Study of Musical Instruments: Flute


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Creator/Artist: C. Himasunder Rao

Category: Product Design

Document: Special Project

Batch: 1997-1999

Source: India,   IDC IIT Bombay

Period:  1999-2008

Medium: Report pdf

Supervisor: Prof. M. Bhandari


Detailed Description

We almost always hear a variety of sounds. The pleasant sounds are called "musical." A composition of pleasant sounds makes music. Music has a tremendous influence on people’s lives. There is music for nearly every occasion and event. Today, music and musical instruments have become so sophisticated and specialised that we rarely ponder the roots of their existence. However, if we searched, we would discover the significance of the relationship between music and people's cultural lifestyles.

Music is surely more evident with instruments. Right from Phantom’s "tom-tom" drums to the mumbling of the bumblebees, we find the roots of music. Bird whistles and insect drones demonstrate the concept of musical effects and the origins of their creation. Though very versatile, the simplest of all instruments is the flute. It is the wind instrument closest to the human voice. It is an indoor as well as an outdoor instrument. It is very portable and reasonably priced. The punch of the flute is its ability to produce sound. In most wind instruments, air is made to vibrate and is the cause of tones. The flute belongs to the family of woodwind instruments. The flute is one of the world’s oldest musical instruments, and it is also one of the simplest. It is essentially a hollow chamber equipped with a blowhole for introducing acoustic energy. The flute is the only musical instrument that is purely acoustical, requiring no vibrating membranes, strings, reeds, or surfaces for the production of sound, and it has been developed to include a variety of wind instruments. Wind instruments, by their very nature, do not need recurring expenditures to maintain them. It is the most commonly encountered musical instrument. It is considered the common instrument of humanity. This instrument occurs internationally and is not limited by geographical barriers.

This report concentrates essentially on the Indian aeroplanes; its growth, and its social influence. In the history of world music, the Indian flute may be said to be one of the first instruments on which classical music was played. Among concert instruments, the flute enjoys the same dignity and status as the veena. Folk music has a definite character and style of playing the flute. The flute enhances the charm of music and the theme of the occasion. The distinct music that evolved in the region over time has helped to establish the style culturally. For example, the music of the hills is distinctive from the kirtans of the south.