Subcontrabass flute

Common card · No. 433634

The subcontrabass flutes are members of the Western concert flute family. Built in two sizes, the instrument in G or F, also known as the double contra-alto flute, has 4.6 to 4.9 metres (15 to 16 ft) of tubing, while the larger instrument in C, also known as the double contrabass flute or octobass flute, has tubing 5.5 metres (18 ft) long, and is the second largest instrument of the family after the hyperbass flute. The subcontrabass flute in G is pitched a fourth below the contrabass flute in C, and two octaves below the alto flute; it is sometimes built a whole tone lower in F. The subcontrabass flute in C is a full octave below the contrabass flute, hence its "double contrabass" name. Its lowest note is C1, the lowest C on the piano. The subcontrabass flutes are mainly used as the lower voices in large flute choirs, although they are occasionally also used in film scores. Their projection is limited without amplification, especially in larger ensembles. At present, they are only available...

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