Here’s one piccolo player that will stoke certain musical memories in your brain: The silver or metal piccolo is what you will usually see in marching bands.įor symphony orchestras and concerts, the piccolos you will see are the wood or plastic ones. Today, you can see the piccolo as part of orchestras, flute ensembles, marching bands, and concert bands. Another difference is that a typical piccolo doesn’t have a lip plate in the embouchure hole while the typical C flute has. Originally, the flute also had the same conical shape, but later, a straight body was adopted and established in the 19th century.Ī tapered shape is more suited for high pitched instruments, which the piccolo is. It will not be able to blend well with the other orchestra instruments. Most flutes are made of metal, while most piccolos are made of wood.īeing of high register, if piccolos were made of metal, they would produce high piercing sounds that are highly irritating to the ears. The first thing you’ll notice is its material construction. While a piccolo may look similar to a C flute, you will see their closer inspection differences. C flutists will use the same fingering techniques if they are playing the piccolo. Only half as long, it produces notes that are one octave higher than the C flute. The piccolo is the smaller version of the C flute. James Galway, a famous flutist, played this melancholy music using a C flute. Their similar timbers always produce soothing and relaxing sounds. Flutes will be more inconsonant with the bassoon, in unison, or an octave. While oboes go stronger in the low range, flutes grow weaker.īut as flutes grow bolder in the higher ranges, oboes get timider. It won’t blend well with the oboe, though they both have smooth and soothing sounds. This is probably why it was named soprano since this particular voice tone is aptly fit for solo performances.īut it can also blend with almost all the band instruments. That means the sound is a natural solo voice. The sound produced by a C flute is fit for soloing. Aside from this, it is also considered the most ideal for beginners.įlutists use this flute when they play in orchestras, concert bands, marching bands, and sometimes jazz bands. That is why it is the most widely known of all the flute family. Let us discuss these flutes one by one: 1. I guess that the flute you are familiar with is the C flute, formally called the Western concert flute.įlutists usually use C flute when playing in an orchestra, a band, or solo. Since these flutes are played almost the same way, most flutists can play all these five different kinds of flutes. We have five different kinds of flutes, namely the C flute, the Piccolo, the Alto flute, the Eb Soprano flute, and the Bass. As time went on, inventors of musical instruments created different kinds of flutes made of different materials. The earliest flutes were just simple tubes of bones or canes that people blew air into. Records of history say that the flute has been with us for a very long time. Thus, a flutist is usually capable of playing all types of flutes. In general, the flutes can be played in almost the same manner. The C flute, also known as the Western concert flute, is the most popular type of flute. These flutes include the C flute, the piccolo, the alto flute, the Eb soprano flute, and the bass flute. Different Types of FlutesĪt present, there are at least five different types of flutes. Read on to learn more about the different kinds of flutes, how they differ from each other, and other interesting details about them. A flutist can perform as a solo artist or as part of an orchestra. The most popular type of flute is the C flute, also known as the Western concert flute. So it is not unusual for a flutist to play all these different kinds of flutes. These flutes are generally played in the same way. The five different types of flutes are the C flute, the piccolo, the alto flute, the Eb soprano flute, and the bass flute. The sound of the flute is one of the most soothing sounds that you can hear. You may be familiar with the flute, but perhaps you are not aware that there are several different types of flutes.