Piccolo - At the bottom

The piccolo is the smallest member of the flute family. It's about 33 cm. long, about half the size of the concert flute. The piccolo has two pieces, the head and the body. Concert piccolos are usually made of grenadilla wood, but they can also be constructed of metal, like the one shown, or resin for use outdoors and for marching. The piccolo plays an octave higher than the concert flute. Piccolos are common in orchestras and wind bands.

Soprano Concert Flute - 2nd & 3rd from bottom

The concert flute is the most common flute. It is 67 cm. long, and made up of three pieces; the foot joint, middle joint (the body), and the head joint. Concert flutes are usually made of silver, but also come in gold, wood or platinum. The 2nd one is a standard concert flute and is pitched in C and has a range of three octaves starting from middle C with a low C foot joint, or the 3rd one has a low B foot joint which has one more key at the very end of the flute. This means that the concert flute is one of the highest voiced of the common orchestra and band instruments. They are also commonly used in pop and commercial music as well as smaller chamber ensembles and flute choirs.

Alto Flute - 4th from bottom

The alto flute is larger than the concert flute (86 cm.), therefore it is lower in pitch. It is tuned to the key of G. The alto flute has a distinct, mellow sound. However, because of its lower range it is difficult to hear in a large ensemble and is rarely used in concert orchestras and bands. It is more often employed in jazz groups, small ensembles like flute choir, and in commercial and other recorded music. It is a transposing instrument. This means that the notes sound a fourth lower than the notes written on the page. Some models have a curved head joint so that players can more comfortably reach all the keys.

Bass Flute - 5th from the bottom

The bass flute is in the key of C, pitched one octave below the concert flute. The bass flute is so big that they have to have a curved head joint so that the players can reach the keys. Like the alto flute, it has a low mellow sound and is used primarily in commercial music and small wind ensembles like flute choir.

You rarely see these flutes. This one is owned by a customer of mine who lives in Richmond. It was in the shop a few years ago for some minor repair. Just as a reference point, Martha, who is holding the instrument is about 5’8’ tall.

Here is an alto flute that I just finished repairing. This is the flute with its straight head joint.

Here is the same alto flute with a curved head joint. Using the curved head joint is much easier on the arms especially if you are playing for a long time.