Fife
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The Fife is a small flute, usually made of wood. It has a narrow bore, or wind channel, which gives a shriller sound than flutes used in orchestras. The fife was adopted by military and processional bands because its piercing tones could be heard out of doors. It is now accompanied by drums in marching bands.
| Family |
| Woodwinds |
| Pitch range |
| One-and-a-half octaves. |
| Material |
| Originally boxwood ; now usually African blackwood or metal. |
| Size |
| About 15 in (38cm) long. |
| Origins |
| The fife was developed in Europe in the 15th century for military purposes. It came to be specifically associated with Swiss mercenary footsoldiers, who were responsible for taking the instrument all over Europe. |
| Classification |
| Aerophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of a column of air. |
| And also... |
| A fife-player is referred to as a fifer. A military fifer carried one or two fifes in a baton-shaped metal case slung from his belt. |
