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World FlutesNAF players and makers can gain a wide perspective on their instrument by taking a look at the breadth of flutes that have developed around the world. These flutes have huge variations in design, finger layouts, tunings and scales, and sound mechanisms. This page lists all types of musical instruments that are classified as flutes, with the exception of:
For flutes where I have first-hand information I provide as much information as I can. For other flutes, I give links to other web resources. If you know about a type of flute that I missed, please contact me! Flutes are listed alphabetically, for lack of a better system. Antara and Rondador (So. America)AtentebenBansuriBawuThe bawu [bah-woo] (Traditional Chinese: 巴烏; Simplified Chinese: 巴乌; pinyin: bāwū; also spelled “ba wu”) is a free reed instrument (HS 41) in the same class as the harmonica, shruti box, and Chinese sheng. The bawu has seven finger holes with a finger layout like the main tube of the hulusi: six finger holes on the front an a thumb hole on the back. The typical finger layout is T123-123. The primary fingering sequence on the bawu (in SNAFT notation) is straight-fingered: <xxxx|xxx ... which gives you a primary scale very similar to a diatonic flute except that it has one missing note. On the bawu shown on the right, which is tuned to the key of F, the notes from bottom to top are C D E F G A C D. So, the primary intervals are root – major second - major third – fourth – fifth – major sixth – octave – major ninth. This is the diatonic scale with the major seventh missing. However, it is traditional to use the note with the fingering of <xxxx|ooo for the root of the scale for the instrument. The fundamental note of the bawu shown is a C, but the root of the scale (with the <xxxx|ooo fingering) is F. Using F as the root of the scale, the intervals are root – major second - major third – fifth – major sixth – major seventh – octave, which is the diatonic scale with the fourth missing. On many bawus, you can get several additional notes by cross-fingering. In particular you can get two notes with the fingerings of <xoxx|xxx and <xoxx|xxo. This gives you a full diatonic scale (scale steps 2-2-1-2-2-2-1) with the finger sequence: <xxxx|xxx ... and a full mixolydian scale (scale steps 2·2·1·2·2·1·2) with the finger sequence: <xxxx|xxx For more information on the bawu, see:
BilangdaoSee the Hulusi. BlockflöteSee the Recorder. BlulSee the Sring. Bungo'oChiCurcurbitSee the Hulusi. DaegeumDangjeokDansoDongdiDiziThe dizi is a transverse flute indigenous to cultures in present-day China. For information on the dizi, see: Dvoyanka (Bulgaria)Forest Flute
The Erdklangflöte (literally “Earth sound flute”) is a duct flute developed by Alf Jetzer, a Swiss instrument maker. His term for the instrument in English is “forest flute”, because the sound quality it produces. The forest flute has six finger holes: five on the front an a thumb hole on the back. The typical finger layout is T12-123 or T13-123. Notice in the picture on the right that the bottom finger hole is offset to help with finger reach. Hearth Spirit Clint Goss. Recorded November 2004. Forest flute by Alf Jetzer.
The primary fingering sequence on the forest flute is straight-fingered - For more information: FrulaThe frula [fruh-luh] is (typically) a small six-hole wood flute of Seribian origin, played in Eastern Europe and the Balkan countries. The frula I purchased from instrument dealer Søren Venema of Palm Guitars in Amsterdam in February 2012 is made of rosewood with metal endcaps. Picture and recording to be posted soon … FueFue (Japanese Kanji: 笛; Japanese Hiragana: ふえ) is the Japanese word for “flute”. It is used for all flutes indigenous to Japan, such as the shakuhachi. FujaraHanoSee the 'Ohe Hano Ihu. HocchikuThe hocchiku (also spelled “hochiku” and “hotchiku”; Japanese: 法竹) is an end-blown flute (class HS 421.111) indigenous to Japan. The hocchiku is a close relative to the shakuhachi, but with a simpler design: the hocchiku is a one-piece instrument, with less finishing work than the shakuhachi. For information on the hocchiku, see:
HsuanSee the Xūn. HuacaHulusi
The hulusi [hoo-loo-see] (Traditional Chinese: 葫蘆絲; Simplified Chinese: 葫芦丝; pinyin: húlúsī) is a free reed instrument (HS 41) in the same class as the harmonica, shruti box, and Chinese sheng. I have been told that the hulusi is the most popular instrument in the world, since virtually every household in Southern China has one. The hulusi is also called the “cucurbit flute” and the “bilangdao” (Chinese: 筚朗叨). The hulusi is a type of double flute — it has three tubes, but one is typically decorative. The center tube is used for the main melody and one of the side tubes provides an optional drone note. The main tube of the hulusi has seven finger holes with a finger layout like the bawu: six finger holes on the front an a thumb hole on the back. The typical finger layout is T123-123. The primary fingering sequence on the hulusi (in SNAFT notation) is straight-fingered: <xxxx|xxx ... which gives you a primary scale very similar to a diatonic flute except that it has one missing note. On the hulusi shown on the right, which is tuned to the key of C, the notes from bottom to top are G A B C D E G A. So, the primary intervals are root – major second - major third – fourth – fifth – major sixth – octave – major ninth. This is the diatonic scale with the major seventh missing. However, it is traditional to use the note with the fingering of <xxxx|ooo for the root of the scale for the instrument. The fundamental note of the hulusi shown is a G, but the root of the scale (with the <xxxx|ooo fingering) is C. Using C as the root of the scale, the intervals are root – major second - major third – fifth – major sixth - major seventh – octave, which is the diatonic scale with the fourth missing. The drone note provided by the side tube is optional: the drone note only sounds if the finger hole on the side tube is open. The drone note on the hulusi shown on the right is an E, which matches the fingering of <xxoo|ooo on the main tube. For more information on the hulusi, see:
Irish WhistleJaleikaJeokJiJunggeumKalyukaReferred to in [Joyce-Grendahl 2010], page 7, ¶2. Kaval - Bulgarian vs. Turkish
KhaenThe khaen [kyn] (also spelled “khene”, “kaen”, and “khen”; Laothian: ແຄນ; Thai: แคน). Laos. Despite its appearance, the khaen is not a flute. It's a free reed instrument (HS 41) in the same class as the harmonica, shruti box, and Chinese sheng. Here is a short kaen solo, an excerpt from track 2 on the CD "Kaen Music of Laos" Kaen Music of Laos (excerpt) Track 2 of Kaen Music of Laos. KhloyThe khloy (also spelled “kaloy”; Khmer: ខ្លុយ) is a bamboo duct flutes indigenous to Cambodia. It is very similar to the Thai khlui, but typically has one less finger hole. There are two sizes of khloy:
Khlui
The khlui (Thai: ขลุ่ย) is a family of duct flutes indigenous to the Thai people and is common in present-day Northern Thailand.
The image at the right shows the back of an early 20th century khlui, from the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (click the image for a larger view). It shows the true sound hole, a thumb hole for the upper hand, and one of the tuning holes at the bottom. The khlui family includes three sizes of instruments, with size measurements from the Background of the Khlui web site:
The khlui shares an interesting feature that are present on many Native American flutes: direction holes. Here is a description of the four direction holes near the bottom of the khlui, from the At the lower end of the body there are four more holes made in pairs at right angles to each other, i.e., one pair is made from front to back and the other from left to right.
The Wild Dove (excerpt) Bringkop Vora-urai. Track 7 of Khlui - Bamboo in a Skyscraper.
TuningAccording to Getting Started on the Khlui, the primary fingering sequence on the khlui (in SNAFT notation) is:
<xxxx|xxxx ... which gives you the scale C D E F G A B C. However, the web site does not say which instrument in the khlui family this is scale is for. For more information: KomabueThe komabue (Japanese: 高麗笛) is a side-blown bamboo flute indigenous to Japan. It has six finger holes and is 36.8 cm (14.5") long. For information on the komabue, see: KoudiNeyNohkanThe nohkan (Japanese: 能管) is a transverse flute with seven finger holes indigenous to Japan. The primary material is bamboo, but the nohkan is not made of an culm of bamboo like the hocchiku or the shakuhachi. The bamboo is cut into strips, reversed so that the outside of the bamboo culm becomes the inside of the nohkan, and then the strips are glued together. The bore of the instrument is conical - tapering down near the foot of the flute to a smaller bore than at the head end. The head end of the instrument also has a bore restriction near the head end. The unusual bore shape gives the nohkan a strong high pitch. The nohkan is 39.1 cm (15.4") long. For information on the nohkan, see:
MoseñoOcarinaNot a vessel flute. 'Ohe Hano IhuThe 'ohe hano ihu [oh-hey hah-noh ee-hoo] (often shortened to “hano” or “ohe”) is a three-hole nose flute indigenous to Hawaii. For information on the 'ohe hano ihu, see [Emerson 1909]
PiaxiaoPifilcaPistalka, KonkovkaQuena, QuenachoRecorderaka Block Flute, blockflote, flute a bec. “flûte à bec” and “blockflöte” Ring FluteThe ring flute is a circular transverse flute (class HS 421.12) invented by James Johnson. For information on the ring flute, see: RyūtekiThe ryūteki (Japanese: 龍笛) is a side-blown bamboo flute indigenous to Japan. It has seven finger holes and is 40.2 cm (15.8") long. For information on the ryūteki, see: SáoSataraThe satara is a double duct flute indigenous to India. Here's a YouTube video that demonstrates the customary satara playing style: Some playing techniques to notice in this video:
SeljefløyteNorwegian name. Also called a “willow flute” or a “sallow flute”. Swedish: sälgflöjt or sälgpipa, Finnish: pitkähuilu or pajupilli). Overtone flute. FIPPLE. Norwegian. [Joyce-Grendahl 2010] ShakuhachiJapan ShengChina ShinobueThe shinobue (also called the “takebue”; Japanese: 篠笛) is a transverse flute indigenous to Japan. For information on the shinobue, see: Sikus or ZamponiasSoSogeumSopilkaSringThe sring (also spelled “srink”; Armenian: սրինգ; also called the “blul”). SulingSolje fluteTakebueSee the Shinobue. TarkaTongsoXiaoXindiXūnThe xūn [shuon] (also spelled “xuān” or “hsuan”; Chinese: 壎) is a small pottery vessel flute, shown in these two photos:
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