From Concert Flute to World Flutes: Where to Begin

The flute family is ENORMOUS! Even in just the concert flute family, there are lots of instruments to learn, but there are many, many more. When concert flutists want to explore new flutes, there are generally two main types of instruments from which they can pick: historical flutes or world flutes. We will save historical flutes for another time, but right now, let’s talk about world flutes and one of the main questions that arises when flutists want to dip their toe into this giant swimming pool: When going from concert flute to world flutes, where do you even begin? There are so many options, and while any instrument is a valid choice, I have selected 5 kinds of flutes that are very common that I think might make a good intro into the vast world of traditional instruments.

Irish Whistle/Flute

Well these are actually 2 different instruments, but both are members of the flute family traditionally found in Ireland.

The Irish whistle is also known as the penny or tin whistle. Odds are you have come across it before, perhaps even in school as it, is a common instrument with which to start a student’s musical studies. If you have ever played recorder, there are a lot of similarities with it so it’s not too hard to start. It also has a fipple mouthpiece like a recorder, so it isn’t too difficult to initially get a sound, at least in the first octave. The most common one is roughly in the same range as piccolo (meaning it is not a bad idea to wear earplugs when playing it!) and easily plays in D major, although whistles are often made in different sizes to play in other keys. The fingerings for D, E, G, A, B, and C# are also all the same as they are on flute (excluding the right hand D# pinky key of course), so memorizing basic fingerings should come quickly. And because it is usually a small instrument, covering the holes isn’t too bad, especially if you play an open-hole flute. One final bonus: Irish music is some of the only folk music that has a lot written down in classical music notation, so classically-trained players can start reading tunes right away.

While, like most instruments, there is a range in make and quality of whistles, you can get a basic metal one pretty cheaply. Nice, handmade whistles are often made out of wood, and as far as professional instruments go, still usually don’t cost an arm and a leg.

Irish flutes, on the other hand, tend to be a little bit pricier but are very interesting instruments and well worth the investment. They are pitched in D like the whistle but they are roughly in the same range as the concert flute so they are around the same size as them. And similar to concert flute, they are transverse (held horizontally) and come in several separate joints. They also have all open holes, but can have anything from no keys up to 8 or more. Irish flutes are made usually out of wood, so I do not suggest getting a cheap, new instrument. Wood that has not been well seasoned and worked with poorly can easily crack. I found that out the hard way myself. So if you are going to buy an Irish flute, you really only have two options. Irish flutes are actually ancestors of the modern flute, so you can get a historical instrument. Ideally it has been one that has been restored already so you can try it before you buy it like I did with my flute, or you can buy a flute in need of TLC and get it restored (just make sure you check that it is tuned to be playable at 440hz before you get it). But then you don’t get to play it before you buy, and you won’t know for sure how much the cost of repair will run. The other option then is to buy a well-made modern instrument.

For more information on the Irish flute and whistle, please see my previous blog post “How to Distinguish Between Irish Flutes, Whistles, & Concert Flutes.”

Native American Flute

When people talk about the Native American flute, they are usually referring to a common style found in North America, where it is a vertical instrument in 1 main piece with 5 or 6 holes with a block used to channel the air and create the sound. To create a sound, you simply cover the hole on the top with your lips and blow, no fancy embouchure required.

It can be tuned to many different keys, although F# is very common as well as A and G. Like most world flutes, there are no keys so you have to make sure your fingers can cover the holes. Unlike the Irish flute and whistle, it is actually not usually tuned to a major scale but minor pentatonic. And concerning the possibility of reading music, it is common to look at either just fingering diagrams or something that is called Nakai tablature, a combination of classical notation with accompanying fingering diagrams.

As far as wooden instruments go, Native American flutes, even professional level, are relatively inexpensive and easily accessible.

Bansuri

The bansuri is the most common flute in India. Unlike the Irish whistle and the Native American flute, it is played horizontally. Coming from a classical flute background, the embouchure should not be challenging to form as it is basically the same. Unlike the concert flute though, it is in 1 piece with no separate joints. Bansuris can be made in any key and it is common to have multiple flutes to play in different keys. WORD OF WARNING! The name of the key for the bansuri is the note produced when the first 3 holes are covered, not all 6 like many other world flutes (FYI, the Chinese dizi is like this too). For example, if it says that the key is in G, then the note with all 6 fingers covered is D and the D major scale is the one that results when you lift one finger up at a time. Indian scales called ragas as well as their meter called talas can quickly become quite complex, but you can just apply some of your classical music theory initially to get started.

They usually have 6 holes but can have up to 8. Ideally start with a higher key (a smaller flute) as it is harder to cover the holes on the lower, larger flutes, and you also have to get used to the hand position which tends to have the fingers a little more flat than like on the concert flute. Fun fact, some bansuris get so big that it is not uncommon to have to cover the last hole using your knee! For notation, bansuris usually use sargam, a type of solfège.

Because bansuris are usually made out of bamboo, they fairly inexpensive, even for nice instruments with polish.

Ocarina

There are many different types of ocarinas around the world, and they range in size and shape depending on who/what culture is making them, being most popular in Central America and China. But essentially they are clay/ceramic vessel flutes with varying numbers of finger holes from 4 to 12 and that require a pretty simple embouchure (just cover the hole with your lips and blow).

Some of the most popular ocarinas today are the Chinese sweet potato ocarinas with 12 finger holes, making it fully chromatic for about an octave and a half. They come in a variety of keys but C is especially common. While it is popular in folk music, it is most famous today because of its prominence in the music for “The Legend of Zelda” video games. Ocarina music today is primarily written in finger tablature or classical notation, or a combination of both.

Buying an ocarina is pretty inexpensive, and they are widely available from many sources.

Panpipe

The panpipe(s)/pan flute is one of the most common flutes around the world, found in cultures like Greece and Romania to China and Thailand and to Africa. But it is probably most famous and popular in the Andean regions of South America where it is sometimes known as the siku.

Tired of covering all those open holes on most world flutes? Then the panpipe is the answer as there are no finger holes at all! It is just a series of bamboo tubes of various lengths that you blow into from above to create different notes. Although that poses a different challenge of course to beginners, figuring out and remembering the distance between pipes to get from one pitch to the next.

There is truly a huge variety in the size, key, and range of a panpipe. A basic pocket soprano panpipe isn’t very expensive and usually covers at least an octave with the keys of C and G major (the full scales or just their pentatonic scales) being fairly popular. But they can have many more pipes and range (including alto, tenor, and baritone) and can even have a double row of pipes that sometimes allows you to play chromatically. Alternatively, the angle of the flute can be changed to lower the pitch. As far as music notation goes, today frequently classical notation is used but sometimes accompanied by a number corresponding to the panpipe. However, like most traditional music, there is a strong aural tradition and sheet music isn’t necessarily required but is easier for classical musicians diving into this world for the first time.

Meet Many Flutes from Around the World and Throughout Time!

I hope you consider learning a world flute as it is such a fun and rewarding experience! For more information on the benefits of playing world or other flutes, please see the blog post “Why You Need to Play Multiple Types of Flutes.”

For the young or young-at-heart flutist, you can learn about all of these flutes and more through story in the books Flutie’s Family Reunion and Flutie and Pickle’s Journey Through Time!