The fife is among the oldest flutes that still get some use, and the fingerings are identical to the tin whistle (a.k.a. pennywhistle, Irish whistle). It has six holes operated by three fingers of each hand. All closed plays a low D, and picking one up at a time from the bottom results in a D major scale.
Full Answer
What is a fife flute?
The fife is, historically, a small, keyless, transverse flute with a narrow, completely cylindrical bore and six finger holes. This page will focus on the traditional American and British fife used in the 18th, 19th, and well into the 20th centuries.
How do you play the Fife with sheet music?
Locate sheet music for the fife online or at music stores. Use a fingering chart side by side with the sheet music to remember where to place your fingers for each note. You may be able to adapt music for another wind instrument—like a flute, piccolo, or panpipe—to play for the fife.
What is a Fife in music?
A Treatise on the Instrumentation of Military Bandsby C. Mandel (Boosey, London, 1860) uses the term "so-called fifes" for small flutes just below the piccolo, in Bb, B, and C (see here) . These are not traditional fifes, but are often confused with them.
What do I need to learn to play the Fife?
Learn the proper fingering for nearly any note on the fife with a simple fingering chart. You may want to learn the basics of understanding musical notes, but you don’t have to.
Is fife fingering the same as the flute?
The fife is among the oldest flutes that still get some use, and the fingerings are identical to the tin whistle (a.k.a. pennywhistle, Irish whistle). It has six holes operated by three fingers of each hand.
Can you play any song on the flute?
If the music is written in bass clef (for low instruments), then you 100% cannot play it on the flute. Unless of course you are able to read bass clef. In which case just play the music up an octave or two (or three!). Also, music written for low instruments is in a totally different style to music written for flute.
How do you play flute fife?
Holding and Blowing into the Fife. Hold the instrument out to your right. Position the fife so that it is horizontal and extending out to the right of your face. The six holes for fingers should be out to the right, while the one hole on its own goes near your mouth for blowing.
What's the difference between flute and fife?
A flute has a lower range, is generally made out of metal and has considerably more holes in it which are all covered by keys to enable a wider variation of notes. Pressing one key on a flute can cover as many as three holes at a time whereas with the fife you can only cover as many holes as you have fingers available.
What songs can I play on flute?
Classic Beginner Flute SongsHot Cross Buns.Yankee Doodle.Canon in D (Pachelbel)Happy Birthday.Ode to Joy (Beethoven)Für Elise (Beethoven)Little Brown Jug.Alouette.More items...
Can a flute play violin music?
The flute is considered a C instrument and plays anything in the treble clef. So, can the flute play violin music? Yes, yes it can.
Is it hard to play a fife?
Fife is much more difficult to play than the regular wooden flute - it takes a very strong embouchure. Your lips need to be tight - try putting a piece of dry rice between your lips and blow until it pops out (I'm serious)… this will give you an idea how small the hole in your lips needs to be.
How much does a fife cost?
The distance between the centers of the blow hole and the last finger hole should be about 10-7/8 inches. Otherwise, you will have a fife for displaying rather than playing. New wood fifes of any quality will cost at least $100, and can run much higher than that.
What is the difference between a fife and piccolo?
fife is the structure. A piccolo has keys, while most fifes simply have holes. This applies to cheap fifes, like the Yamaha fife, and other models. Sure, you can find some simple system piccolos.
Is a fife like a flute?
The fife, most accurately described, is any cylindrically bored transverse flute, usually in one piece (but sometimes two), usually somewhat longer than the piccolo and having only six fingerholes with no keys.
Is a fife a woodwind instrument?
The fife is a diatonically tuned instrument commonly consisting of a tube with 6 finger holes and an embouchure hole that produces sound when blown across....Fife (instrument)Woodwind instrumentClassificationWind Woodwind Aerophone Edge-blown aerophoneHornbostel–Sachs classification421.121.12 (open side-blown flutes with fingerholes)5 more rows
Is there a musical instrument called a fife?
fife, small transverse (side-blown) flute with six finger holes and a narrow cylindrical bore that produces a high pitch and shrill tone. The modern fife, pitched to the A♭ above middle C, is about 15.5 inches (39 cm) long and often has an added E♭ hole covered by a key. Its compass is about two octaves.
Fife
- Fife is a diatonically tuned instrument that is somewhat similar to a piccolo. Its innovative design consists of a narrow bore that produces a high-pitch sound compared to that of flutes used in orchestras. Due to their portability and loud sound, fifes were widely used by military units and …
Flute
- A flute is a family of melodic instruments that belong to the woodwind group. It is an aerophone that produces sound when the air streams across the opening. A person playing the flute is referred to as a flute player or a flutist. Back in time, flutes were made of animal bones. Modern flutes are made of wood and generally have metal keys to play with. Some of the flutes are mad…
The Similarities
- When it comes to hunting for similarities between a fife and flute, amazingly, they are similar in a few ways. Simple-system (keyless) flutes and fifes are relatively inexpensive instrumentsand are often used as a side note in tutorials intended for folks playing instruments with keys. These instruments are available in a wider range and models. Typically, both flutes and fifes are made …
Which Instrument Is Good For beginners?
- Fifes are considered to be real instruments, and this is why it is one of the hardest wind instruments to learn to play with. While you learn to play the fife, it may wind you when you learn to blow into the fife and play strings of notes. It is recommended that you should take breaks and rest for a few minutes to build up your stamina and have a better lung capacity. But this isn’t me…
But Remember…
- Although flutes are better and easier for beginners, remember to focus on where your passion lies. You can pick up any instrument and learn how to play, but it’s your passion that will make your journey trouble-free and fun. Some instruments can indeed give you a hard time, but if you have love and a knack for learning, you can easily overcome problems. While you think about wh…