The musical instrument Flute is bringing with it a rich history along with all the melodies and the positive good vibes to entail yourself with.
Form Factor & Acoustics
The flute belongs to the family of instruments in the woodwind group. A flute is one of the earliest identified musical instruments which consists of hand-bored holes in it. The flute is a type of aerophone instrument which generates sound upon the flowing of air across an opening. Sound in a flute is produced by a stream of air directed against a sharp edge, upon which the air generates the vibrations that alternate regularly above and below the edge. Flutes are normally tubular structures but they can also be globular as it is with the ocarina and primitive gourd flutes. If a tubular flute is stopped at the lower end, its pitch is an octave lower than that of a comparable open flute. A person playing the flute is known as a flutist or even as a flutist.
Types Of Flutes
There are various types of flutes and it comes in several categories. Fipple flutes are in such category which consists of a duct that directs the air onto the edge. These types of flutes help make it easier to play as it gives a distinct timbre that is different from non-fipple flutes but also comes with a con of taking some amount of control away from the musician. Some of their types are mentioned below:
- Gemshorn Flute
- Flageolet Flute
- Whistle Flute
- Recorder Flute
- Tonette Flute
- Tin Whistle Flute
- Ocarina Flute
- Fujara Flute
Coming to the second type of flutes, which are termed side-blown or even transverse flutes. The musician of a transverse flute uses the hole present on the side of the tube in order to generate sound instead of blowing on the end of the tube. This consists of Western concert flutes such as:
- Piccolo Flute
- Fife Flute
- Dizi Flute
- Bansuri Flute
These also consist of end-blown flutes such as:
- Ney Flute
- Xiao Flute
- Danso Flute
- Kaval Flute
- Shakuhachi Flute
- Quena Flute
- Anasazi Flute
Flutes can be open in one or both ends. The flutes like xun, ocarina, police whistle, pan pipes, and bosun’s whistle are closed-ended. On the other hand, the concert and the recorder flute are open-ended. The organ pipe may be closed or open, depending on the desired sound.
Regional Specialties
Flutes in China, Africa, South America, and elsewhere contains a notch that may be cut in the edge to facilitate sound generation. Vertical nose flutes are found in the Oceania region. In horizontally held and side-blown flutes, a stream of breath strikes the opposite rim of a lateral mouth hole. There are also vertical flutes in which an internal duct directs the air against a hole cut inside of the instrument.
History
Flutes date back to one of the most ancient musical instruments of Europe as flutes that have been found in the Swabian Jura region of present-day Germany date back to 43,000 years. They signify the existence of human presence along with the musical tradition in which flutes played a big role. Some of the oldest flutes found in Asia and Europe also have a long history till the present day. A playable flute was also found in China which dating back to 9000 years ago. South America also had its own ancient flute culture where the instrument found in Caral, Peru dated back to 5000 years and 7500 years in Labrador. Historians went on to find that bamboo flutes had a long history in India and China. The oldest documented cross flute or transverse flute named ‘the chi’ in China was found to be made of bamboo. On the other hand, the Indian bamboo cross flute termed as the ‘Bansuri’ was sacred to Lord Krishna, as he is depicted in The Hindu art with the musical instrument. The cross flutes in India appeared from the first century A.D. at Sanchi and 2nd to 4th century A.D. at Amravati. The interesting fact in Europe is that the transverse flutes spread through Germany, thus coming to be known as the German Flute.
Breathing Techniques
There are different types of patterns or breathing techniques by which a flute player can generate music. They are:
- Diaphragmatic Breathing –This type of breathing optimizes inhalation, resulting in minimizing the number of breaths while playing the instrument.
- Circular Breathing – This type of breathing brings the air inside through the nose and pushes it outside through the mouth, which helps generate a continuous sound while playing the instrument.
The flute is a musical instrument which is having a very rich history in several parts of the world and is being associated with music for a very long time. Several artists have also made their respective careers in the music industry with flute. It will be one of the greatest instruments in the music industry for even the upcoming generation as its legacy will only grow further.