Flutes & Piccolos

About Flutes & Piccolos

Flutes and piccolos are woodwind instruments that are commonly found in orchestras marching bands chamber music and wind ensembles. The piccolo is the smaller of the two (it's half the size of a regular flute and played an octave higher) but most modern piccolos share a similar fingering as their larger sibling. Flutes date back over 43000 years and many variations of the instrument exist in countries around the world. The three main parts of a flute are its headjoint (where the lip plate and embouchure hole are located) body (its mid-section where most of the keys are controlled) and footjoint (where the right pinky finger plays the keys).

Flute manufacturers design instruments for students, intermediate players and professional players. Student flutes are the most affordable of the three types and are usually crafted for players with smaller hands. They're C foot closed hole nickel-plated easy to repair and very durable. Once a player feels confident enough in their flute-playing abilities they can then consider upgrading to an intermediate model. Intermediate flutes are silver-plated with nickel bodies. They have a B foot joint for playing lower notes and open holes for more versatility. Professional models are solid silver flutes all around and they also have open holes and a B foot joint. Both intermediate and professional flutes are meticulously crafted and models from the likes of Pearl and Yamaha are highly regarded.