Teaching Policies

Instrument Rental Agreement

History Of The Flute

Construction Of The Flute

The Flute Family

Categories Of Flute

The Western flute family is larger than most people might think, or would expect. In fact, as shown below, (beginning with the highest pitched), there are a total of twelve members, although many are not used as frequently as the piccolo and C flute, or the alto and bass.

Piccolo - in C or D flat.
Treble flute - in G.
Soprano flute - in E flat.
Concert flute, (also called C flute, or Boehm flute) - in C.
Tenor flute, (also called Flute d’amour) - in B flat or A.
Alto flute - in G.
Bass flute - in C.
Contra-alto flute - in G.
Contrabass flute, (also called octobass flute) - in C.
Sub contrabass flute - in G or C.
Double contrabass flute, (also called octocontrabass flute or sub contrabass flute), - in C.
Hyper bass flute, - in C.

Each one of these instruments has its own tonal range. The piccolo reads music in C like the concert flute, but speaks one octave higher. The alto flute is pitched in the key of G, and extends the low register range of the flute to the G below middle C. Its highest note is a high G, (4 ledger lines above the treble clef staff). The bass flute is an octave lower than the concert flute, and the contrabass flute is an octave lower still than the bass.

Less commonly seen flutes include the treble flute in G, pitched one octave higher than the alto flute; the soprano flute, between the treble and concert; and the tenor flute, in B flat or A, pitched between the concert and alto. The lowest sizes, (larger than the bass flute), have all been developed in the 20th century. These include the sub-bass flute, in F, between the bass and contrabass; the sub contrabass flute, in G or C; the contra-alto flute, in G, one octave below the alto; and the double contrabass flute, in C, one octave lower than the contrabass.

The flute sizes other than the concert flute and piccolo are sometimes called “harmony flutes”, as they are most commonly used in flute choirs, or wind bands, for which music has been composed or arranged especially. Most orchestral scores, and choral works, can be easily arranged for a full flute choir to play, given the extensive tonal range available. New repertoire is also being composed for flute choir, and which may include some extended techniques in the accompanying harmony. Music for flute choir has been very limited until more recently, from around the mid-20th century, but is now growing in popularity amongst performers, and appearing on concert programmes more frequently.