How to play and write for the Contrabass Flute
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
- This video showcases my beautiful Kingma Contrabass Flute and provide's a Composer's Toolkit, designed to fire the imagination of creative writers interested in these new sounds!
The first 2 minutes of the video focuses on the bottom register, demonstrating the colours, dynamics and effects which are so unique to this instrument.
I go on to explore the middle and top registers and then demonstrate a whole raft of extended /contemporary techniques.
CORRECTION: C2 is the lowest note on the Cello, and the Contrabass Flute does go one semitone lower - however, at 1:10 - I've written that the lowest note is B2. So, it is actually B1. I got my B0's B1's and B2's mixed up! Likewise - the highest note I play vin this video is actually C5 - with the highest (usable) note being D5 not D4 - though technically speaking - F5 and F#5 should be possible... Apologies for this mistake!
0:00-1:25 - Bottom Register
1:25-1:47 - Agressive Articulation
1:47-2:10 - Rapid Re-articulation
2:10-2:37 - Middle Register
2:37-3:00 - Top Register
3:00-3:33 - Percussive Groove
3:33-5:27 - Extended/Contemporary Techniques
"Is it okay if I bring my instrument with me?"
"Depends, how big is it?"
"Oh, it's just a flute."
Natalie... 😂😀👍💯❤️
"What instrument do you play? "
"The number four"
It's a fun instrument to play. And also very useful in showing kindergarten students what comes after three.
zebra3stripes 😂 I get it cause that instrument is a shape of a 4
zebra3stripes Omg😂😂
if you want to teach a class full of children a backwards 4 that they'll have to unlearn
zebra3stripes This comment made me breathe through my nose really hard
+Mark William that's funny to me because in weird
this is how they make the noises for all those alien movies
Funnily enough - I recorded contrabass on the latest Alien: Covenant movie! Listen out for it!
It suggests a warrior sharpening his sword the night before the massacre...
This is amazing. I am going to quote you on that!
You know I have now quoted you several times in concert?? It's such a great image!
haha i love this
I asked my wife if she could guess what instrument she was hearing and she said it sounded like a didgeridoo.
To me it sounded like a cross between the Didgeridoo, Cello, Bassoon and Shakuhachi.
The percussive effects sound like when you slap your hand over the open end of a large pipe, tongue pops sound like upper note stand up bass.
All in all a very cool sounding instrument. I'd love to see an ensemble that features all the instruments in the flute family, something like a dozen of them.
My wish has already been heard and granted. Must've been a good thought, as I played the lower tones on my standard flute and thought, "Gee, I wish I could play even more lower tones!" Imagine my pleasant, happy surprise to see that there are musical trailblazers out there just waiting to be explored! What a gift you've shared, Gareth and Eva! Thank you!
I didn't know you could do Dynamics with your eyebrows!
Ha!
The contrabass flute is such a gorgeous instrument. I would love to have one, but unfortunately these instruments are very expensive.
Whimsy Wonders and rare
not really. Sub-contras and double contras are very rare, but just the contrabass isn't as hard to find as one might think.
plec there is only 7 or 8 in existence! So the contrabass flute is rare.
Marybeth Langendorf incorrect
@@grobanite4ever85 youre thinking of subcontras. A lot of ensembles have these things.
I enjoyed this video very much, especially at the beginning where long tones were played, showing that this flute is capable of much more than being used as a pseudo-percussion instrument (as in the other videos I've seen).
I just fell in luv with the flute all over again! 😍
What an amazing instrument this is. I'm looking forward to playing my flute again. 😊
This is incredible. I had no idea this instrument existed. I’ll now be able to recognize it in music I listen to. Thank you for making this! I’m so amazed at the capabilities you have with this instrument. It has to be one of the coolest I’ve ever seen and heard. WOW!!!
I can see the contrabass flute being a great tool for an extremely resonant woodwind bass. The lower register sounds fantastic.
Wow! hitting that hard harmonic was Diggeridoo like ...amazing! ... and the fast harmonics were like Marcus Miller on Bass GTR. Such a wonderful and diverse instrument, when explored properly, as you have done here,
Yeah i am blown away, so glad i came here, many thanks Gareth :)
Omg the middle register is BEAUTIFUL IM GOING TO DIE
I liked the lower register the best
Amazing instrument showcase video! I really like how it covers many ranges and techniques of the contrabass flute
SOMEONE ADD THIS TO THE MODERN ORCHESTRA/CONCERT BAND ASAP!!!
That would be an amazing thing to see and hear. But unfortunately, the bass clarinet has a similar timbre and range, but is also much louder (to be heard below the brass), easier to transport, and less expensive.
I would add bass flute before contrabass because it’s a lot more traditionally flute like
I just wrote a short piece for Contrabass flute and harp, and this was incredibly helpful in creating an idiomatically appropriate part for this previous unfamiliar (to me) instrument. THANKS!
Wonderful to see all the great things a contrabass Flute can do ! definitely going to use it in my orchetral scores and ensemble work !!! .
Very unique instrument with very beautiful sound. You obviously got skills. Thnx for sharing +
While im here. I have a question that is not related to this video but I might be in the right place to ask. I recently heared the
'Ronin-Soundtrack' from the movie Ronin with Robert Deniro. I was wondering what kind of instrument that is. If anybody reads this that has knowlegde about instruments and can enlighten me would be highly appreciated. I thought it was something like the fluit from this video or some sort of contra clarinet but im just not an expert on this matter. Anyways again great video with great skills...pleasure to listen to.Thnx again for sharing your passion. Greetings from Amsterdam
The percussion groove is so amazing omg
Some serious skills...Very unique instrument. Great Job. Thnx for sharing.
Your level of expertise on such an unusual instrument is very impressive. I really enjoy hearing you create all those breathy effects & articulations. I'd love to hear more of your playing. How long have you played the instrument?
Hello! I've actually now been playing this instrument for most of my life - and certainly all of my adult life! I started aged 15 in flute band - so as I'm turning 40 in January - that'll be nearly 25 years! Many thanks for your kind words! Very glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for this superb video. I'd love to write something for CBF and you've certainly given me a better understanding of the instrument's possibilities!
What an EXCELLENT video. Thanks so much for posting.
That is a BEAST. Thanks for sharing. 😮
It sounds beautiful but also like horror movie music
This sounds so cool! I already play the flute but I like this one sounds a lot better to me for some reason. Idk why.
Very much like a cello at times. I love it!
Beautiful instrument and playing!
Such a great sound!
I'm not instrumentally in the know, but that makes all this just feel like magic to me. And I'm okay with that.
It sounds like a cello
It does lmao
Only in the lower range; in the higher range it sounds very different. I can’t really describe in words the timbre of the upper range, other than to say that it’s quite ethereal.
Very nice playing! I love it.
The bottom register has a very daunting sound to it. I expect it takes tons of air to even get a sound out of it? I play the normal flute and It took me forever to manage my air and breathing so I expect that one takes a lot of practice.
This sounds like a bassoon. Awesome
If ur ever in a spooky Victorian house, in the woods, during a full moon, and a broadcast news reporter gives a special alert about an escaped patient from a nearby mental hospital, and then you hear THIS sound-life as YOU know it is about to cease to exist.
Extremely interesting!
Thanks for the video!
Superb sir
Шикарно!!! Нет слов!!!!👍👍👍👍👍
I can barely get out my low c I'd imagine this is much harder
The concept and fundamental technique is the same. cover a little more of the embouchure hole, and blow DOWN. Fast, close and low. You'll get it.
ha LOSER LMAO JK JK JK JK
Just press the low c and d flat keys harder works every time for me
@@cuddle.bug.pets5 that just means you have a leaky flute
I have the opposite problem, my low c sounds amazing, while anything above the highest c is awful
Wow, that was amazing!
This is badass!
Esse homem perdeu a lucidez na metade do vídeo kkkkkkkk, ficou louco!
Brilliant! Thank you so much.
This is amazing thank you so much for sharing
Glad you enjoyed it!
Love how is face is moving to show extra expression
It sounds like something that would play in the beginning of game of thrones or last kingdom or one of those type shows when it first started
This instrument sounds so tantalizingly beautiful and haunting at the same time no matter the register (wasnt a fan of the ghost thing though)
Thanks for clearing up those register issues, Gareth - I'm writing for low flutes for the first time and was sure that I heard D5 (as opposed to D4) and not really sure how high I can comfortably write (for the performer's comfort, that is!!) .... would you say G/A above middle C would be fair?
And thank you for posting this beautiful presentation - it's helped me enormously!
Hello! Glad this was a help! Yeah - the range thing is a bit of a minefield! But the thing to remember I guess is that the contrabass flute can play one note below a cello - and then you can work up from that! Depending on the instrument and the player's skill - it should be possible to get up to high C (C5) but yeah - it is certainly more stable to write up to G4. You may find that on long notes - the intonation suffers slightly and the player may have to try several positions in order to get the best pitch. Also - do also bear breath control in mind - this is four times the length of a regular flute, and it uses a LOT of air - so go easy on the long phrases - especially in the top! Cheers!
Thank you Gareth - that's all really helpful :-)
Hi again Gareth - is there somewhere you can point me for guidance in how to notate some of these articulations?
Yes! www.flutecolors.com/techniques is AMAZING. Easily the best resource for flutists and composers when it comes to Extended Techniques!
I love this!!! Do more!
Omg how much air do you need do you play the contrabass flute?! I think I'll faint in 5 minutes 😵
V Nguyen as much air as tuba players playing the lowest note possible but 2x that amount
@@PrinceSwaggy Hey bari sax, how do you feel about the bass saxes?
Got me hypnotized
your percussive section sounds like another one bites the dust XD
Gettin sassy with that groove huh?
Ummm
You sound amazing on this instrument. Is there a name for the piece you are playing? I love the mysterious vibe.
Thanks! It's actually just an improvisation that I made up on the spot - though quite a lot of people have remarked on it - so I may transcribe it and use it as inspiration for a new Contrabass Flute Solo Piece...!
You played with so much convictions I couldn't tell it was improvised :)
please do......I would love that.
Just thought I'd let you know that your comment inspired me to create a piece around the "opening theme" of this video. The new piece is called "Cosmic Dawn" - written for Flute Orchestra and it will be premiered at the Australian Flute Festival in July! So - THANKS!
That's fantastic! I hope the performance is being recorded. I'd love to hear the final product :)
It kinda sounds like a Double Bass!
I play piccolo and didn't even know that this was real
It has an Arabian sound to it, very pretty.
I came here after someone mentioned this instrument was used in Horizon Zero Dawn's soundtrack. Such a large variety in how high and low it can play.
Indeed it IS featured! It's me playing it!
This is amazing!
Imagine the size of the cleaning rod and cloth needed to clean that...
Theovertones from attack is very interesting. Also i like the harmonics. Didnt know it could do alot of this. Very cool instrument. I wonder how well it can be heard within an orchestral setting. Im reluctant to write for it though given how rare the instrument is.
Normally in any environment outside of solo performance and flute ensemble - it is mic-ed up. Normally with at least two microphones as well! It's a fairly quiet beast - but very effective as a solo instrument, and in a professional recording scenario! You can hear some of it in my Horizon Zero Dawn excerpts on here.
The sounds of our protagonist conquering trials & tribulations
Oh my gosh. It'd be my dream to play a contrabass flute. Is it the same fingers as a concert flute?
Hey! Thanks for the enthusiasm! Yep - same fingering! Get yourself to a flute convention and try one out! Lots of fun!
Bailey Catizone if it's in the concert flute family (piccolo, G treble, Alto, Bass, Contra alto, Contrabass, G Subcontrabass, Double contrabass/C Subcontrabass, or hyperbass) it will have the same fingerings. same for saxophone, bassoon & oboe (sometimes), clarinet, ocarina, recorder,trumpet/cornet/French(F) Horn/mellophone/Baritone(Euphonium)/tuba(sousaphone), trombone(slide), etc
Deatherman102 none of those instruments you mentioned have the same fingering. not even close. tuba, baritone, and trumpet overlap but the woodwinds don’t at all.
I'm sure that in person we could distinguish, but the recording sounds remarkably like a cello at times.
3:10 That's the Jethro Tull style
I played that instrament before
I wanted him to play some Sabbath on that thing!
Hi Gareth, this is a truly beautiful and haunting sound. I'm a violinist, but played clarinet years ago. How responsive is it compared to the modern, orchestral flute?
Hi David, thanks for the kind words - it's the same basic principles - but it handles a bit like a boat - a lot of anticipation is required!
3:14 was amazing... what teh hel
Meanwhile the lowest note I can play on my regular concert flute is Middle C... but seriously though, awesome job!
Also, I know this may be a stupid question... but does the instrument play in treble (like a regular flute), or bass clef? Since there are some really low notes not meant for treble.
Hi! The player reads treble clef as normal, but the sound coming out is sounding two octaves lower than written. Same as bass and alto flute where the notes that come out are an octave and a fourth lower respectively! Glad you enjoyed the video!
Gareth McLearnon interesting... didn't know that... and no problem :p
Almost seems like you could do a Peter Framton bit.
It sounds like a bassoon!
I really want a contrabass flute, but they are so expensive. I’ve been playing flute for 3 years now
I need info on those contemporary techniques, especially the harmonic flourishes. I don't play flute, but can I possibly do that on a sax or clarinet and a similar sound. Is it just multiphonics?
Hi, It's basically just blowing through the harmonic series - it's just that on Contrabass it sounds fairly apocalyptic - as opposed to on the regular flute where it sounds kinda weedy....!
@@garethmclearnonflute That explains why it sounds so different, I haven't done multiphonics on a lower instrument before.
Love it. Does it shoot flames?
Only if I've been having lamb madras earlier in the day.....
And the winner for Best Contrabass Video is .....
Sounds like between a cello and a ships horn.
That was some amazing improvisation. Is this one of four contrabass flutes made in Japan?
Thanks for the kind words! This is actually made by a maker in Holland - Eva Kingma - you can check out her website at www.kingmaflutes.com
So that's how you hit the brown noise
Can you do a comparison of how loud it is compared to other instruments?
It's pretty quiet - not much different in decibels to the regular flute - but because of the pitch range - it doesn't carry as well - I'm actually in the process of getting my Tomasi MicroCork adjusted to fit it so I can amplify like a boss!
how much did your flute cost?.Im looking to buy one..
I think they range from around $9000-$18,000 - perhaps less for older or second hand models.
I NEED
Flaulta traversal baixo Bonita Aqui No Brasil podia chegar uma Aqui meu sonho ter uma dessa
How cute he is.
_🍫🐰💌_
You know anywhere where I can purchase this?
How much does one of these cost? I noticed there is no price listed on the website.
que tremendo e bello
Do the fingerings on the top register differ from those of the concert flute?
The scale (tone hole placement) is a little funky so some special fingerings are generally used in order to play in tune - and for sure in the top register, and at extremes of dynamic....
@@garethmclearnonflute thanks! I was curious.
B1 is a semitone below cello, not B2. I think that's what they meant
Yup! It's in the notes for the video - noticed the boo-boo - but by then it'd already had 50,000 views - so I left it...! Might put a live note in there...! Cheers!
Are the fingerings of the notes the same as an alto flute?
Yep! More or less! I use a tad of alternative fingerings to get better in tune - but in general - it's the same as concert/alto/bass flute - but without the trill keys!
I play flute. does it take more breath though
+Nancy muy Yep! It does take quite a bit - the embouchure position is quite a lot more open so the air escapes quicker!
What clef is this flute in, and what key is it in(pitched in c, b, f, etc)?
It is read in treble clef - but it sounds two octaves lower than written. So like the bass flute - just an octave lower.
@@garethmclearnonflute Thank you! Is it pitched in C then?
step one, don't pass out
What key is the contrabass flute pitched in?
Hello! It's in C - there are other intermediary flutes both above and below this flute that are pitched in G - and another flute an octave below this one which sounds as low as a string bass. Thanks for your interest!
So how do you write for contrabass flute? It is a transposing instrument?
Hi! It is written like a normal flute - in treble clef with the lowest note being a B below the stave - but the instrument sounds two octaves lower than written. Thanks for your interest!
how to buy? help pls :(