Contrabass flute

The contrabass flute is one of the rarer members of the flute family. Typically seen in flute ensembles, it is sometimes also used in solo and chamber music situations. Its range is similar to the regular concert flute, except it is pitched two octaves lower; the lowest performable note is two octaves below middle C (the lowest C on the cello). Many contrabass flutes in C are also equipped with a low B (in the same manner as many modern standard-sized flutes are). Contrabass flutes are only available from select flute makers.

Sometimes referred to as the "gentle giant" of the flute family, the contrabass retains the facility for trills, as found elsewhere in the flute world. The contrabass' ease of arpeggiation is moderate and thus equivalent to the rest of the flute family. The contrabass flute requires a much greater air volume to produce sound than most other wind instruments, and a broader, slower air stream is needed to produce a solid tone. The upper registers (middle C and above) lack the tonal strength found in its cousins; the strongest register is arguably between G₂ and G₃. The low register (below G₂) has similar qualities to the bassoon.

Contemporary musicians using the contrabass flute include Paige Dashner Long, Andy Findon, Laura Hyder, Madeleine Bischof, Pierre-Yves Artaud, Matthias Ziegler, Stefan Keller, Ned McGowan, Peter Sheridan, Patricia García, Sérgio Morais, David Lamont, Patrick Shaw Iversen, Vinny Golia and André 3000. Golia plays all flute sizes and recorded the CD Music for Like Instruments: The Flutes with a quartet of three other flutists. Due to the price and rarity of this instrument, few people have explored this instrument.

The contrabass flute in C is produced by Jean-Yves Roosen (France), by the Japanese firm Kotato & Fukushima, Eva Kingma, Pearl, Di Zhao, and Christian Jäger from Munich. Jupiter flutes has created a student model for flute ensembles. Kotato & Fukushima is one of the few sellers of double contrabass flutes.

Contrabass flutes have also been made from PVC pipe by the Dutch flute maker Jelle Hogenhuis. If the wall thickness is kept small, the PVC creates a louder contrabass. PVC can also sustain more rough treatment.