Exploring the
ORCHESTRA
Flute
Musical Section:
Woodwinds (Instruments that produce sound when air is blown across a reed or through a hole. Other instruments in this family: piccolo, oboe, clarinet, bassoon) . Other instruments in this family: Bassoon, Clarinet, Oboe
About the Flute
What it looks like
A flute is a long, shiny musical instrument made of metal.
It can sound soft, sweet like a bird singing, but when it is very high, it can sound sharp and shrill, like someone screaming for attention!
The flute is the highest instrument in the woodwind section, meaning it plays the highest notes.
Did you know? Flutes are held sideways, which makes them look very different from the other woodwinds: clarinets, oboes, and bassoons.
How to Play
Mini Maestro
The flute has little holes on it that you cover with your fingers to make different notes.
You hold it up to your mouth, and when you blow across a hole, air goes through it to make beautiful music like fairies dancing!
Young Maestro
The flute has little holes on it that you cover with your fingers to make different notes.
You hold it up to your mouth, and when you blow across a hole, air goes through it to make music.
The biggest challenge when you start playing flute is learning the mouth shape, which is called the embouchure. You keep your lips small and relaxed and blow across the mouth hole, not into it. Imagine you’re cooling hot tea. Steady, even breaths will make a good sound!
The Original Twitter
In his piece, Peter and the Wolf, Prokofiev needed an instrument to represent the bird in his story, so he uses the flute because it can play high and sound fluttery and chirpy like a bird. Listen to the piece and you can imagine the bird twittering and flapping its wings.
