Bass flute story, lesson, and size comparison.

[tzbx6dch]

high D sounds like normal D on the flute

[tzbx6dch]

is it heavy?

[bribrihugsxoxo]

i want one of these and a contra bass and a double contra bass flute to add to my flute and piccolo

[NikkiSizzorHands]

I WANT ONE SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO­O BAD!

[LOVEJUSTINBIEBER790]

i play bass flute and its the SAME FINGERINGS only an octive lower.... if i play a high D which is above the staff i would read a D in the staff on bass flute.

[KatyBananaPeel]

Does it take the same note fingerings as the concert, or are they different?

[itskaylaloozerz]

@NDguy111 oh wow?? lol

[Dylanfoxx1]

Beautiful Vibrato, P.S. how much does the Bass Flute Cost?

[EpsilonWolfBreach]

@Dylanfoxx1 A Yamaha is 7Grand, A Pearl is 3.5Grand, and the Gemeinhardt is 4Grand :) I Really want one.....

[fluteforlife2009]

Does it take more air to play it??

[sib6sis3]

Okay, I play the standard concert flute, need to know is the mouth piece opening larger compaired to the the standard concert flute? Thanks for the post!

[nightowlvirgo]

i don't like playing high notes on the concrt flute, so i think i would enjoy playing this bass flute more

[orki1960]

I bought a bass flute about a year ago, it sure takes a lot of wind. I usually play bassoon in both of the concert bands I belong to but this season in one band, I think the music will sound better for one song if I play bass flute instead of bassoon. The director is in total agreement. I have my head joint above the flute instead to the side.

[shawil12]

how many notes does a bass flute have?

[fluteChic13]

@shawil12 well it has about the same amount as a concert flute but there r many more too

[fluteChic13]

fluteforlife2009 yes alot more air

[fluteChic13]

@fluteChic13

if ur good with ur air then not much more but if u have a hard ti,e with ur air then more air

[fluteChic13]

sib6sis3 well yes in many ways because of the size of the bass flute and the size of the concert flute its bigger

[fluteChic13]

ok do you need to learn the flute first than bass flute bc i want to get a bass flute

[sasuke7naruto7]

@fluteChic13 No, you do not need to learn Concert Flute before Bass Flute. If you know how to play Bass Flute, then you can play Concert Flute and Piccolo, too~ It's all the same fingerings.

[cookiemonster7392]

how does the case look like

[N3WN3W8001]

I'm So Glad They Have The Same Finqerinqs, Because My Band Teacher Said She Miqht Move Me To It.! Thank You Sooo Much.

&& I Want A Piccolo So Bad..I'm Goinq To Buy On eSo I'll Have All 3.

(Concert and Bass Flute, W/ A Piccolo.

Again, Thank You Soooo Much!

[cFighter05]

does the bass flute have the same fingerings as a regular flute??

[Shakiki]

@cFighter05 Yes

[Msflutenerd302]

that sounds sooooo cool! i wanna learn how to play an alto flute!!

[MusicBeSweetYo]

lol that thing cost more than my car!

[lennic95]

Basically it's an octave lower?

[Shakiki]

@lennic95 Correct

[murdie65]

@Shakiki not being rude lol i play flute to please cheek my channel but do you have another account on here called foreverwoodwinds? if so your rely great and i love listening to you!

[YoungFlutest]

@Shakiki Perfect. What about alto?

[97736a4er0485]

It looks like a candy cane but silver

[yougie12345]

I really liked your video and totally Wanamaker play bass and pic along with standerd ( which I play). But y do you wear gloves????

[Shakiki]

Thanks for writing. I explained in the video (or info/whatever) that I'm wearing gloves because I sold the flute for a friend and had to ship the flute out to the UK after I made the video. I didn't want to get fingerprints all over the flute and have to spend the time to polish again so I wore the gloves and then just had to swab out the inside, polish the lip plate and ship it off!

[Fusiji]

I play C flute, it's just too....ordinary. I want to learn bass flute :D

[jazzflutist]

@Fusiji

Try a gold-plated Yamaha 674 flute. You will never not-like a C flute again.

[AceofSpades4863]

My girlfriend plays flute, but doesn't really like normal Concert flute. Today, I found a bass flute (which no one knew it existed) and she was really excited. I honestly prefer the bass flute and piccolo over C flute. I don't know why, guess I'm weird like that. o.O

[Katlynn888]

Oh my goodness, that's a huge flute! I love it! Lolz. I'm happy with my concert flute, though. ^_^

-Lynn

[godofacez]

@Katlynn888 want a huge flute eh? look up a contrabass flute teehee and then the biggest flute in the world!

[bohemianvegan]

@godofacez Contrabass flutes are HUGE! There is a Subcontrabass flute now, too. Freaky. Sounds great though!

[peace09290]

that sounds so cool im a beginner band

[THEJUSTIN302]

awesome song you played at the end

[pipurrcat]

soooo cool!!!

[clarkewi]

How does a Bb flute differ from a "regular" flute and from a bass flute. Sorry, I'm a beginner. - cheers!

[Shakiki]

A Bb flute can only be useful in flute choirs. They're in the key of Bb and are slightly longer than C "regular flutes". Bass flutes & most piccolos are in the key of C.

[clarkewi]

Nice tone. I know the lowest note on my flute is a C. And I have a hard time sounding low register notes. That's what is appealing about the bass flute...the deep "sultry" tone. Amazing. They must cost heaps ehhh???

[brigettedaisy]

Most bass flutes cost in the $4,000 range

[Shakiki]

Um... No. Depends on the make, specifications, age, playing condition and whether it's new or used and where you're getting it from. This bass flute, a vintage Armstrong in great condition, sold for a little over $1k in 2006 on ebay around Christmas.

[Jackx598]

@Shakiki i don't understand how that all works...i play the alto saxophone and the note on the alto sax is G but the actual pitch is Bb. So on a Bb flute, would Bb still be Bb, the flute just has a different range?

[Shakiki]

@Jackx598 Hello and thanks for your comment. Here's how it works basically... If you play say a C on a C flute, it'll sound a C. If you play a C (fingering) on a Db flute or piccolo it'll play a Db with the C fingering. An alto saxophone is in the key of Eb (I used to have a huge list of instruments vs other instruments and keys, etc.). Off the top of my head, playing a C on an alto saxophone (fingering) would sound an Eb.

[Shakiki]

@Jackx598 Playing a C (note) on a tenor or Bb soprano saxophone would sound a Bb. Playing a C (note) on a Bb clarinet is also a Bb. On a Bb flute (which are hard to find, by the way), a C (fingering) played would produce a Bb tone. The original Stars & Stripes Forever was written for Db piccolo. Instead of starting the solo part on a high Eb it would've, then, started on an E natural if playing the same music on a Db piccolo because it'd be a 1/2 step higher than the C piccolo.

[Shakiki]

@Jackx598 In middle school they had the flutes play a Bb (just the one above the staff) and the clarinets would tune to a C note on their end because of the fact that the clarinet is in Bb which C is 2 1/2 steps up from. Bb on flute = C (fingering) on clarinet as the C note/fingering tends (as far as my brain is telling me at the moment) to determine the pitch of the instrument. Make sense?

[mmcoopstar]

bass flute totally rocks!!! i love it :)

[Faerie13Flute]

Beautiful vibrato. It's HUGE, though. And band camp is for cool peopl. xDD I'm going to one in UNCG this year. xD

[msgreenleaf15]

Nice Vibrato!

[crhsbandgeek]

the headjoint is suppose to point up not horizontal...just so you know

[Shakiki]

What in the world are you babbling about? Feel free to explain...

[castq3]

that's a contrabass flute...

[SubcutaneouslyFelix]

no it's not.

[WingedTigerGuy]

not on a bass flute

[Shakiki]

The flute in this video is a BASS FLUTE. I don't know what the confusion is! Contrabass flutes are HUGE!

[Guitcad1]

I imagine you have to put up with a lot of jokes involving the term "band camp."

[Shakiki]

Indeed and how annoying the jokes have been!

[Guitcad1]

Sorry. Didn't mean to add to the pile.

[Shakiki]

Lol it's ok =)

[emmygirl3181]

i always thaught those were alto flutes, but idk ive only been playing for 2 years

[lurholm]

They look similar, but an alto plays a fourth below the concert flute, and a bass plays a full octave lower. The bass flute is a little larger.

[andreocho8]

u got my D's all coonfuzzled!!!

although i do get piccolos are an octave higher

basses are an octave lower

[ilovetheflute12]

how much is a bass flute

[Shakiki]

Usually about $1k

[allreeds]

The bass flute is wonderful. I own an Emerson Bass Flute, and it has a B foot joint to match the one on my concert flute.

I also just purchased a contrabass flute from the Netherlands, made of PVC pipe. It is so much less expensive than the silver ones, and is plenty loud. Now to save for the subcontrabass flute!

[lilstripaRabbit20884]

I play a C flute, bass flute and alto flute. but I can't play piccolo. I have HORRIBLE tone on piccolo.

[mikkyk1584]

i play the flute(:

[blabbermouth3]

Lol , I play piccalo and flute , compared too them , Thats HUGE

[youngmarcher]

its spelled piccolo

[ClarinetEmily42]

ive never seen a bass flute b4 it kewl!

[ReMeMbErThEeLvEs2011]

a play a C flute and have wanted to play the bass flute since i first picked up the flutebut my research tells me they run about 5000 dollars so i am bass fluteless for a while :P

[Shakiki]

lol! You can grab one on eBay for about $1k or less if you search profusely!

[kenyaaroxursox13]

omfgg....

iswearr..

i had no

clue there was

a bass flute

omfg

wow!

[nightwillowsdream]

i really wanna play bass flute now..

ive been playing flute since fourth grade, five years now, i believe. i have to go to this marching band thing today, so im REALLY nervous!!

[rockgor]

Very cool. I am surprised to see so many comments.

I would never have recognized the sound as coming from a flute. I used to play the flute several decades ago. Also played, piano, organ; all very badly.

The director at a band clinic had a gold flute. Wonder where it is now, and what that thing is worth.

I found a mouthpiece section made of wood on the net. It converts the sound of a regular flute to that of a wood flute, and you don't have to learn new fingerings. (Think it cost $800.)

[Rodier1128]

I dont think a wooden head-joint would do such a thing, because the body is still medal.

That and ive heard one before =)

[MoNaLiSa198]

COOL!!!

i went to a music store and they let me play it....it was AWESOME, but hard in the begining

[augalashema]

lucky i want a bass flute and an alto flute sooo bad but all i got is a flute and a piccolo

[spymaster121]

never even heard of one of these it sounds cool tho

[foodstooge]

She plays well; I enjoy her sharp tonguing and breathy tone.

Why the GLOVES?

[Shakiki]

Thanks =) Gloves were on because I had to take the flute to the post office to ship the UK after playing and cleaning it!

[ChrissiD1990]

she wairs gloves because she has hyprohydrosis. Constant sweating of the hands. I have it too, and I play the flute/piccolo.

[Shakiki]

Yes I have hyperhydrosis but no I did NOT wear the gloves due to that. I wore the gloves to prevent fingerprints on the bass flute as I'd fully polished it and had to ship it out after I made the video and didn't wish to polish it again.

[Shakiki]

Also I don't have hyperhydrosis in my hands although hyperhydrosis has lead to high acidic levels in my hands (mostly the left) which causes more tarnish on instruments vs. my right hand which is normal.

[MewMaruchan]

Where can you get a bass flute??

~Maru

[Shakiki]

eBay, Craigslist, Google-- All should help you find a bass flute!

[vanya0785]

Rather than playing a bass flute, I would like to play a wooden piccolo. And since everytbody is saying the instruments they play, I will do so too:

I play soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, Bb clarinet, Eb clarinet, flute, and piccolo. I have tried the oboe, but the double reed makes it difficult for me to produce a pleasant sound. Whenever I play an oboe, it sounds as if I'm killing a duck!

[servantlol]

wait, you own an Eb clarinet and a tenor sax?

[koolbunny12345]

haha, ducks, oboes always sound like that till your professinial.

[taliatails]

OOOOOO looks different! I'd love to play bass flute one day!

I already play flute, and I'm trying to learn guitar, violin, and piano. I'm also taking home my band teacher's double bass for summer! =D

[danielsiskandfriends]

haha yeah I was thinking about that I was like.. But it IS in the bass cleft. Haha.

But yeah I wanna learn bass flute and piccolo pretty badly...

Im a trombone/euphonium/tuba player, btw.

[fornello123]

insert joke about band camp here...

[Ross3992]

..Wen the wind blows?

Dont u mean wen the camp director blows?

[Keebler9393]

i wish i could play a flute

i play tenor sax calrinet piano and a little soprano sax

[meganmysterious]

looks very fun. i would like to try a bass flute sometime.

i play flute, piccolo, clarinet, and french horn in my band.

[KreatorOfDeath1985]

wheres the beat box hun?

lol jk jk  i dont know shit bout the flute ima guitar player

[maggi007]

i wanted to play the flute for school but my mom wouldn't let me.. but i got one.. i can only play A B and G and all the songs that hav those 3 notes in it.. lol

[Shakiki]

So you have a flute that doesn't play? What kind of flute is it? Whereabouts in the US do you live? Depending on the model, etc., I may be able to fix it for you for a low price but you'd have to ship the flute to me in Florida. Anyhow, happy fluting!

[meadowsislands]

Thanks for the lesson!!! I appreciate it greatly!

[zeero331]

you should consider getting a contrabass flute

[Rodier1128]

thanks from a long time ago for finding out my picc. was a C. Ur pretty smart.

Though i was on eBay the other day and i saw one exactly like it and it said C lol. I must be lazy!

Oh ya! Im actually getting a regular flute! Its kinda like reading a series backwards huh?

[Shakiki]

Lol Congrats on getting a flute and no problemo! If you have any questions, drop me a message in here. =)

[Rodier1128]

iis the bass flute heavy? It sure looks it but IDK

[Shakiki]

Not severely...

[CometFlute31]

Which is easier to play?

Alto Flute? Or bass flute?

[Shakiki]

It depends on your embouchure I think... Try finding a local music store where you can try alto and bass flutes and you can figure out which you think is easier and harder. Bass flute wasn't very hard to play however is mentally 'hard' as you're used to playing an octave higher so the notes, obviously, wouldn't sound the same and would be lower. I suggest trying them and seeing for yourself and good luck! -S

[nu1soxi5490]

i'm so excited; i get to play the bass flute for a flute choir for solo & ensemble!

[CometFlute31]

Sweet! I wish I had an alto flute. But my mom won't buy me one... :(

[Rodier1128]

You have a d flat piccolo? I didn't think they were common anymore cause they don't make prints for them, meaning we have to transpose.

I think my piccolo is D Flat but no way for me to be sure.

[Shakiki]

How long is your piccolo from end to end?

[Rodier1128]

oh thanks for replying.

When i push the headjoint ALL the way in so it looks like one piece its about 13 inches. (give or take a few Milimeters.)

[bandgeekett]

omg ever since i learned that there was a bass flute i have wanted to play one soo bad

and at solo and ensamble they had one for sale and i almost peed my pants because i had never actually seen one lol

they're almost 5,000 dollars lol

[Shakiki]

I sold this one for a friend for about $1100. It's a vintage Armstrong model and was in mint condition. Happy searching!

[Wolfdragon71]

heh check out a bass sax if you wanna see pricey :P some go for 30 grand.

[Shakiki]

As do platinum flutes! =) At least you can fit a platinum flute in your car! LOL

[Wolfdragon71]

Oooooh I never thought of that lol. And thats true...o well bass saxes are awesome!

[TheTwisterSister]

i should try bass flute!

[LaFlautista1218]

and wow you guys are picky.

[LaFlautista1218]

Lovin' it!

[trumpetplayerfromhel]

actually that low D is on 2nd space D in base cleff...pitch wise

[solarlunarxiii]

That is so tight!

[ZJX]

my god, you're amazing!  that little excerpt that you played at the end was beautiful! Too bad bass flutes are so expensive.. all I have is a rosewood C piccolo and a concert flute (not to mention, student models!)

[skating49]

omg that sounds cool i play the advanced flute! i love playing

[steeltowndude]

bass flute looks badass. Along with the alto flute. But has anyone ever heard of double bass and contrabass flute? I think the contrabass is like really, really big.....

[steeltowndude]

Actually, I'm thinking of the hyperbass flute. Omg, it's sooooo big. Oh yeah, and I think I was thinking of something else when I said double bass flute......

[mmfan1327]

that little piece you just played for us... was amazing. i cant imagine how hard it is to play quickly on a bass. im hoping to get one.

[lietzen]

Very interesting, thanks!

[ArutoSnow]

Ah, I can't help but still love the alto flute more, but it was interesting to hear the lowest D on bass. I can't seem to get my hands on one to rent, but it looks really cool (although your arms must get tired)

[Quickfire412]

i got to play one and it hurts ur wirsts if u hold it wrong or are not used to it

[RocketRodder]

That's very cool, you seem to be quite experianced, too. =3

I have a regular concert flute (I guess, you'd call it that.. o_O) and I'm still learning. Very entertaining!

[pakhrat1]

where is this flute from , what is organ of this instrument , and who plays good thank you .

[Shakiki]

Thanks for writing. The flute was a vintage Armstrong bass flute from Elkhart, Indiana. It was sold to someone in the UK (I had it in my possession to sell for a friend). Thanks!

[MMX3SE]

looks heavy, there is not neck strap, looks hard to play for a long time, totally imporactical design

bass recorder works better^^

[MercifulMe]

Recorders=Poop

[kcpayton]

Sounds okay, but her patter is pretty moronic. What an idiot.

[Isismo0n]

lol, i thought the same thing.

[92Saxophonist]

the instrument gets lower as it gets larger and longer and that's why that flute is huge

[TonicSolFa]

you should have kept it. I would have.

[Shakiki]

Couldn't help it! lol It's been sold for a few months now, went to the UK!

[amemorysequence]

Talk less, play more. :)

[ElSaxophone]

agreed!

[SexyTenorSaxChick]

I would love to have a bass or alto flute instead of my C flute... ^_^

[LeaptheDips]

I would love to have a bass or alto flute too, but I don't know if I would give up my C flute for it. By the way I'm a tenor sax chick too!

[AliasxDudex13]

yea tenor sax!

[jetset59]

It has a very full sound. i love it! it sounds very saxophone-y

[Shakiki]

Ha! They're a bit different to play vs standard concert flute. It wasn't mine though, my friend needed the $ so decided to sell it. Thanks for watching!

[ElvenIsle]

I would really rather play a bass flute rather than my standard concert flute but I can't afford it! I really love the sound though. HOW DARE YOU SELL IT! jks.

[tubonianflute]

That sounded sooo cool!!! Mom I want a bass flute

[gzaragoza]

Wow, that's a huge flute!

[Squishy435]

Beautiful!

[fluteChic13]

@Squishy435 yes it is