Air Supply
A flute essentially works by acting as a pipe, with one end opened on the top of the cylinder and the other end opened at the edge. A flautist would place the top opening between the chin and the lower lip. The flautist would purse his lips over the opening and gently blow air into the head joint, creating a vibration. He must leave room between his lips and the opening so that the air going in can be manipulated. Different pitches going into the flute can be made when the flautist rotates the hole either closer to or away from his lips.
Notes and Pitch
When the vibrated air travels inside the flute, it moves in a swirling pattern. These swirls naturally produce a pitch when exiting the flute, unless something interrupts the swirls. The pitch of the flute can change if the flautist presses the flute keys or covers certain flute holes.
Western style flutes have several keys that can cause a blockage of air flow in the pipe. The keys essentially make the flute pipe shorter and opening another hole for the air to escape. Different combinations of key pressing will produce not only different single notes but harmonic sounds as well.
Pan Flute
Pan flutes are actually not considered open-tube flutes. They are composed of several different-length tubes made from either bamboo or larger reeds. They work when the flautist purses the lips and blows through one or more openings at the same time. Pan flutes can also make sharp and flat notes if the flautist adjusts the flute angle and jaw line when playing. |