What is the range for the flute for a high school band?

Question

I'm writing a song for a high school band, but I'm unsure of the range for flute players. I know flute players play really high, but I'm not sure where the limit is (both high and low). What range *should* I have high school flute players in, and what range *can* I have high school flute players in? (Sometimes there's a difference because there's notes that can be played but generally sound bad or are so quiet they won't be heard.)

Answer 1

Hello,

I'm a high school flutist and usually our band pieces are in the range of E4 to around B6. Generally the higher the note is, the harder it will be for a large section to play in tune (it might sound shrill). The lower octaves will be harder to hear and may be flat, and the third register of the flute tends to be sharp. So a good range would probably be from E4 to B6, but a flute can technically play from B3 to D7 (it is possible to play higher but it is very very rare, especially in band music and high school music). In general, notes below F4 will be hard to hear, and notes above E6 will be hard to tune, but if you write more than one flute part (Flute 1 and Flute 2 for example) it will be easier to tune.

Hope this helps!

Cheryl