The flute family
The whole flute family exists of several flutes, from very small to very large.
The piccolo: this is the smallest flute. The piccolo sounds one octave
higher than the regular flute and is usually made of wood. But there
are also piccolos made of silver and there are even piccolos made of
plastic. The lowest note on a piccolo is the d; there is no low c sharp
and no low c on a piccolo.
The regular flute: the cheap ones only have a silver layer and are not
made entirely out of silver. Flutes can also be made of wood, silver,
gold or platinum. You can often see flutes of mixed materials, for
example a silver flute with golden headjoint, or silver keys on a
golden flute. Flutes can be made with closed keys or open keys (also
known as French keys). Some flutes have a b foot which makes it
possible for you to play a low b.
The
alto flute: this flute is in G, which means that if you play a c, you
will hear a g below the c. The alto flute is larger than the regular
flute and therefore it sounds lower. You can buy an alto flute with a
straight headjoint or with a curved headjoint.
The bass flute: this flute is already so big that it is only build with a curved headjoint. Otherwise it is impossible for you to hold the flute. The bass flute sounds one octave lower than the regular flute.
If you want to know how several flutes sound, you should watch this performance by the Quintessenz flute ensemble: 1 piccolo, 2 regular flutes, 1 alto flute and 1 bass flute. You will hear a piece composed by Vivaldi, with a fast movement, a slow movement and a fast movement.
The contra' alto: this flute is also in G and sounds one octave lower than the alto flute.
The contrabass flute: the contrabass flute sounds 2 octaves lower than the regular flute and this flute is very big, about 9 feet!
The sub-contrabass flute: this flute in G is even bigger and sounds 2 octaves lower than the alto flute.