Flute

The flute is part of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Flutes make sound when a player blows air across an opening, creating a vibrating column of air. Someone who plays the flute is called a flautist or flutist.

Very old flutes have been found in Germany, showing that people were making and using musical instruments over 50,000 years ago. Flutes have also been found in China, Peru, and Labrador, showing that many cultures around the world have a long history with this instrument.

In places like India, the flute holds special meaning. For example, the Bansuri flute is linked to stories about the god Krishna. Flutes have traveled between different parts of the world over many centuries, becoming popular in many different musical traditions.

Etymology and terminology

The word flute first appeared in English during the Middle English period, spelled as floute, flowte, or flo(y)te. It may have come from Old French or Old Provençal words, or possibly from Middle High German or Dutch. The verb flout has the same root, and the Dutch verb fluiten still means both to play a flute and to whistle.

A person who plays the flute can be called a flutist, flautist, or flute player. The word flutist has been used since at least 1603. The word flautist was used in 1860 by Nathaniel Hawthorne in his book The Marble Faun, after it was adopted from Italy during the 18th century. Other older English words for flute players, like fluter and flutenist, are rarely used today.

History

Further information: Paleolithic flutes and Prehistoric music

People have been playing flutes for a very long time. One of the oldest flutes ever found is a piece of bone with holes, discovered in Slovenia. It is about 43,000 years old, but some scientists are not sure if it was really a flute. In 2008, another old flute was found in Germany. This one is made from a bird bone and has five holes. It is at least 35,000 years old and is the oldest known musical instrument that we are certain about.

More flutes have been found in Germany, made from mammoth tusk and swan bones, and they are about 30,000 to 36,000 years old. In China, a 9,000-year-old flute was found. It was made from a crane bone and has five to eight holes. The earliest flute mentioned in writing comes from very old tablets from Sumer, and the Bible also talks about flutes.

Acoustics

A flute makes sound when a stream of air passes over a hole in the instrument, causing the air inside to vibrate. This vibration happens in a space inside the flute. The player can change the pitch, or how high or low the note sounds, by opening and closing holes on the flute. This changes the length of the space where the air vibrates.

The shape of the part where the player puts their lips can affect how the flute sounds, but there is no agreement on the best shape. Some important factors that influence the sound include the size and shape of the hole where the air goes in. A study with expert flute players found that they could not tell the difference in sound between flutes made from different metals. The study showed that the material of the flute does not greatly change how it sounds.

Main article: Bernoulli

resonant cavity

pitch

resonator

resonant frequency

harmonic

fundamental frequency

Nohkan

Materials

In the past, flutes were often made from materials like reed, bamboo, wood, glass, bone, and nephrite. Today, most flutes are made from metal, especially silver and nickel. Sometimes, other metals like gold, platinum, grenadilla, and copper are also used to make flutes.

Types

A flute is a simple open tube that you blow into. When you play, you aim your breath downward into a special hole at the top to make sound. There are many kinds of flutes. Most are played by blowing across the top, but some, like the recorder and whistle, have a little cover that guides the air, making them easier to play.

Flutes can be played sideways, like the concert flute, or straight up, like some traditional flutes. Some flutes are open at both ends, while others are closed at one end. Most flutes have just one tube, but some have more than one.

Western transverse

Main article: Western concert flute

Wooden one-keyed

Wooden flutes were common in Europe from the 1700s to the early 1800s. They were later replaced by modern flutes but are still played today for special performances.

Concert

The Western concert flute is a modern flute that is closed at the top. It has a special hole near the top that you blow across. This flute was improved in the 1800s by Theobald Boehm, who made it easier to play and sound better. Beginner flutes are often made of metal, while professional ones can be made of silver, gold, or even platinum. The most common concert flute is in the key of C and can play three octaves of notes.

Concert variants

The piccolo is a smaller flute that plays an octave higher. There are also lower flutes like the G alto and C bass, and even rarer ones that play very low notes.

Other sizes of flutes are sometimes used. There are also older styles of flutes used in band music.

Indian

Further information: Bansuri and Venu

The bamboo flute is important in Indian music. The Hindu god Krishna is often shown playing one. Indian flutes are simpler than Western ones, made just from bamboo without keys.

There are two main types of Indian flutes. The Bansuri has six finger holes and is used in Northern India. The Venu has eight finger holes and is used in Southern India.

The sound of the flute depends on the bamboo it is made from. The best bamboo grows in a place called Nagercoil in South India.

Chinese

Main article: Chinese flutes

In China, there are many kinds of flutes called dizi. They can be made of bamboo, wood, jade, bone, or iron. One special feature of some Chinese flutes is a thin paper placed on one of the holes that makes the sound brighter.

Common flutes in Chinese music include the bangdi, qudi, xindi, and dadi. Another type, called the xiao, is played vertically.

Korean

Main article: Daegeum

The Korean flute is called the daegeum. It is a large bamboo flute with a special membrane that gives it a unique sound.

Japanese

Main article: Fue (flute)

Japan has many kinds of flutes called fue. These include the shakuhachi and komabue, among others.

Sodina and suling

The sodina is a flute from Madagascar. It looks like flutes from Indonesia, called suling, and may have come to Madagascar a long time ago.

Sring

The sring is a small flute from Armenia. It has a nasal sound and is usually made of wood or cane.

Ọjà

The ọjà is a flute used by the Igbo people of Nigeria. It is made from wood, bamboo, or metal and is used in cultural events.

Breathing techniques

Flute players use special ways to breathe so they can keep making music. One way is called diaphragmatic breathing, which helps them take in lots of air with just a few breaths. Another way is circular breathing, where they breathe in through their nose and out through their mouth. This lets them keep playing without stopping.