Flutes are long, thin cylindrical musical instruments that are open at both ends. If the blow hole is at one end of the cylinder the flute is called end-blown flute; if the blow hole is in the side of the instrument it is called a side-blown or transverse flute.

Flutes are woodwind instruments, but differ from other woodwind instruments in the way the sound is produced.

Unlike most woodwind instruments with flutes you blow across the opening rather than through it. The flow of air vibrates the column of air inside the instrument. When the air vibrates it produces sound and the sound can be varied by the length of the air column. The length of the vibrating air column is the length from mouth piece to the first open hole. The shorter the air column the higher the note.

Flutes are among the oldest musical instruments. They have exhisted since prehistoric times. The oldest known evidence of flutes is from a piece of a flute made of a bear femur found in Slovenia. The fragment dates back over 43,000 years. Other ancient flutes were found in Germany a flute made from a mammoth tusk and two flutes made from swan bones all dating back to over 30,000 years ago. All of these earlier flutes were end-blown flutes.

The first evidence of transverse flutes appeared in Empire Byzantine pictures from the 10th and 11th centuries. The transverse flute appeared in literature in 1285.

Flutes can be expensive so it's a good idea to know what you need beforehand. Talk with your flute teacher to get an idea of what you need for your first flute.

Most student flutes have plateau keys which are easier to play. Some teachers prefer that students buy open hole keys right away as they will need to learn to play them eventually.

A flute consists of a body material and the plating. The body can be made of nickel silver or silver. When choosing the material keep in mind that it has a big impact on the cost, durability and tone of the flute. Nickel silver is more durable and inexpensive while silver has a better tone but dents easily.

Plating can be nickel or silver. Silver plating is more popular, hypoallergenic, and has a better sheen, but requires polishing and is not as durable as nickel plating. Nickel plating can get slippery and may cause irritation in people who are allergic to nickel.