How to Choose the Material of Your Flute

Flutes and all of their parts can be made out of many different materials, anything from plastic to platinum, and choosing the right materials for your flute can depend on many factors like cost, sound, playing environment, type of repertoire, a player’s physical makeup, and aesthetics.  

Types of Materials

There are MANY different materials from which to choose for your flute.  Common materials include plastic, nickel or silver-plated nickel, silver, gold or even platinum, and wood.  While these are the most frequently encountered, there are still many other possibilities such as copper, brass, titanium, aluminum, and glass, and the list goes on.  

It is also important to note that you can combine materials as well!  For example, your headjoint can be made out of gold or wood but your body out of silver.  And not only can the tube of the flute for the headjoint and body be different, but so can individual components on these sections as well.  As an example, a body could be silver but have gold keys, or a headjoint could have a silver tube, gold lip plate, platinum riser, and a wooden crown or even one that contains a gemstone.  In fact, many flute players think that the choice of material or combination of materials for your headjoint as opposed to the body of the flute can have the biggest impact on your sound.

And to make life even more complicated, you can additionally have either a plating or a fusion of materials when it comes to metals.  A plating is a very fine coat of a metal on top of another while with fusions the two different materials are more equal in thickness.  Plating usually does not affect the sound as much as a fusion does, and when doing a fusion on the tube of your flute, the choice of which material is on the inside and which on the outside can also change the sound.

Let’s compare some of the pros and cons of the most common types of materials from which flutes are made.

Plastic

Most flutes that are made of plastic are instruments that are made for players who need some kind of physical accommodations.  Plastic is very cheap, lightweight, and durable.  It is therefore great for young flutists not ready for a concert flute, and there are several kinds of flutes out there that make use of this material.  For example, for the youngest flutists there is the Yamaha fife or Nuvo Toot which are not only plastic but very small.  There is also the Nuvo jFlute which is still small but closer to the regular size of a normal concert flute, and since it is made out of plastic it is not very heavy.  

The concern about weight is one of the main reasons why adults might play with a plastic instrument, if they are experiencing some kind of physical issues which makes a metal instrument too heavy.  Plastic is also very durable so it makes a great material for playing outside.  There are flutes like the ones by Guo which are instruments that really are normal concert flutes but are made out of plastic like the New Voice flute or a composite material of plastic with some wood and metal like the Grenaditte flute.

Nickel or Silver-Plated Nickel

Student concert flutes are commonly made out of nickel, either with or without a layer of silver plating on top.  Nickel is a fairly cheap and light material with a very bright sound.  It is great for a beginner flute student, especially for a younger student who maybe is not quite ready to take care of an instrument that is made out of a more expensive metal.  Since it is usually low in cost, it can also be nice to have a nickel instrument as a backup instrument or for one to take in areas where you would not want to take an expensive instrument, for example if you play outside for marching band or for wedding gigs on the beach.

Silver plating can make the instrument look like a silver flute and most nickel flutes do come with this layer of plating.  However, occasionally some people have issues with the silver plating, as it can wear off or form pits in places.  This is especially true for those who have more acidic skin which can go through the fine layer of plating revealing spots of the nickel underneath.  While the flute can be replated, the cost of that process is usually not worth it given the value of a student flute.

Silver

Silver, solid silver not silver-plated nickel, is the most common material from which intermediate and professional concert flutes are made.  Silver is a little more dense than nickel and is less edgy and bright sounding than nickel.  It is also more expensive than nickel, so one option if you are looking to upgrade to solid silver is to just get it on your headjoint, which can have the biggest impact on your sound, but keep your body silver-plated.

Silver will tarnish however.  But do not worry, as this just an aesthetic problem and does not affect the sound or function of your flute in any way.  Also, this process can be slowed down by putting anti-tarnish strips in your case.  Do not silver polish your flute!  If you ever wipe down the outside of your flute, it should just be with an untreated microfiber cloth.  Let repair technicians handle any polishing when you get your flute overhauled.

Gold or Platinum

Gold and platinum, being the more rare metals and those with which are the hardest for flute makers to work, are some of the most expensive materials from which flutes are made.  They are denser and therefore heavier, so if the weight of your instrument is a concern, this is something to keep in mind.  But with the extra density can come an even darker and warmer sound and also more resistance while playing. While this can take more power to play, it can provide an extra potential range of tone colors.  It is up to the performer if he or she likes the way this feels to play and how much of the flute is to be made out of these metals.

An advantage of gold and platinum is that these metals do not tarnish like silver.  Also, some people have allergic reactions on their skin to cheaper metal, especially on the lip plate, and a gold lip plate or even just gold-plating can help prevent that from happening.  Additionally, since plating does not use a lot of material, it is an affordable option.  And let’s just be honest, one of the main reasons to getting a gold flute or at least have gold plating is because it’s just beautiful!  Flute bling!

Wood

Ever wonder why a flute is considered a woodwind instrument even though it is not made out of wood?  Well actually all flutes used to be!  And still today some people prefer to play on a wooden instrument, either all wood or with just a wooden headjoint.  They usually have a slightly softer, dark and hollow sound.  Many people will play early music on a wooden flute or other genres of music such as meditation, folk, or cool jazz that might call for this kind of timbre.

Wooden flutes, although made from a material that is cheaper than precious metals, are not always cheap because they are not as common as metal flutes and are frequently only found on professional level instruments, unless you are to get an old, second-hand instrument.

Wood of course does not tarnish, but some people are allergic to certain types of wood.  And flutes can be made in all kinds of wood, so just keep that in mind when you are selecting your variety.  Also note that it is not a great idea to play wooden flutes outdoors where they would be susceptible to the elements and humidity and temperature changes.

Choosing Your Material

The amount of effect on sound the choice of material has is very subjective so it is necessary to try out different materials for yourself to see what you like.  It is also important to note that different materials can affect not just the sound of an instrument from an audience’s perspective but the way it feels to play the instrument.  Sometimes this change from the performer’s perspective is the biggest impact of a switch in material.

Additionally, material is just one of many variables on which you need to decide when selecting your flute as there are many other factors that can affect your sound as well.  If you need more help in determining a flute that is right for you, both as far as sound goes as well as the many other components to consider when flute shopping, please check out the free digital course, “Finding Your First or Forever Flute (and How to Make It Last)!”