The Flute Family...can someone name them?

    
The Flute Family...can someone name them?    23:01 on Friday, August 24, 2007          

flutechick101
(72 points)
Posted by flutechick101

Okay, I know theres alto, contraalto, bass, contrabass, tennor(mezzo soprano), soprano, piccolo, concert C(the standard looking one)......is that all of them or are there more than that?


Re: The Flute Family...can someone name them?    23:21 on Friday, August 24, 2007          

Bilbo
(1340 points)
Posted by Bilbo

From:
http://www.jinyinusa.com/BPMflutehist.htm

A list of flutes by pitch
Over the years Flutes have been built on all the following pitches. The pitches are shown in piano pitch which at C4 [ middle C ] is equal to the lowest C on the modern concert flute. For general purposes all flutes can be assumed to have a range of three octaves.
The pitch shown is the lowest sounding note with a standard foot joint; except on the piccolo type instruments. Here the lowest note is normally a tone above the keynote listed. Some piccolos have been built with the standard downward extension of pitch to C3, but these are not common.
Extended foot joints usually take the compass downward by a further semitone, although exceptionally it may be more. A concert flute in C4 is known which has an extension down to G3.
Flute types marked * and printed in red are those commonly found in modern music.

Octave Piccolo ....................................... C6
Octave treble ......................................... G5
Soprano .. ........................................... F5
Soprano ............................................ Eb5
Soprano ............................................... D5
Military Band piccolo ............................... Db5
Orchestral Piccolo ..................................* C5
Descant flute ....................................... Ab4
Treble flute .......................................... G4
Octave tenor ........................................ F4
Treble flute .......................................... Eb4
Concert flute [ pre 1850 ] ...................... D4
CONCERT FLUTE ............................ * C4
Flute d'amour ..................................... Bb3
Flute d'amour ..................................... A3
Flute d'amour ..................................... Ab3
Alto flute ............................................ * G3
Tenor flute ........................................... F3
Bass flute ......................................... * C3
Contra alto .......................................... F2
Contra bass ........................................ C2
Contra tenor ....................................... F1
Sub Contra bass ................................ C1


Re: The Flute Family...can someone name them?    01:40 on Saturday, August 25, 2007          

Plekto
(423 points)
Posted by Plekto

IMO, the interesting one is the one right between a Piccolo and a regular flute. It's hard to find one, but they are very nice sounding and easy to play.(basically 90% of what a Piccolo can do but with a better tone and ease, plus a good deal of what a flute can do, but matching most brass and such(sax and so on).

The sub-contra bass is also intriguing. It looks like something you'd see at a Blue Man Group concert


Re: The Flute Family...can someone name them?    08:18 on Saturday, August 25, 2007          

Penny
(218 points)
Posted by Penny

There's also a Hyper-bass flute. It's four octaves below the concert flute.

I'm pretty sure alot of the flutes that have been mentioned only have 2 or 3 of them in the entire world.

The most popular flutes seem to be: C flute, C piccolo, Db Piccolo, Eb flute, alto flute(in G), Bass flute(in C), and Contrabass flutes(in C and G).


Re: The Flute Family...can someone name them?    07:43 on Sunday, August 26, 2007          

Bilbo
(1340 points)
Posted by Bilbo

"The most popular flutes seem to be: C flute, C piccolo, Db Piccolo, Eb flute, alto flute(in G), Bass flute(in C), and Contrabass flutes(in C and G)."

Actually Penny, I would say that they are C piccolo and Concert flute with Alto flute in a distant 3rd but not totally unused. A person who is getting a lot of doubling in musicals, jazz venues or a person who is gung-ho on flute choirs may be tempted to own an alto and the Bass flute is even far less used/owned but not impossible to find.

From what I've seen, the Db piccolo exists more than anything in legend these days. Although I have seen music for the instrument on my stand arrgggghhh, I have seen one Db piccolo in 40+ years and I wonder if any of the manufacturers are even making them anymore exccept on special order. Generally, flutists would cite the rationale for having one as making the S&S forever easier to play in G rather than in Ab. I'm afraid that I have saved my money and I have simply taken the time to learn to do the solo in Ab.


Re: The Flute Family...can someone name them?    11:34 on Sunday, August 26, 2007          

Flutist06
(1545 points)
Posted by Flutist06

Actually, Bilbo, I have both a Db piccolo and an Eb flute (and have performed upon both of them). They're not really that difficult to find, and definitely have their uses, though most players will probably never see, much less use one. I find that the Db plays in the high register remarkably easily (at least up to fingered C4....Which would sound a Db), which makes it useful if a composer writes at the very top of the picc's range. I simply transpose any such parts down half a step, and suddenly it becomes much easier to play.


Re: The Flute Family...can someone name them?    14:53 on Sunday, August 26, 2007          

Bilbo
(1340 points)
Posted by Bilbo

I don't doubt you Flutist06 but I still think it's unusual. I was curious as to which flute companies are actually selling production Dbs. Are you aware of any?
Back in the late 60s I had a Db in my posession. It was an old instrument and I'm not so sure that the keywork was not Boehm but that was a long time ago. Now on my old gemeinhardt Piccolo, it actually has the key on it. A fairly big <*C*> kind of mark on the receiver area so I'm sure that they were making the Dbs when that Picc. was made.

Of course if a person has an interest in the family of flutes, they'd probably have a tendancy to go for some kind of a complete collection. I also know that some players are relatively good at sight transposition so they don't mind doing it. I'm comfortable doing the odd slow tune but don't often get a need to do so regularly.

As for collections, I have a decent Baroque flute repro. by Bigio as well as a few of the other early instrument families. They are occasionally fun to boggle my sense of fingerings.

For some this may sound a bit inflexible but I think that for my playing, I try to avoid too many challenges with these different instruments. I generally have to perform pretty well and changing fingerings, tunings, instruments and such complicates things. Last summer I had to work up a tune on the Guitar for a memorial service and it was chalenging. but a novelty and kind of fun.


Re: The Flute Family...can someone name them?    14:15 on Monday, August 27, 2007          

Flutist06
(1545 points)
Posted by Flutist06

I don't know of any companies currently producing Db's except as a special order. As you mentioned, I'm a bit of a collector, and enjoy the novelty of some of these instruments. However, I also like to put them to use when the circumstances permit, and am reasonably good at sight transposition, so changing instruments/keys isn't much of a bother to me. Different flutes have a different impact on my embouchure, as well, so I use them as tools to regulate how I'm playing. For instance, if I feel like I'm lacking focus to my sound, I'll play some piccolo for a while. If you're feeling creative and have the desire to play these unusual instruments, they can be quite useful.


   




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