The
Western concert flute, a descendant of the 19th century "German flute," is a transverse flute which is closed at the top. Near the top is the embouchure hole, against which the player blows. The flute has circular finger-holes, various combinations of which can be opened or closed by the flautist, by means of a mechanism of keys, to produce the various notes in the flute's
playing range. The note produced depends on which finger-holes are opened or closed by the flautist and on how the flute is blown by the flautist. There are two kinds of footjoints for the concert flute: a C Foot shown is the picture above or the B Foot which has an extra hole to make the flute's range go to a low B. With rare exceptions (i.e., flutes with custom-made fingering-systems), the
Boehm system is the fingering-system in correspondence with which Western concert flutes are designed and manufactured.
The standard concert flute is
pitched in C and has a range of 3
octaves starting from
middle C. However, many professional flutes have an extra key to reach the B directly below middle C. This means that the concert flute is one of the highest orchestral instruments, with only the piccolo being higher. Also commonly used in
orchestras is the
piccolo, a small flute usually pitched one octave above the concert flute. Alto and bass flutes, respectively pitched a perfect fourth and an octave below the concert flute, are used occasionally. Parts for the alto flute are more common than for the bass. Many other sizes of flute and piccolo are used from time to time. Alto and bass flutes are heavier than the normal C flute, so some people find them more difficult to play for longer periods of time. A much-less common instrument of the current pitching system is the treble G flute. An older pitching system, used principally in older wind-band music, includes D-flat piccolos, E-flat soprano flutes (the primary instrument, equivalent to today's concert C flutes), F alto flutes, and B-flat bass flutes.
The modern professional concert flute is generally made of
silver,
gold, or combinations of the two. Student instruments are usually made of nickel silver, or silver-plated
brass. Curved headjoints are also available for student flutes which make the flute shorter making it possible for children as young as 3 years old to play the flute. Wooden flutes and headjoints are more widely available than in the past. Wooden flutes produce a warmer tone that is desireable to some people.
The modern concert flute comes with various options. The B-flat thumb key (invented and pioneered by
Briccialdi) is practically standard. The B foot joint, however, is an optional extra available on middle-upper end models.
Open hole flutes, also called French flutes, (where some keys have a circular hole through the middle that the player must cover with fingertips) are common among concert-level players, though some flautists (particularly students, but sometimes even professional flutists as well) select closed-hole "plateau" keys. Students often use temporary plugs to cover the holes in the keys until they master the more exact finger-placement that open-hole keys demand. Some people believe that open-hole keys permit louder and clearer sound projection in the flute's lower range. Open-hole keys are also needed for some modern "extended" avant garde pieces, including those requiring the player to play harmonic overtones, or to manipulate "breathy" sounds in addition to the traditional "pure" tone.
Open-hole keys are typical of French technique, championed by the
Paris Conservatoire. Another option is the amusingly named "
gizmo key", which facilitates C7.
To play the Western concert flute, one holds the flute in a transverse position, and blows across the hole in the mouthpiece. To distinguish separate notes, one pushes down the keys of the flute in distinct
fingerings. However, there are a few alternate fingerings (called trill fingerings) that will assist one in playing difficult passages.
