Theobald Boehm invented the modern flute. He connected a bowl-shaped head to a cylindrical centre with large finger holes and open-standing keys. Several small developments have been made after that.
Flute Construction
Modern flutes are often around twenty-six inches long and 0.75 inches wide. There are two open ends which makes it an open cylinder. There are sixteen openings in total; eleven are closed by seven fingers, one is closed by the left thumb, and four can be opened or blocked by arranged keys.
Flute Categories
For most flutes, the flute player blows straight across from the edge of the embouchure. These are called end-blown. Another basic type is the side-blown flute. Here, the player blows through the hole located at the side of the tube. Another model is the fipple flute which manoeuvres the air through a duct onto the edge. Fipple flutes are easier to play and has a well defined timbre compared to other flutes. Here are the categories of flutes based on origin: