Members of the western concert flute family or private collections. This distinctive sounding instrument is rarely found at present. A few American publications for flute choir currently include a part for an E (soprano) flute, an instrument pitched a minor third higher than the standard C flute. In these publications, an alternative part is provided either for the C flute or for the piccolo. The standard concert flute is by far the most common member of the flute family. The flute is used in many ensembles including concert bands, orchestras, flute ensembles, occasionally jazz bands and big bands. The instrument is pitched in C and has a
Members of the western concert flute family to be quiet, the double contrabass flute has a surprisingly powerful tone, though it benefits from amplification in ensembles. The hyperbass flute is the largest and lowest instrument in the flute family. It is pitched in C, four octaves below the concert flute (and three octaves below the bass flute, two octaves below the contrabass flute, and one octave below the double contrabass flute). It is made of PVC and wood, its tubing is over in length and its lowest note is C (16 Hz), below what is generally considered the range of human hearing. The only known example of