clef for all flutes in the flute family
I am a low flutes specialist. Musescore always puts the contra-bass flute in bass clef, which I override. All flutes in the flute family read treble clef parts, even our lowest flute, the subcontra-bass. Given the same note on the page, the flutes sound as follows:
piccolo: 1 octave higher
flute: as written
alto flute in G: 4th lower
bass flute in C: 1 octave lower
contra-alto flute in G: 1 octave + 4th lower
contra-bass flute in C: 2 octaves lower
subcontra-alto flute in G: 2 octaves + 4th lower
subcontra-bass flute in C: 3 octaves lower
The bass flute in F made by Kotato Flutes: 1 octave + 5th lower
There are other flutes in the flute family, but the ones listed above (down to the bass flute) are the sizes most often included in a flute choir or flute orchestra. While more and more flute groups have access to contra-bass flutes, an alternate part is often included for string bass (bass clef). It is very unusual for a group to have access to a subcontra-alto or subcontra-bass flute.
Comments
You are viewing these flutes in concert pitch. Click the Concert pitch button and the clef will change to treble clef for all flutes.
The purpose for the concert pitch button is to make it easier to create scores for instruments such as these transposing flutes. You are aware that if you write a C on each of the flutes in transposed pitch you will not hear the same note or even octaves of the same note. To prevent needing several ledger lines for every note, in concert pitch an appropriate clef is used so it's easier to tell the actual pitch of each note.
Flute is not the only instrument this is done for. For example, the saxes (my primary instrument) are all written on the treble clef also but in concert pitch, only the alto and soprano saxes are written on the standard treble clef in MuseScore. The other saxes have appropriate clefs for their ranges.