How the transverse flute makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the transverse flute belongs to the flutes (edge-blown): an air jet is split on a sharp edge, setting the air column vibrating – flutes, recorders, whistles and panpipes.
More broadly it is one of the aerophones (wind instruments), where sound comes from vibrating air.
Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.
From Wikipedia
A transverse flute or side-blown flute is a flute which is held horizontally when played. The player blows across the embouchure hole, in a direction perpendicular to the flute's body length.
Transverse flutes include the Western concert flute, the Irish flute, the Indian classical flutes (the bansuri and the venu), the Chinese dizi, the Western fife, a number of Japanese fue, and Korean flutes such as daegeum, junggeum and sogeum.
Other flutes
Questions people ask
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Frequently asked questions
What does a transverse flute sound like?
As one of the flutes, its sound comes from the way an air jet is split on a sharp edge, setting the air column vibrating.
What type of instrument is the transverse flute?
It is classified as flutes (edge-blown) (Hornbostel–Sachs 421.12).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q16875637 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Transverse flute – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Cesar Peredo – CC BY-SA 4.0