Tahoma School District

Department of Music Education

Phone: 425 413 3300

PSayan@tahomasd.us

Tahoma School District Flute Page

The term flute most commonly applies to the popular transverse side-blown musical instrument made of metal. The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. The flute is recognisable by its clean, pure sound. The most common variant is a Western concert flute or C flute (most flutes are tuned to the key of C). A musician who plays the flute is generally called a flautist, flutist, or flute player. Thousands of works have been composed for flute. Other types of flute exist. Uncommon varieties are the alto and bass flute. Contra-alto flutes and Contrabass flutes are rarer; the latter is only available from certain flute makers. The other varieties of flute are excessively rare, with only four double contrabass flutes and only one hyperbass flute in the world. Flutes are used in many ensembles including concert bands, orchestras, flute ensembles, occasionally jazz bands and big bands.

Western Concert Flute

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Flute Equipment, GEARING UP
What you’ll need to get started:

A flute, music stand, and music are
required for lessons
You can acquire your first flute a number of ways. A student can rent, buy, or borrow their first flute. Many music stores have a policy whereby the money spent when renting a new instrument can later be applied to the total cost if you later want to purchase the instrument. Most beginners will start with a closed hole flute with an offset G key.
Tip- If the student is so small or so young that their arms are too short to reach the keys, the student can start with a flute with a curved head joint which reduces the total length of the flute. A music stand will be need when practicing from a standing position.

Flutes for children and beginners

Emerson, Yamaha, Gemeinhardt, and Armstrong are quality brands. Most beginner flutes produce a sound fairly easily. Make sure the instrument is in good shape if it is used. Stores will sometimes allow the customer to bring an instrument and have their teacher check it.

Beginner Flute Lessons

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT FLUTE LESSONS
by Elyse Knobloch

The Early Flutes

In The Middle Ages and the Renaissance

· circa 1320 - One-piece wooden flute, 2' long, key of "D"

· 1511 - Zwerchpfeiff, narrower, 6 finger-holes

· 1529 - Descant, alto, tenor and bass versions appear

· Around the turn of the 16th century - "fifes" became very popular!

· 1619 - 20 - Praetorius' SYNTAGMA MUSICUM portrays three Querflotten, with 2-octave ranges

· 1636 - Flutes Allemands appear, keys of "D" and "G", with new cylindrical bore, made of wood

In The 17th and 18th Centuries

· 1670 - Three-piece, 1-keyed flute in "D" appears in Jean Baptiste Lully's famous orchestra in France. More changes: conical bore (tapers down to middle, placing the holes closer together) and smaller finger-holes

· 1720 - Middle joint is divided in half, called corps de recharge, and 2 keys added

· 1722 - Famous flutist (and writer) Quantz adds tuning cork in headjoint and C# key on footjoint

· 1726 - E-flat key added on footjoint

· 1760 - G#, B-flat, and F keys added by London makers Florio, Gedney, and Potter

· 1774 - Florio, Gedney, and Potter remove C# from footjoint

· circa 1780 - 4 and 6-keyed flutes appearing in the symphonic music of Mozart and Haydn, Meyer-system flute with 8 keys appears

· 1782 - Maker J.H. Ribock adds closed C key

19th Century

· 1800 - B-flat lever and left-hand lever added

· 1806 - 44 - Claude Laurent makes 3, 4, and 7-keyed GLASS flutes

· 1808 - Rev. Frederick Nolan invents open holes (rim only, finger-pad covers holes) and links the keys to one another

· 1810 - George Miller in London, starts making metal bores

· 1812 - Tebaldo Monzani puts knobs on the mouth-hole

· 1814 - James Wood in London makes three tuning slides

· 1822 - The Nicholsons (father and son) make a thinner flute and adjust keys

· 1824 - Maker Pottgiessen invents the ring and crescent key

· 1827 - Rudall & Rose start making 8-keyed flutes, which become very popular

· circa 1830 - Beethoven uses the flute in his symphonies

The Boehm Era

Theobald Boehm (1794-1881) was born in Munich, was a talented goldsmith and skilled at the mechanical arts. He also served as a Royal Bavarian Court Musician, an avid flute player. His workshop was in his own home and he worked with a painter, Greve to design and build his flutes. The Boehm flute is the accepted standard today. Boehm's discoveries were quite revolutionary.

Boehm's Developments

· circa 1810 - Boehm builds his first model and tinkers with keys, springs (to control key tension), and pads

· circa 1829 - Finger-holes are still too far apart, so Boehm develops completely new fingering system, even building his own machine for boring holes, pillars, posts, and flat gold springs (new system uses rods to connect all the keys, thus the need for posts, springs, etc.)

· 1830 - Boehm's new model was finished

· 1831 - Boehm presents new model, in performance, in Paris and London

· 1832 - Boehm is inspired by hearing flute virtuoso Charles Nicholson's clear and brilliant tone; changes from standard covered holes to ring keys (see Rev. Nolan above) or "open holes", producing clearer tone and better intonation. He also aided finger action by adding a thumb crutch for the left hand.

Boehm and Others

· 1833 - Gordon's Diatonic Flute comes out with crescent-shaped touchpieces

· 1834 - The Boehm Flute gains popularity with French and German professional flutists, as well as being widely adopted in many other areas

· 1837 - Auguste Buffet (Paris instrument maker) improves on Boehm - changing axles, hole placements, lugs, rods, and sleeves (the latter hold the rods and axles together)

· 1838 - Buffet and collaborator Coche, add D# trill key and "Dorus" G# key (Paris Conservatory influence)

· 1839 - Flute maker Ward manufactures the Boehm flute in London

· circa 1841 - Rudall & Rose begin manufacturing Boehm flutes (also in London) along with Clair Godfroy in Paris

· 1846-47 - Boehm experiments with cylindrical bore based on a "parabolic curve" (17 mm. in diameter at top of instrument to 19 mm. in the middle of the body). Also, enlarges embouchure to a quadrangular shape, producing a fuller, clearer tone, compiles his Schema for fingering, Pads - starts covering inside of closed keys with felt and the rims of open keys with skins, held together with screws and washers.

· 1846 - Boehm experiments with use of metals. Decides on silver - best tone quality and least fatiguing to play

· 1847 - Boehm sells rights of manufacture to Rudall & Rose and Clair Godfroy/Louis Lot in Paris. Publishes famous tome, The Flute and Flute Playing: In Acoustical, Technical and Artistic Aspects.

· 1847 - Boehm Flutes imported to New York City and adopted as official instrument of the Paris Conservatory

· 1849 - Composer Briccialdi adds the thumb B-flat key

· 1855 - Boehm Flute wins gold medal at Paris Exhibition, to general acclaim. New players are making great technical advances thanks to Boehm's mechanical breakthroughs

· 1878 - Boehm perfects his "modern silver flute"

· End of 19th Century - Flute appears in orchestral scores of Brahms, Strauss, and Tchaikovsky. Solo literature expands rapidly, with virtuosic, showpieces becoming the fashion.

Post-Boehm - Into The 20th Century - Some modern developments

· 1948 - Alexander Murray, well-known flutist and teacher, collaborates with makers Albert Cooper and Elmer Cole, on the "Murray" flute - based on the "Cooper experimental" scale, and with a "corrected" C# key

· 1961 - 62 - Murray's next model, the "Mark I" appears

· 1967 - Murray collaborates with Jack Moore, a well-known maker with the Armstrong Company

· 1972 - Murray and Moore bring out production model flutes and piccolos

· Other helpful changes - duplicate G# lever, "gizmo" key, cork in headjoint to stabilize tuning.

· In the new Millennium, Lenny Lopatin of Lopatin Flutes reveals his square keyed Flute.

· And in 2005 James Johnson invents the RingFlute - have a look http://www.ringflute.com/about.htm

info@mostlywind.co.uk

Please return again soon.

Boehm's Developments