What's the difference between flute, piccolo, clarinet and flute?

The flute, piccolo, clarinet and Xiao are four different musical instruments, which are quite different in appearance, material, timbre and playing skills.

Flute is the main treble melody instrument in modern orchestral music and chamber music. Its shape is a long cylindrical tube with several sound holes on it. Early flutes were made of ebony or coconut wood, while modern flutes are made of metal. Musical instrument features: fresh and thorough, cold timbre. The high notes are lively and bright, and the low notes are beautiful and pleasing to the ear. They are widely used in wind bands, orchestras and military bands.

Piccolo is a woodwind instrument with the highest range, a variant instrument of flute family and one of the instruments with the highest range in symphony orchestra. Piccolo can only be played by people who practice flute well. It's harder to play than a flute, and its timbre is higher than a flute. It contains three octaves. Because the timbre is sharp, penetrating, temperate and steady, the music of the whole band can be louder, more powerful and more brilliant. It is often used to express victory and triumph, dance enthusiastically or describe the howling wind in a storm.

Clarinet is a woodwind instrument with a long history in Europe. It has been used since the Middle Ages. It originated in Italy in15th century and prevailed in European countries in16-18th century. Clarinet is called "soft flute" and "flute that sings like a bird" because of its pure and beautiful tone, softness and lightness.

Xiao is a very old wind instrument in China, which can be divided into harmony. Xiao has a long history, mellow and soft timbre, quiet and elegant, suitable for solo and ensemble. Generally, it is made of bamboo, with pores at the upper end. According to the number of "sound holes", it is divided into six-hole flute and eight-hole flute. The sound holes of the six-hole flute are the first five and the last, and the eight-hole flute is the first seven and the last. Eight-hole flute is the product of modern improvement.