Members of the western concert flute family Members of the western concert flute family The western concert flute family has a wide range of instruments. The piccolo is the highest-pitched member of the flute family, with a range an octave above that of the concert flute. It is usually the highest-pitched instrument within orchestras and bands. The piccolo has a stereotype for being difficult to play in tune; its small size makes it difficult to construct an evenly tuned scale. The treble flute is pitched in the key of G, a fifth above the concert flute. The instrument is rare today, only occasionally found in flute choirs
Flute ends of the chimney and any designed restriction in the "throat" of the instrument, such as that in the Japanese Nohkan Flute. A study in which professional flutists were blindfolded could find no significant differences between flutes made from a variety of metals. In two different sets of blind listening, no flute was correctly identified in a first listening, and in a second, only the silver flute was identified. The study concluded that there was "no evidence that the wall material has any appreciable effect on the sound color or dynamic range". In its most basic form, a flute is