Alto Flute in G

Alto Flute in G is one of the most sought-after alto flutes in the world. It is characterized by an agile response and precise intonation, but its best feature is its warm, beautiful sound.

The alto flute is a lower and somewhat more unusual member of the flute family than the piccolo and concert C flute. Sounding a perfect fourth lower than the flute in C, it has a sounding range from G below middle C to the G three octaves higher. Its sound differs from that of the C flute, despite its similar compass, due to the fundamental differences in size necessary to enable to lowest pitches to sound. The internal diameter (bore size) of the alto may be up to seven millimetres larger than that of the C flute, and is considerably longer, measuring approximately 880mm, compared to the 685mm of the C flute. 

Alto Flute in G

The basic design of a standard alto flute is the same as the C flute, with the specifications proportionally larger and extra levers attached to some of the keys to allow for the large space between tone holes.

The exact origin of the alto flute is unknown, although large flutes have been in existence for several hundred years. Early flutes were tuned to different pitches, to cover a wider range of pitches than was possible with the limited compass of instruments without keys. Early use of flutes was predominantly military. Flutes were later used to add an instrumental colouring to vocal lines, and eventually became exponents of instrumental music in the form of a consort of similar sounding instruments with different pitch ranges. 

There are thought to have been soprano, alto, tenor and bass flutes, tuned a perfect fifth apart with a pitch range limited to approximately an octave. The modern C flute, with a much greater extension of range than the earlier instruments, is an amalgamation of the alto and tenor versions of these early flutes. The bass member of the family, pitched in G, suffered from a number of impracticalities due to its necessary size, and became virtually obsolete until Boehm's work to modernise it in the mid 19th century.

Specification:
Level	Professional	Key Types	Plateau
Key	G	Key System	Offset G
Body Style	Type-1	Key Mechanism	N/A
Body Material	Gold brass	Spring Type	Blue Steel
Headjoint	Straight; Curved; Gold brass Sterling silver lip plate and riser	Screw Type	Tapered Pivot
Key Material	Nickel silver (posts and ribs)	Options	Curved Headjoint (YFL-A421UII); Straight and Curved Headjoints (YFL-A421BII)
Footjoint	C	Key Types	Plateau
Tone Holes	Drawn	Key System	Offset G