Wooden flute
The wooden flute was the only flute made prior to the early 20th century. Classical flutes and folks flutes were all constructed from some type of wood.
The instruments fall into two categories...
Classical music flutes...
Flutes in the Baroque era of Johann Sebastian Bach were wooden conical bore instruments with just one key. Additional keys were added by the end of the Baroque era and opening of the Classical period.
Theobald Boehm revolutionized the flute in the early 1800s multiple keys, springs, and pads. The stage was set for the metal flutes that would be introduced in the early 1900s.
Flute makers worked hard at the scale of the instrument, striving to create an instrument that could play in tune with itself as well as others.
Folk flutes...
Wooden folk flutes are found throughout the world...
- Irish flutes
- Chinese bamboo flutes
- Native American flutes
- Renaissance flutes (European instruments found between) 1500 to 1650. These flutes were made in a variety of sizes. Some examples of Renaissance flutes can be seen here.
Type of wood...
European flutes were made out of cherry wood or other similar woods, pretty much the same wood used for furniture or whatever was available.
Native American flutes were constructed from ash, box elder, cane, and pipewood.
Wooden contemporary flutes are constructed primarily from grenadilla (also called African blackwood), ebony, and boxwood.
Grenadilla is the wood of choice for fine piccolos, and is commonly seen in clarinets and oboes.
Interestingly enough, studies have shown that the type of wood used is not nearly as important as shape and size of the bore, embouchure hole, and tone holes.
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