The flute is the most basic instrument in the woodwind family. It is a reedless wind instrument, otherwise known as an aerophone, which creates sound from the flow of air from an opening. Flutes are often made of wood in Europe while silver is the main flute construction material in the United States.
Theobald Boehm invented the modern flute. He created a bowl-shaped head connected to a cylindrical center with large finger holes and open-standing keys. Minor developments have been made after that.
Flute Construction
Modern flutes are often around twenty-six inches long and 0.75 inches wide. There are two open ends which makes it an open cylinder. It has sixteen openings – eleven are closed by seven fingers, one is closed by the left thumb, and four can be opened or blocked by arranged keys.
Flute Categories
The flute player blows directly across from the edge of the mouthpiece for most flutes. These are called end-blown. Another basic type is the side-blown flute. The hole in which the player blows is at the side of the tube. One more is the fipple flute which has a duct that maneuvers the air onto the edge. Fipple flutes are easier to play and has a distinct timbre compared to other flutes. Here are the categories of flutes based on origin:
1. Western concert flutes
The western concert flute is a descendant of the German flute. It is closed at the top and the embouchure hole is placed near the top. The regular concert flute can play three octaves beginning from middle C which gives it one of the highest pitches in the orchestra besides the piccolo.
2. Chinese flute
The Chinese flute, also referred to as di, have many varieties with diverse sizes, number of holes, intonations, and structures. The majority of di are made of bamboo. The distinct characteristic of Chinese flutes is the membrane on one of the holes that vibrates with the air inside. This causes the flute to have an intense and bright sound.
3. Indian bamboo flute
This instrument is significant in Indian classical music. Compared to western flutes, the Indian bamboo flute is simpler because they do not have any keys and are made of bamboo. There are two basic kinds of Indian flutes: the Bansuri and the Venu. The Bansuri is an eight-holed flute and has one embouchure hole near the top while the Venu has eight finger holes and requires the cross-fingering technique.
4. Japanese flute
Japanese flutes are called fue and these come in varied kinds. Most are made of bamboo and high-pitched. Fue have two varieties. One is the end-blown flute which has a hole on both ends. The other is the transverse flute which is held horizontally with the embouchure hole only near one end.
How does the flute work?
A rapid jet of air blown by the flute player from the mouthpiece is the source of power for playing the instrument. Inside the flute, the blown air together with the resonances in the air inside causes oscillation and thus vibration. As the air in the flute is vibrating, the energy from the jet of air is converted to sound which comes out of the end and the open holes.
Different areas in the flute’s cylindrical body cause the air to vibrate more easily in certain areas. This determines the pitch of the sound produced when certain holes are covered.
The acoustic guitar is hollow-bodied and uses only acoustic techniques to produce sound which means it does not have electric amplification. Its name is a retronym of the electric guitar to differentiate them from each other. Its strings could be made of steel or nylon while its top plate could be made of cedar or spruce. At the top is a circular hole with a diameter of 3.25 inches to 3.5 inches which strengthens and reinforces the produced sound.
Sound production
Generally, guitars produce sound through the strings’ vibration. The increase of volume is done by the sound box consisting of a resonant cavity and a soundboard. The vibration of the strings also causes vibration of the soundboard. It has a much larger area than the strings which means that is also produces a louder sound.
Sound waves are created coming from the back and front panels as the soundboard is vibrating. The sound box serves as a resonant cavity and reflects the sound waves produced. The sound volume increases greatly compared to the primary volume created by the strings. Some sound is then projected out of the hole.
Acoustic guitar qualities
The acoustic guitar has eight basic qualities – volume, balance, dynamic range, cutting power, tone, presence, sustain, and separation.
Some guitars have a higher volume compared to others but it does not mean that these guitars produce better sound output. There are many other qualities to consider. Calling a guitar balances means that all of its notes have the same level of power. The guitar should not have too much midrange.
The dynamic range is the ability of the guitar to easily switch from very loud to very soft. The cutting power is the capability of the guitar to be audible even when accompanying other instruments. This does not mean that a guitar must always be loud but it means fitting and filling dry areas instead.
The variation of tone depends on the acoustic guitar’s material and method of construction. Even if two guitars are from the same manufacturer and are the same model, these do not have exactly the same sound. The presence refers to the quality and distinguished sound produced when playing the guitar both softly and loudly.
The sustain is how long a note will sound well after picking the string while separation is hearing the individual notes distinctly.
Different playing styles
A few guitar styles aside from the regular guitar playing are bluegrass playing, blues, jazz, big band, lap style, flamenco, and classical playing. A guitar style has a suitable type of guitar. Smaller guitars made of mahogany are very good for blues while nylon string guitars made with rosewood are for classical playing.
Flamenco playing is best with nylon string guitars made with Spanish cypress which are thinner than the classical guitar.
Acoustic guitar care
The best way to keep the acoustic guitar from accumulating dirt is using a case for storage protection but you could also use a cover. Choose a guitar cover that is easy to take off and put on and has a fabric material.
To avoid sweat marks on your guitar, you could wear a sweat band when playing. Place it below the elbow or wherever area in your arm that rests on the guitar’s side. Use a brush to buff and remove light scratches on the pickguard. If the scratch is deeper, use water sand and sand paper and micro mesh sand papers and buff the pickguard after.
Use a tiny piece of thin cardboard folded in half to clean stings and frets every week. Hook the folded cardboard under a string and slide it up and down to remove the dirt and oil that has built up.