THE FLUTE

The flute is the highest sounding instrument of the woodwind family. The piccolo is half the size of a flute, sometimes referred to as a "baby flute," and is pitched one octave higher than a flute. It is reserved for more advanced flautists (flute players). It is one of the oldest musical instruments of all and is regarded as the first ever wind instrument.

To produce a tone on the flute, a player blows across the tone hole of the mouthpiece, allowing the air to split at the far edge of the hole, similar to blowing across the opening of a soda bottle. Depending on the register, the flute can make melancholy or mellow sounds, bright and rich sounds, or penetrating and shrill sounds.

Click on the links below to hear examples of the flute

Peter and the Wolf (bird/flute) - Sergei Prokofiev

The Nutcracker Suite - Dance of the Reed Flutes - Tchaikovsky

Syrinx - Claude Debussy