Treble flute

The treble flute is a member of the flute family. It is in the key of G, pitched a fifth above the concert flute. The instrument is rare today, only occasionally found in flute choirs or private collections.

A limited number of manufacturers produce G treble flute, including Myall-Allen and Flutemakers Guild. The flutes have many of the same options as their larger C flute cousins, including sterling silver bodies, trill keys, and soldered keys.

Since the demise of the Renaissance flute consorts, the use of this treble flute in G seems to have all but disappeared. Only in the flute bands of Northern Ireland and Scotland that have converted from the traditional "simple system" flutes to Boehm system silver flutes, do we see extensive use of the treble flutes in G. Current instrumentation of one of these ensembles typically would be: 1 piccolo in C, Solo treble flute in G, 1st, 2nd and 3rd treble flutes in G, Solo flute in C, 1st and 2nd flutes in C, 1st and 2nd alto flutes in G, bass flutes in C, (and contrabass flutes in C), 4 percussion.

A few American publications for flute choir currently include a part for Eb (soprano) flute, an instrument pitched a minor third higher than the standard C flute and is rather rarely found at present. In these publications, an alternative part is provided either for the C Flute or for the piccolo. With the substitution of one of these more commonly found instruments, however the distinctive colour of a treble flute sound is missing.