Flutes

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Early forms of the transverse flute still exist today in Asia and Africa. In Europe it only appeared at the end of the 17th century. It gradually displaced the recorder. Its advantage was the considerably larger range. From that time come the terms “Flauto dolce” for the recorder and “Flauto traverso” for the transverse flute. The first flutes had only a few finger holes. Players often had to use adventurous fingerings and many cross-fingerings, which made truly in-tune playing difficult. Two men played a major role in the development of the modern flute, particularly its mechanism: J. J. Quantz, flute teacher to Frederick the Great, and Theobald Böhm, whose developments in fingering systems and key mechanisms made modern flute playing possible.

The different types and sound production of the flute

Flutes are also made in a variety of sizes. Piccolos and the C/soprano flute are mainly used in the orchestra; the alto flute occasionally appears in more modern orchestral literature. Alto through sub‑contrabass flutes are more commonly found in flute ensembles.

Flutes are built in three parts. The connection between the headjoint, body and footjoint is made by smooth metal tenons. The sound production is similar to that of the recorder. The player's lips form the airstream channel, directing air against the edge of the embouchure hole where it is split. The resulting vibrations are taken up by the air column inside the flute's body; by shortening or lengthening the air column — covering or uncovering the keys of the tone holes — the pitch is changed. The mechanism developed by Theobald Böhm removed many complicated fingerings by replacing them with different key combinations and key linkages, making in-tune playing far easier.

Flutes made in Japan

Today the most important flute makers are found in the Far East, mainly in Japan and Taiwan. These include Yamaha, Jupiter, Pearl, Azumi and Altus. Ranges vary considerably. In Europe and the USA some smaller flute makers have also become established.
Flutes today are mainly made of metal. Common materials are nickel silver, silver, sterling silver, Britannia silver, yellow gold in various purities, white gold and platinum. These materials can also be combined in different ways. A very common combination is a silver headjoint with a nickel‑silver body, or a silver body with nickel‑silver mechanism. The material used always affects the instrument's sound.

Piccolos are often made of plastic, wood or nickel silver. Material combinations are also possible here, for example a nickel‑silver headjoint with a plastic body.
Soprano flutes are offered in wood by very few makers and then usually only as custom instruments.
There are also flutes on the market whose shape has been altered to make early learning easier for children. Several makers have changed the body shape without shortening the tube; this shifts the centre of gravity and the position of the fingers/hands closer to the body, allowing more comfortable playing and practising. Particularly notable here is the flute YFL 212 by YAMAHA.