Scribd
Upload
38 views1 page

The Bass Flute: Flute KEY Sounds Piccolo Transverse Flute Alto Bass

The document discusses different sizes of the flute family. It notes that the bass flute, pitched an octave below the standard transverse flute, is the lowest commonly used size, though it is still rare outside of dedicated flute ensembles. Larger sizes than bass flute exist but are used only in flute choirs. The document also provides a table summarizing different flute sizes from piccolo to hyperbass. It then briefly introduces the bagpipes, noting they do not require constant air from the player and can produce sustained notes, and that bagpipe music is rarely notated but learned by ear.

Uploaded by

Tom Hart
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
38 views1 page

The Bass Flute: Flute KEY Sounds Piccolo Transverse Flute Alto Bass

The document discusses different sizes of the flute family. It notes that the bass flute, pitched an octave below the standard transverse flute, is the lowest commonly used size, though it is still rare outside of dedicated flute ensembles. Larger sizes than bass flute exist but are used only in flute choirs. The document also provides a table summarizing different flute sizes from piccolo to hyperbass. It then briefly introduces the bagpipes, noting they do not require constant air from the player and can produce sustained notes, and that bagpipe music is rarely notated but learned by ear.

Uploaded by

Tom Hart
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

The Bass Flute

The lowest commonly seen member of the flute family (although its usage is still comparatively
rare) is the bass flute. It is pitched and octave below the transverse flute, and notated an octave
above its sound (a reflection of the piccolo).

Like the alto flute, the bass flute has a small body of solo work, but is rarely seen outside
dedicated flute choirs and ensembles. A notable example of the bass flute used in a jazz context
can be seen in the soundtrack to the 2015 film, The Man from Uncle (heavily featured in Escape
from East Berlin)2.

Other Sizes
Various flutes have been manufactured in sizes bigger than the bass, but usage of these is
limited to flute choirs. A summary of flutes is shown in Table 2, with the most common flutes
highlighted in bold.

Table 2 - Summary of flute sizes

FLUTE KEY SOUNDS


Piccolo C Octave higher
Military Piccolo (defunct) Db Major seventh higher
Transverse Flute C As written
Flute D’amour Bb Tone lower
Alto G Fourth lower
Bass C Octave lower
Contra-alto G Octave plus fourth lower
Contrabass C Two octaves lower
Subcontrabass G Two octaves plus fourth
lower
Double Contrabass C Three octaves lower
Hyperbass C Four octaves lower

The Bagpipes
The bagpipes (or simply pipes) are unique among all wind instruments in that they do not
require a constant stream of air from the player. Rather, the air is stored in the bag, and
squeezed through the instrument by the players arm when they take a breath. By this
mechanism, the bagpipes can produce a near-infinite note length, without audible gaps for
breathing. When imitating bagpipe players, other musicians must play in groups, and stagger
their breathing accordingly.

Bagpipes are usually written in the treble clef, and sound exactly as written. However, very
little pipe music is written down, the majority being learned by ear.

Bagpipes are nowadays rarely seen outside of ceremonial military bands. Historically, pipe
music was the basis for much traditional dance, but this has faded. Bagpipes are occasionally

You might also like