Bass Flute

The bass flute was for many years the lowest member of the flute family. However, in recent years the rise in popularity of flute choirs and developments in low flute design have resulted in the addition of contrabass and subcontrabass models in G and C.

Pitched in C, the bass flute sounds one octave lower than the standard concert flute (C flute), and the standard bass flute has a workable range of almost three octaves from the C one octave below middle C.

Different makes of standard-model bass flute are relatively similar to each other in terms of design; all have curved headjoints, to reduce the amount of arm stretch required of the player, and the vast majority are held horizontally to the side of the player.

The basic design of a standard-model bass flute is the same as the C flute, with the specifications proportionally larger and extra levers and touchpieces added to some of the keys to allow for more comfortable hand positions. The standard model has a C footjoint and closed holes, and may not have trill keys. As a result, there are many constraints in terms of extended techniques, especially in the area of multiphonics, which often need additional venting in order to sound. The tube length is around 146cm and the instrument requires a large capacity of air at slow speeds. The instrument can be slow to respond, especially when cold, and it is not unusual for the bass flute to be amplified in performance, especially when heard with large ensembles.

Specification:
Level	Professional	Tone Holes	Drawn
Key of	C	Key Types	Plateau
Body Style	Type-1	Key System	Offset G
Body Material	Gold Brass; Wooden Hand Rest	Key Mechanism	N/A
Headjoint	Curved; Gold Brass Sterling Silver Lip Plate and Riser	Spring Type	Blue Steel
Key Material	Nickel Silver (posts and ribs)	Screw Type	Tapered Pivot
Footjoint	C	Bumper Type	Leather
Plating	Silver (keys)	Options	N/A