The double contrabass flute (also octobass flute; subcontrabass flute) is the largest and lowest pitched metal
flute
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedles ...
, with of tubing (the
hyperbass flute, an octave lower, is made from PVC and wood). It is pitched in the key of C, three octaves below the regular
flute
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedles ...
(two octaves below the
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
, and one octave below the
contrabass
Contrabass (from it, contrabbasso) refers to several musical instruments of very low pitch—generally one octave below bass register instruments. While the term most commonly refers to the double bass (which is the bass instrument in the orchest ...
).Its lowest note is C
1, one octave below the
cello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, ...
's lowest C and the lowest C on the piano. This flute is relatively easy to play in comparison to most other large flutes. Despite the tendency of the larger sizes of flute to be softer than their higher pitched relatives, the double contrabass flute has a relatively powerful tone, although it usually benefits from amplification in ensembles.
The Japanese firm of Kotato & Fukushima sell their double contrabass flutes for
US$48,000.
Their main use has been in large
flute choirs and occasionally in film scores.
PVC version
A double contrabass flute constructed of
PVC, called a subcontrabass flute by its creator, the Dutch instrument maker Jelle Hogenhuis, has the tubing in a notably different arrangement from its metal counterpart.
Although the PVC instrument was designed to be an ensemble instrument, it has also been picked up by solo artists. Compared to metal instruments it has a wider bore producing a broader tone, weighs only compared to for the brass version, and can be produced relatively quickly and inexpensively.
References
External links
*
Listening
MP3 of Jelle Hogenhuis subcontrabass flute
Side-blown flutes
Contrabass instruments
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