Flute Makers

This Page is under Complete re-construction but I have uploaded what I have done and left the original links at the bottom of the page. Hopefully it should make it easier to follow and find famous flute makers when it's done!!

Flute-makers have to do a five year apprenticeship. The hardest part to get right is the head-joint. If this is wrong the flute will never sound good. The head-joint is conical. The lip plate is shaped and the embouchure hole cut by hand to the right size with the blowing edge at the correct angle for the breath to vibrate the column of air in the body of the flute. The top end is stopped by a crown. This holds the cork inside the tube by means of a screw. Moving this cork minutely changes the length of the column of air and therefore the relative pitch of every note played.

A Flute is 67cm long (C Foot joint) and weighs 400-600g. The constant bore of the body and foot joint is 19mm.

The rest of the flute is made from two pieces of tube with a constant bore. It takes more than 150 pillars, rods, keys, rollers and springs to make a flute.

Because there are so many makers of Flutes around, the links have now been categorised into the following:

Some of the Makers have no web presence as yet so if you find a link to them - or are that maker - please let me know! Taa Muchly!

Are there any other flute maker out there in the WWW whose address We've not got?

The word 'flute' comes from the Latin word 'flare' which means to flow. Most student flutes are made of silver-plated metal such as yellow brass, which is 70% copper and 30% zinc. Silver-plating gives the flute a more mellow sound. Most professionals play on solid silver flutes (silver content 92.5%) although some, like James Galway, play on flutes made of other metals.

If you feel the need to link - feel free but please respect the fact that this is my own work - the result of many years teaching and performing and should you wish to use any of the material ~

Andreas Glatt - Baroque Flutes	John Rutzen - Baroque Flutes
Boaz Berney - Historical flutes	Anthony Arnold
Jean-François Beaudin	Blezinger

The Butterfly HeadJoint Company Inc.	David Chu Headjoints
J.R. Lafin - Flute Headjoints	Woodlight Head Joints
Welans Headjoints	Tanzer Headjoints
Francisco V. Candelaria

Bulgheroni Piccolos	Keefe Piccolo Company
Burkart Flutes & Piccolos	Burkart 2

Altus	Arista Flutes
Armstrong	Artley
Abell	Akiyama
Amati Denak
Boosey & Hawkes	Buffet Crampon
Burkart Flutes & Piccolos	Burkart 2
Emanuel Flutes