for western concert flutes.

The word "flute" can refer to a large variety of types of instruments, but herein it is used to refer to western concert flutes.

The flute family is larger than you probably think. It includes:

Piccolo in Db, C, or Ab

Treble flute in G

Soprano flute in Eb

Concert flute in C

Flute d'amour (tenor flute) in Bb, A, or Ab

Alto flute in G or F

Bass flute in C or Bb

Contra-alto flute (sub-bass flute) in G or F

Contrabass flute in C

Subcontrabass flute in G

Double contrabass flute (octobass flute) in C

Hyperbass flute in C

(This terminology is not universally agreed upon.) The flute family isn't odd, but most of its members are: The C piccolo and concert flute are mundane; the alto and bass arguably are too; but most or all the rest can probably be regarded as Category 2 odd instruments.