The flute is one of the oldest wind instruments. The bamboo flute, which is the most commonly used flute in South Indian classical music, is the best example of a nature-made instrument without detachable parts and a complicated mechanism. Flutes can also be made of ivory, sandalwood, ebony or metals such as silver and gold. It is usually a simple cylindrical tube of uniform bore, closed at one end.
Flutes vary in size from eight inches to two and one-half feet.
The larger flutes have a deep, bass tone whereas the shorter ones are high-pitched. The South Indian flute is about fourteen inches in length and three quarters of an inch in diameter. The closed end may be naturally so, i.e. closed by a node of the stem or it may be artificially sealed with cork or a stopper. Besides the mouth-hole there are eight finger holes of uniform size in a straight line. The finger holes are slightly smaller than the mouth hole.