Simple system flute most commonly refers to the type of
flute manufactured and favored by classical European musicians during the
Classical era
Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...
. This type of flute is the direct precursor of, and was made obsolete within the
art music
Art music (alternatively called classical music, cultivated music, serious music, and canonic music) is music considered to be of high phonoaesthetic value. It typically implies advanced structural and theoretical considerationsJacques Siron, ...
world by, the introduction of the
Boehm system
The Boehm system is a system of keywork for the flute, created by inventor and flautist Theobald Boehm between 1831 and 1847.
History
Immediately prior to the development of the Boehm system, flutes were most commonly made of wood, with an ...
flute. Subsequently, many simple system flutes were integrated into folk music (including
Irish folk music
Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland.
In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there we ...
and Cuban
charanga bands).
Physical characteristics
The simple system flute had a cylindrical head joint and a reverse tapered body. The six main
tone hole
A tone hole is an opening in the body of a wind instrument which, when alternately closed and opened, changes the pitch of the sound produced. Tone holes may serve specific purposes, such as a trill hole or register hole. A tone hole is, "in w ...
s were heavily undercut to produce even intonation and registration while providing even finger spacing.
French simple system flutes (or "
five-key flute
The five-key flute is a musical instrument once common in school marching bands, and composed of wood with metal keys. It is a transposing instrument, most commonly in A, this variant being known as the B flute, named after its lowest note and sou ...
s") from this era typically had five keys that enabled the flute to play in any key.
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
models were typically designed with eight keys: the five of the five-key flute, plus an alternate F key running along the instrument, and two keys on the foot joint to extend the lower register down to
middle C.
Alternative meaning
Simple system flute may also refer to any flute with tone holes played by the direct application and removal of fingers, as opposed to keys, from pre-historical bone flutes to the modern
Irish flute
The Irish flute is a conical-bore, simple-system wooden flute of the type favoured by classical flautists of the early 19th century, or to a flute of modern manufacture derived from this design (often with modifications to optimize its use in Ir ...
. The presence of keys (as found on the Classical flutes described above) does not preclude categorization as a "simple system" flute, as long as the primary tone holes are not keyed.
Related links
Charles Nicholson (flautist)
Further reading
*
External links
*http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/5keyfingers.htm
*http://www.oldflutes.com/german.htm
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Side-blown flutes