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The Flute is a member of the woodwind family of instruments. Together with the clarinet they form the core of the Concert Band woodwind section.
A Concert Band needs lots of flutes to produce a balanced sound from the band.
The Flute is usually thought of as a beautiful instrument, with its clear 'woody' timbre. Although flutes are now made from metals they were originally made from wood, hence the term woodwind.
The sound is produced by blowing the airstream across the hole in the mouthpiece.
| How to blow across the flute to produce a sound |
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| This is how to hold the flute |
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For the youngest flute players who still have shorter arms it is possible to have a curved head joint. This enables the child to play in a comfortable position without overstretching the arms.
Jupiter flutes produce a nice model that comes with a curved head and straight head for when the student is ready to move on. This is a very economical choice as it saves another purchase later on.
Every one loves the Theme from the Titanic. It sounds especially nice on the flute. This is an mp3 file, so please be patient as it downloads.
Click here to listen to Titanic
The Piccolo is a 'baby' flute.
It is played in the same way as the flute except for a few slight fingering differences at a very advanced level of playing.
It is pitched one octave higher than the flute and therefore is often used in the advanced orchestra or Band to add special effects and decorations to the music.
It is important to have a fairly good quality 'pic' to avoid a sound that is harsh and unpleasant.
My recommended choice would be the Yamaha YPC-32 (pictured above) as it is designed for school and band use.
It is made of a durable ABS resin and therefore not affected by moisture. This makes it easy to care for. The nickel-silver head joint, as you can see, is shaped like the flute which enables a balanced tone throughout the register and also makes it easy to play.
This feature also makes it easy to alternate with playing flute. This is important because most pic players also play flute during their career, but most flute players only dream of playing pic! !
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