Transverse Flutes

The Flute

Flutes are among the oldest instruments of all. The flute as we know it today was developed by Theobald Böhm and is only 40 years from its 200th birthday. The completely new valve system was developed by Böhm in 1847 and is still in use today. A flute with all its keys, pads, screws, springs, rings and joints consists of more then 150 parts, making it easy to understand how complex the accurate construction of these lovely instruments is.

Materials

Nickel Plate

Flutes in the lowest price range are often made of nickel. The constant contact with this metal can cause serious allergies. We do not recommend the use of flutes made of nickel or nickel plated flutes, especially not for children!

German silver

Despite its name the material doesn’t have a lot in common with silver, or with Germany. It is an alloy of copper with nickel and often but not always zinc. German silver has been in use for about 100 years in flute making. It is very stable, durable and corrosion-resistant.


Silver plated (German silver plated):

If a flute is described as silver plated, it is normally made of German silver and then silver plated with a thin layer of silver.

Full Silver

Silver is an alloy that consists of 90 percent pure silver. To achieve the needed stability the soft metal has a small amount of copper added. In most cases full silver flutes sound warmer then flutes made of German silver. However, there are also German silver flutes that outmatch silver instruments not only in retail price but also in sound.

Maintenance

A flute should be treated very carefully, as rough handling can easily damage the sophisticated mechanics. If you would like to have long term fun with your instrument it should be cleaned after every use with special wipers and cloths, this removes the moisture from the instrument and preserves the key pads. From time to time the hinges should be treated with a drop of oil.


The Offset G

The Offset G describes the position of the key used to play the note „G“, and has become standard on every good flute. This key position enables the instrument to follow the ergonomics of the players hand and not the other way round. Please always check and make sure that your desired instrument has an offset G, your fingers will be grateful.


Suitable for Children?

Young children whose arms are not yet long enough to play a normal flute
don’t have to wait until they have grown up to play, they can use special bent head pieces. This enables a playing position closer to the body and a very relaxed playing angle, even for small children.

A last word on used instruments:

The purchase of a used instrument is often favoured by beginners as an especially cheap way of getting started. You should check the instrument thoroughly and be sure it has undergone a general overhaul or is in mint condition. Even if it looks good it can still have worn pads or badly adjusted mechanics. An instrument in bad shape will destroy all your playing pleasure and a later overhaul could easily exceed the bargain price that you paid.