Western concert flute Western concert flute The Western concert flute is a transverse (side-blown) woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist, flutist, flute player, or (rarely) fluter. This type of flute is used in many ensembles including concert bands, military bands, marching bands, orchestras, flute ensembles, and occasionally jazz bands and big bands. Other flutes in this family include the piccolo, alto flute, and the bass flute. A large repertory of works has been composed for flute. The flute is one of the oldest
Voice flute to that of the soprano voice, the origin of the term "voice flute" is obscure (; ). Revived in the early twentieth century along with other sizes of recorder, it is used today as it was in the eighteenth century—as a substitute for the transverse flute—though it also has a small repertory of music composed specially for it, from both the Baroque and modern periods. The voice flute was a popular size of recorder in the eighteenth century, especially in England. It offered an alternative instrument for amateurs to play music written for the transverse flute, since both instruments are