Why Flute Is THE BEST Instrument: Top 10 Reasons
I love all musical instruments, but being a flutist, obviously I think that the flute is the best instrument! And here are 10 very good reasons why.
10. It’s Beautiful! ✨
Let’s be honest, a lot of us probably chose to play the flute because it is shiny! 😂 Silver and gold are used in jewelry for a reason, and those materials look just as amazing when made into a flute! (And yes, I still love wooden flutes too 🪵).
Of course, as lovely as the flute is to look at, it is even more beautiful to hear! The flute is one of the instruments closest to the human voice and so that is probably why it resonates with so many of us. I remember choosing flute to play in 5th grade band because I had listened to a French flute music CD a few months prior. Band took FOREVER to start because I absolutely could not wait to make music like that myself!
9. It’s Virtuosic! ⚡
Not only can the flute play beautiful melodies, but it can play really fast too! There is a reason flutes play Flight of the Bumblebee 🐝 all the time as it is easier for us to play fast than many other instruments. And fortunately for flutists, we can also effortlessly double and triple tongue, a technique not so easy on other woodwind instruments—a blessing when you have to play Mendelssohn’s Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream!
By the way, it’s not only our regular concert flute that can play fast. Flutes of all sizes can as well, including the contrabass flute! Below is a video of Flight of the Bumblebee on the contrabass.
8. The Flute Gets to Play the Melody All the Time! ♫
Because the flute can sound both beautiful and flashy, we get to play the melody a lot! Unlike many instruments which play the accompaniment most of the time and the melody every once in a while, the flute is the exact opposite. The majority of ensemble pieces have the flute playing the melody at some point, if not for most of the piece! As much as I love a good I-IV-V-I bass line, it is nice to get to play the main tune 😁.
And because we often play the melody, we usually get to sit in the front of the band, or at least the wind section in an orchestra. Although this is a double edged sword—good for photos and being in the spotlight but we are very visible to directors (no getting away with anything) and in the danger zone of flying batons during intense moments of conducting. 🪄
7. It Rocks! 🤘
Again, because the flute is very versatile, the flute not only gets to play the melody a lot but can play in many different ensembles and genres. In addition to solo playing and flute choirs of course, you can find the flute in wind ensembles, marching bands, orchestras, chamber groups, and increasingly frequently in jazz and even rock bands. We play in concerts, accompanying choirs, in religious services, at weddings, in operas, musicals, and plays, and for movies and video games, and a ton more. We can play early historical music on the Baroque flute and modern music with cool effects from extended techniques and a glissando headjoint. And we can play classical music, jazz, rock, Irish jigs and lots of other world music, and MUCH more.
6. No Transposing Needed! 🔤
We are very fortunate as flutists to be C instruments, in concert pitch. That means when a conductor wants to hear a C, we play our C and that’s that. Unlike some other wind instruments, which need to transpose to make a concert C sound (ex. Bb clarinet sounds a Bb when they finger what they call their C). A lot less hassle and it makes playing tunes and arrangements in concert pitch like those found in fake books, hymns, or on the top line of piano parts much easier to sight read.
Or if we do transpose, generally it is just by an octave (ex. piccolo sounds one octave higher than written and bass flute sounds one octave lower) which doesn’t take much extra thought. The big exception to this though is alto flute which sounds a fourth lower in G, and there are several other less common concert flutes and some world flutes where transposing is a concern.
5. No Reed or Spit Valve Required! 🌾💦
Phew! Need I say more?
4. It’s Small and Transportable! 🚚
One of my favorite benefits to playing flute! Never take for granted how easy it is to take your flute with you wherever you go—to work/school, to a concert hall, up 5 flights of stairs, in the car, or on an airplane. Just ask your double bass or tuba-playing friends. And if you play the piccolo, that’s so small you can almost keep it in your pocket (but it’s safer in its case of course)!
Of course the problem is when you want to play contrabass flute, or when you need to bring it and your bass flute and alto flute AND your regular concert flute to flute choir rehearsals…
3. The Flute Is the Oldest Instrument in the World! 🕰️
Did you know that the oldest instrument ever found is a bone flute that dates back over 50 THOUSAND years? It is actually so old that it wasn’t even made by humans but Neanderthals. However, some archaeologists debate whether or not it is actually truly an instrument, but still the oldest confirmed flute (and man-made instrument) is around 40 thousand years old. Flute playing is the oldest form of music making, with singing of course and percussion.
For more info about flute history, check out the storybook “Flutie and Pickle’s Journey Through Time.”
2. The Flute Family Is Enormous! 𐦂𖨆𐀪𖠋
Being the oldest instrument, it is also incredibly widespread. Almost every culture throughout the world has some kind of flute that is commonly played, many times having more than one.
You can never be bored playing the flute! You can spend your entire life learning as many flutes in the flute family as you can and only ever get to a fraction of them!
If you would like to meet many instruments in the flute family, check out the storybook “Flutie’s Family Reunion.”
1. Flutists Are THE COOLEST People! 🤩
This is THE BEST reason to play flute! Some of the coolest, nicest, go-getting (and a bit perfectionist and overly-organized) people I have ever met have been flutists. It is one of my greatest joys to get to teach flutists and make music every day, and I am very grateful to have the flute in my life!
