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Difference between alto flute and normal flute

The Flute Academy with Jane Cavanagh

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If you've ever been wondering what an alto flute is, and how it's different to a normal flute, here is your answer, complete with a demonstration!

Jane x
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20 Comments

@michaellee2625-p8p 4 years ago

Oh my gosh alto flutes are so much fun to play. I own a Pearl alto flute and I love it so much

@joeg46Highlands 2 years ago

John Coltrane's only listed recording on flute was on an alto flute. When Eric Dolphy moved to Europe he invested in new instruments. He died suddenly in Berlin and his parents gave his instruments to Coltrane.
Seeing Eric Dolphy on film, playing flute, in 1959 - "Jazz on a Summer's Day" - was my reason for learning flute at high school.

@F-Bersh 1 year ago

Great video! Also at 0:44 I've always loved that noise

@jmurray9529 2 years ago

Easy lovers - piero piccioni , this piece and a few others have convinced me to start playing the flute and switching from the saxophone

@emilys28 7 months ago

California dreaming 😊❤

@elizabethhunt5536 3 years ago

Hi Jane, there's an alto flute improv midway through California Dreamin' by the Mamas and Papas (1960s recording)!

@eastmarvista3267 4 years ago

Informative video. I would like to see a video focused on people transitioning to Alto Flute. I'm one of those who is considering transitioning to Alto, but don't know how to approach it. What do I need to know about embouchure? Air volume? Handling a heavier flute? What exercises do I focus on? etc... To date, I haven't seen any video addressing transitioning to Alto. It would be great to see such a video.

@savedbygrace23000 2 years ago

The scores from those old Disney animated movies from the 60s which I grew up with, were all heavy on the woodwind, and you can usually hear at least one alto flute solo. (Watch The Jungle Book (1967) and listen carefully to the score.

@andrewquirey7364 3 years ago

if you ever have seen the bond flim Thunderball it was used in the underwater scene where thay stole the nuclear bombs from the old falcon bomber. Most have been a great acoustic or something.

@veng3r663 9 months ago

Thank you and I am soo looking forward to acquiring my 1st Alto Flute for my collection... 🥁📯🎸

@rodneymurphy7110 8 months ago

Hubert Laws. "Amazing Grace" at a piont uses an alto flute, and on many tunes on his other great Albums.

@drewrussellduboff 1 year ago

Alto flute is quite a common double in musical theatre orchestration.

@pascaldolin49 1 month ago

Hello in the Beach Boys tunes they use alto flute too in the background though

@candacebehuniak6449 3 years ago

Jane, I am working on Ian Anderson's Jethro Tull's "Living in the Past" to compliment my C Flute part. I am excited to add this sound to as many rock and heavy metal scores as I am going to record. Recently I have been able to borrow one and am saving for one of my own. Also, I am getting a piccolo from a flautist friend for a present soon so I will start a flute family of my own. Love the Harry Potter scores. Inspirational.

@Jason.Brayshaw 1 year ago (edited)

Caroline No from Beach Boys 'Pet Sounds', and pretty much anything by Burt Bacharach. Beautiful sound.

@sahanulgen7214 1 year ago

Thanks! It was a great piece of information for someone like me starting out and in dilemma.

@andrewquirey7364 3 years ago

Revell was a great exponent of the alto flute he used it to great effect in his Dafnis et chole where the c flute had a big glasando with piccolo at the end which led onto the altovery beautiful hunting sound effect plus holst . Great impressionist music of the early 20th century. Love the alto myself.