The Flute, without doubt, is the most beloved woodwind instrument of western culture. Every school year thousands begin learning how to play a flute.
Here’s a little history about the flute for sale which will give you some insight to this ancient instrument.
The flute is one of the most fundamental instruments in the family of woodwind instruments. It is an ancient instrument, dating back to its earliest form many thousand years ago.
The flute does not use a reed to produce sounds such as a clarinet or bassoon. It is an aerophone. You blow air across an opening within the instrument (a hole) to produce sound.
Flutes are made out of different types of metal or wood. The most common material for modern-day flutes is silver.
The modern fingering system for flutes was invented by Theobald Boehm around the turn of the 19th century. The default setting for modern-day flutes is the Boehm system.
Modern flutes have a length of 26 inches and a bore width around 0.75 inch. It is what we call an instrument for concert pitch.
I won’t go into too much detail, but basically it means that when you play C on the flute, the pitch is identical to that of C when it is played on a piano. The same is true for some other woodwind instruments.
Types Of Flutes
These flutes are known as transverse flutes. This simply means it is held horizontally when being played. The tube’s end should be pointed towards the ground. Recorders, Indian flutes, and other instruments are also played in this manner.
Closed hole flute
This refers primarily to the key type that is used in the instrument. All keys that cover tone holes (holes on the closed hole flute) are one piece, hence the name closed hole flu.
Saxophone keys can also be considered a closed-hole system.
Flute Open Hole
The keys that cover the tones holes on an open hole flute look like donuts. They have an opening in the middle of the key. Some keys are not open on open hole flutes. On an open hole flute, there are 7-9 closed hole keys.
It can be confusing to see closed holes on an opening hole flute. On an open-hole flute, the hole is in the middle of the key only on the left and the right fingers. Rest are closed.
Because they are able to produce a greater resonant sound than the closed hole flute, professionals prefer open hole flutes.
Western Culture
In Western Culture, the closed hole and open-holed transverse flutes are the kings. They are usually the only flute options in American public schools band programs.
Here are some tips to help you learn the flute.
The Good
Your flute needs very little maintenance. It is recommended that the flute and keys be cleaned at least once a calendar year. This will prevent the rods from getting rusty.
There are no reeds you have to buy for flutes. This alone can help you save hundreds of dollars every year.
The Bad
Flutes are fragile. If they are not given love and attention, flutes can be difficult to adjust to. This can make it very expensive.
