What Are Flutes Made Of?
Silver-colored flutes may either be silver-plated or made of nickel-silver or solid silver. Solid silver (also known as sterling silver) is silver with a purity of 92.5% and is used for both the tube and the key system.
Golden flutes are made of gold of various different purities, such as 9-carat, 14-carat, and 18-carat gold. The higher the number, the higher the percentage of gold content.
In 14-carat gold, gold, silver, and copper are blended together. Higher levels of copper give the metal a reddish hue, and higher levels of silver produce a yellowish gold. In a concert hall, red 14-carat gold really sparkles like gold.
As a musical instrument, it is important that a flute's sound be beautiful; however, for aesthetic purposes, it is also important the design and the material are also beautiful.
FLUTE FOR A STRONGMAN?
There are also platinum flutes, which weigh more than gold instruments and produce a correspondingly stronger sound. These highly spectacular instruments seem to fill every corner of the concert hall with sound. For this reason alone, the player of a platinum flute experiences fairly strong resistance. Flautists who are used to playing a silver flute normally lack the strength to get the full sound out of a 14-carat gold, 18-carat gold, or platinum flute, as flutes of different materials each have their own corresponding playing methods.
FLUTES MADE OUT OF WOOD?
The wooden flute has recently been winning new fans. The tube is made of a heavy wood known as grenadilla, while other components such as the key posts and the keys are made of silver. The warm timbre that is produced possesses great charm.