Trumpet Teacher / Colchester, Essex / timcurd.co.uk

Flute Fingering Chart and How the Flute Works

The flute developed from a whistle made from animal bones into a chromatic instrument with sophisticated key work made from silver.

When Was the Flute Invented?

The flute is the oldest recorded instrument which dates back to the stone age. The first flute was found in Slovenia and has been dated to be about 50,000 years old. It was made out of bone and even had open finger holes to change the pitch of the note.

Modern Flute Developed in the 19th Century

Flutes made of bone have been found in many different countries including a playable 9,000-year-old flute found in China. As flutes developed they were also made out of wood and some Chinese flutes made from bamboo date back to about 1000 BC.

6-holed European flutes played transversely (sideways) were common in the Renaissance period and Henry VIII who is credited with writing “Greensleeves” owned many flutes and recorders.

The flute continued to develop through the Baroque and classical periods and now had a conical bore (cone-shaped) and added keys to help the flute become more chromatic.

6-holed wooden flute

How Does a Flute Work?

A modern flute is made of metal, normally silver or silver-plated brass. They are a member of the woodwind family because the sound is made by using a whistle. The sound is made by blowing over the embouchure hole, exactly like making a sound by blowing over a bottle top.

The air is split as it hits the edge of the embouchure hole and a vibrating column of air is formed. Instruments that make a sound with a vibrating column of air are called aerophones.

The sound on the flute comes out of the keyholes, except the lowest note, which comes out of the end of the foot joint. As the keys are pressed in sequence the column of air becomes longer so the sound becomes lower.

Tuning can be assisted by using cross-fingering when chromatic pitches are obtained by closing one or more holes below an open hole. To play higher, the flute can be overblown up a harmonic which makes the flute play up an octave. The player can use their lips and airflow to excite this higher range.

The Flute Family

There are several instruments within the modern flute family, and they encompass a wide range of pitches. All of the the flutes have a range of three octaves and use the same fingering pattern.

The piccolo flute keys are much closer together but the mechanism on the alto and bass flutes allows for a similar handspan compared to a regular flute. Larger flutes, such as alto and bass flute come with a curved head joint and will require a longer reach.

4 Most Common Flutes

Piccolo Flute
Standard Concert Flute in C
Alto Flute
Bass Flute

1. Piccolo Flute

The piccolo flute is the smallest and highest pitch flute and is in the key of C (sometimes in Db). The tone of the piccolo is brighter and more shrill and its sound is able to cut through an orchestra. The instrument is very small and the keys are quite close together. The piccolo flute has a range of nearly three octaves from D5 to C8.

The Range of a Piccolo Flute in C

2. Standard Concert Flute in C

The standard concert flute in C is the most common flute and can be heard in a wide variety of styles, ensembles, and solo work. The flute has a range of three octaves from C4 to C7.

The Range of a Flute in C

3. Alto Flute

The alto flute is in the key of G and sounds a 4th lower than a standard concert flute. The bore is larger and its tone is fuller. It is often found in flute ensembles and sometimes orchestras.

The alto flute is longer than a regular flute and it is often played with a curved head joint to help the flutist reach. The mechanism in the keys means you don’t need long fingers to play the alto flute. The alto flute has a range of three octaves from G3 to G6.

The Range of an Alto Flute in G

4. Bass Flute

The bass flute is in the key of C and is pitched an octave lower than a standard concert flute. Even though the key mechanism allows for normal-sized hands the bass flute comes with a curved head joint as standard otherwise it would be too large to play. The bass flute has a range of three octaves from C3 to C6.

The Range of a Bass Flute in C

Flute Fingering Chart

This is a chart of the most common fingerings for flute using the Bohm system. This chart can be used for a standard flute as well as piccolo, alto, and bass flute.