Flute Explorer (3D)
About this app
A flute to play yourself, with sound computed in real time from a physical model. An air jet tips back and forth at the edge of the mouth hole, and the tube sets the beat. Blow harder and it jumps to the octave; open holes shorten the standing wave. Fingerings, pressure and angle are free, and the flute also plays Bach and Gluck.
With explain mode: an AI tutor walks you through the app, points out what matters in the scene and answers your questions.
How a flute sounds without a reed
On a flute no solid part vibrates. An air jet from the lips meets the edge of the mouth hole and tips back and forth, into the tube and out. The tube sets the beat. Blown harder, the jet gets faster, its travel time to the edge shorter, and on the same fingering the note jumps to the octave.
What the app shows
A silver Boehm flute in 3D whose sound is computed in real time from a physical model, with no recordings. The wave stands above the tube and its nodes jump along when overblowing. A ring marks the first open hole. A section at the mouth hole shows lips, jet and edge in slow motion, a lengthwise cut shows the moving air. A computed map shows where each register speaks.
Try it yourself
Pick a note and blow. On low C raise the pressure slowly until the note jumps. Reduce the lip distance and see it jump earlier. Set the angle to 0: the even partials disappear and the sound turns hollow. Click single keys and try fork fingerings. Let it play Bach’s Badinerie or Gluck’s Dance of the Blessed Spirits.
Frequently asked questions
- How does a flute make its sound?
- An air jet meets the edge of the mouth hole and tips alternately into the tube and outward. The tube vibrates along and steers the tipping. The vibration sustains itself, with no reed.
- Why does the note jump to the octave when blowing harder?
- A faster jet takes less time from the lips to the edge. At a certain speed this travel time fits the second resonance of the tube, and the flute sounds an octave higher on the same fingering.
- What do the open holes do?
- The first open hole acts almost like the end of the tube. The standing wave gets shorter and the note higher. The holes beyond it still play a part, which is why fork fingerings work.
- What can I try in the Flute Explorer?
- You play notes from C4 to G6, finger freely, set blowing pressure, angle and lip distance, cut the flute open and let it play Bach’s Badinerie or Gluck’s Dance of the Blessed Spirits.
Subject: Music (Gymnasium)
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