Which type of flute is preferable?
Although a member of the woodwind family, the flute is more commonly made from metal. While most orchestras rely on silver flutes, wood flutes are common in European countries such as Great Britain and Germany. Silver flutes produce a slightly deeper and richer tone than their nickel counterparts. Wood flutes, which require a more muscular action to play, produce a solid and more powerful tone than a silver flute.
History Of The Flute
The earliest flutes were made using bones from bears and even various types of birds. The traverse flute was made of wood and became popular in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. It had a cylindrical bore so it had a limited range and soft sound. The flute was redesigned in the Baroque period and began being used in the chamber orchestra. The common "C" silver flute used today is a descendant of the 19th century German flute.
Silver Flutes
Silver flutes are much more popular than the wooden flute and considered the standard in the concert orchestra. One big advantage to silver flutes is that the volume of the instrument is easily controlled by the air stream of the musician. Their embouchure allows flexibility in the pitch, volume and timbre of the notes.
Wooden Flutes
Wooden flutes are often cleaved in order to determine the best piece of wood. It helps the flute maker determine the defects early on in the process and produce a flute whose grain runs end to end for optimum acoustic quality. Less expensive flutes are sawed directly from a log but are prone to cracking. Wooden flutes made by first cleaving are less likely to split with age.
Disadvantages of Wood
While wood flutes produce a richer, solid, and more powerful tone, the flue requires a tighter, more muscular blowing style. This makes playing subtly more difficult, and lips tend to tire faster. Wooden flutes can be made with thinned head joints to provide the same tonal properties with less resistance. They require more air to play and deeper breathing from the musician.
Considerations
Since it is the air being blown into the instrument that vibrates rather than the instrument itself when creating the tone, it is unlikely that the body material would have a large impact on sound. Most musicians have a personal preference as to the material of the specific instruments they choose to own and play. Many orchestral musicians chose silver flutes while musicians in Africa prefer flutes made of wood.
