Flute Family

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Flutes are the earliest known musical instruments, with some artifacts dating from about 35,000 BCE.  In its most basic form, a flute can be an open tube that is blown like a bottle.

The Western or standard concert flute (C-flute) is a transverse (side-blown) instrument that is closed at the blown end and is made of wood or metal, most commonly silver.  It’s played by blowing a stream of air over the embouchure hole.  Pitch is changed by opening or closing keys that cover circular tone holes (there are typically 16 tone holes).  The direction and intensity of the air stream also affects the pitch, as well as timbre and dynamics.

The dimensions and key system of today’s concert flute and its close relatives are almost completely the work of the great flutist, composer, acoustician and silversmith, Theobald Boehm, who patented his system in 1847.

In our flute choir, we play various instruments from the flute family.

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C-Flute

The standard concert flute is pitched in C, which is why it is called a C-flute. All of us play this flute. It has a range of about three and a half octaves starting from middle C.  Many of today’s C-flutes have a longer foot joint (a B-foot) with an extra key to reach one note below middle C.

 
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Piccolo

The piccolo (Italian for small) is a half-sized flute.  It has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the C-flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher.  The piccolo adds sparkle and brilliance to the overall sound of an orchestra or ensemble.

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Alto Flute

The alto flute is larger than the C-Flute and is characterized by a distinct mellow tone in the lower portion of its range.  It uses the same fingerings as the C-Flute but is pitched in the key of G, sounding a fourth lower than the C-Flute.  It’s often heard in movie scores; less often in classical orchestral music.

Its headjoint may be straight or curved.  Many players prefer a curved headjoint (shown below) because it requires less of a stretch for the arms and makes the instrument feel lighter by moving its centre of gravity closer to the player.  Other players prefer the straight version for acoustical reasons.

 
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Bass Flute

The bass flute is larger than the alto flute and its sound is lower.  It’s pitched in the key of C, with the sound being one octave lower than the C-flute.  Because of the length and heaviness of the bass flute, it’s usually made with a curved headjoint.  Bass flutes are most often seen in flute choirs, as they can be easily drowned out by non-flute instruments.

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Contrabass

Sadly, we don’t have a contrabass, but it’s such a cool instrument that we’ll tell you about it anyway.

The contrabass is a rare member of the flute family and is used mostly in flute choirs.  It’s pitched in C but sounds two octaves lower than the C-flute.  This flute is so large that it’s played standing up!

OK, so neither a string bass nor a bassoon is a member of the flute family.  Both instruments however, blend well with flutes and fill out the bass line of our music on pieces that benefit from a more robust low voice than that produced by alto and bass flutes.

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String Bass

Currently we’re extremely fortunate to have a string bass player in our ensemble.  Also called a double bass or upright bass, this instrument is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument.

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Bassoon

In the past, one of our members doubled on bassoon for some pieces.  A double-reed instrument, the bassoon is known for its distinctive tone colour, wide range, and variety of character.  Listeners often compare its warm, dark, reedy timbre to that of a male baritone voice.