“The flute is not an instrument which has a good moral effect. It is too exciting.”
- Aristotle
The flute is the only member of the woodwind family that produces its sound from the flow of air against an edge, instead of using a reed. In its most basic form, a flute can be an open tube which is blown like a bottle. The air stream across the hole creates a Bernoulli, or siphon, effect leading to a von Karman vortex street . (I'm not entirely sure what that means, but it sounds cool!)
A musician who plays the flute can be referred to as a flute player, a flautist, a flutist or even a fluter.
Early flutes were made of carved bone and specimens have been recovered that have been dated at over 41,000 years old. They are believed to be the first musical instrument invented.
Famous Folks what dabbled in Flutes: Leonardo Da Vinci, George Washington, John Quincy Adams, James Madison, Henry the VIII, Noah Webster, Henry David Thoreau, and, of course, Jimmy from H R PuffnStuff (who played Freddy the Golden, Talking Flute) and, who knows, maybe yooooooouu!
The standard concert flute is pitched in the key of C and has a range of 3 octaves starting from middle C.
A police whistle is, technically, a form of flute. So next time you’re running from the cops, make sure to note and comment upon your pursuing officer’s tone and embouchure (they appreciate constructive criticism). The pipe organ is also a flute, though less easy to clean and not as often used in marching bands.
There, that wasn’t so bad, was it? Learning doesn’t have to give you headaches. Go on, now and check out the site. You’ve filled yer noggin sufficiently for one day.