The Piccolo and Flute
The flute is a popular instrument across all music genres including orchestras, flute choirs, pop groups and jazz bands. The flute is particularly strong as a solo instrument and many pieces of music have been written to show off the instrument and its fine sound.
The flute produces sound when air is blown across a mouthpiece hole which creates a siphon. This agitates the air contained within the flute and by the using the keys and varying the air pressure, a flute player is able to select and play the notes.
The standard concert flute is the most popular and is pitched in the key of C with a range of three octaves starting from middle C.
The piccolo is smaller than the flute (piccolo is Italian for "small") and piccolos are often included in ensembles with the violins or with flutes to add an "edge" to the overall sound.