# Free flute samples

> Free flute samples: concert flute, piccolo, pan flute, recorder and world flutes as notes, phrases and loops for hip hop, ambient and film, with licences.

26 samples from 2 sources (Wikimedia Commons 14, Openverse 12), updated 2026-10-23. Picked from a live search and refreshed daily.

- Same search in the browser: https://sound.shep.bot/search?q=flute&category=woodwind
- Same search over the API: `curl "https://sound.shep.bot/v1/search?q=flute&category=woodwind"`
- Details, files and the credit line: `GET https://sound.shep.bot/v1/samples/{id}` with an id from the table below.
- Licence verdicts: "Commercial use OK" (with or without credit) is cleared for a release; anything else must be checked or is non-commercial. See https://sound.shep.bot/docs/licences.md

## Air made musical

A flute makes sound from air blown across an opening, which gives it a soft, breathy tone that ranges from pure and sweet to husky and percussive. Free samples cover the orchestral concert flute and piccolo, recorders, pan flutes and flutes from many traditions, as single notes for a sampler or as played phrases and loops.

## Using flute samples

Single notes are best mapped across a sampler for your own melodies; keep within the instrument's natural range, roughly from middle C up three octaves for a concert flute. Played phrases and loops give you real breathing and articulation, which is hard to program. Add delay and reverb generously: flutes sound best with space around them.

Orchestral sample projects publish flute multisamples under CC0 and other open licences, while community loops vary. Each card shows the verdict for a release.

## Samples

| Sample | id | What | Source | Licence | Commercial use | Direct download |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Man drunk and playing flute near Santa Justa Lift, Lisbon, Portugal](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Man_drunk_and_playing_flute_near_Santa_Justa_Lift,_Lisbon,_Portugal.wav) | `wikimediacommons:Man_drunk_and_playing_flute_near_Santa_Justa_Lift,_Lisbon,_Portugal.wav` | Woodwind, 41 s | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes |
| [Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach- Flute Concerto Gmaj - 2. Largo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carl_Philipp_Emanuel_Bach-_Flute_Concerto_Gmaj_-_2._Largo.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Carl_Philipp_Emanuel_Bach-_Flute_Concerto_Gmaj_-_2._Largo.ogg` | Woodwind, G major, 7:58 | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes |
| [Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach- Flute Concerto Gmaj - 3. Presto](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carl_Philipp_Emanuel_Bach-_Flute_Concerto_Gmaj_-_3._Presto.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Carl_Philipp_Emanuel_Bach-_Flute_Concerto_Gmaj_-_3._Presto.ogg` | Woodwind, G major, 6:07 | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes |
| [Jazz Flute Cm7](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jazz_Flute_Cm7.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Jazz_Flute_Cm7.ogg` | Woodwind, C minor, 13 s | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 2.5 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes |
| [Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach- Flute Concerto Gmaj - 1. Allegro](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carl_Philipp_Emanuel_Bach-_Flute_Concerto_Gmaj_-_1._Allegro.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Carl_Philipp_Emanuel_Bach-_Flute_Concerto_Gmaj_-_1._Allegro.ogg` | Woodwind, G major, 12:40 | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes |
| [Native-American-flute©Marc-Lautenbacher music Guy-Simard flute](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Native-American-flute%C2%A9Marc-Lautenbacher_music_Guy-Simard_flute.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Native-American-flute©Marc-Lautenbacher_music_Guy-Simard_flute.ogg` | Woodwind, 3:34 | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes |
| [Bach - Partita For Solo Flute - Modern Flute - 2. Courante](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bach_-_Partita_For_Solo_Flute_-_Modern_Flute_-_2._Courante.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Bach_-_Partita_For_Solo_Flute_-_Modern_Flute_-_2._Courante.ogg` | Woodwind, 2:36 | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes |
| [Bach - Partita For Solo Flute - Modern Flute - 3. Sarabande](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bach_-_Partita_For_Solo_Flute_-_Modern_Flute_-_3._Sarabande.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Bach_-_Partita_For_Solo_Flute_-_Modern_Flute_-_3._Sarabande.ogg` | Woodwind, 2:12 | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes |
| [Bach - Partita For Solo Flute - Modern Flute - 4. Bouree](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bach_-_Partita_For_Solo_Flute_-_Modern_Flute_-_4._Bouree.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Bach_-_Partita_For_Solo_Flute_-_Modern_Flute_-_4._Bouree.ogg` | Woodwind, 1:22 | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes |
| [Flute 2](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flute_2.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Flute_2.ogg` | Woodwind, 12 s | Wikimedia Commons | Public domain | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [Flute 3](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flute_3.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Flute_3.ogg` | Woodwind, 14 s | Wikimedia Commons | Public domain | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [Indian Folk Classical Flute Music (1)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indian_Folk_Classical_Flute_Music_(1).wav) | `wikimediacommons:Indian_Folk_Classical_Flute_Music_(1).wav` | Woodwind, 2:35 | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes |
| [Bach - Partita For Solo Flute - Modern Flute - 1. Allemande](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bach_-_Partita_For_Solo_Flute_-_Modern_Flute_-_1._Allemande.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Bach_-_Partita_For_Solo_Flute_-_Modern_Flute_-_1._Allemande.ogg` | Woodwind, 3:01 | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes |
| [Indian Folk Classical Flute Music (2)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indian_Folk_Classical_Flute_Music_(2).wav) | `wikimediacommons:Indian_Folk_Classical_Flute_Music_(2).wav` | Woodwind, 56 s | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes |
| [flute trill](https://freesound.org/people/womb_affliction/sounds/376532) | `openverse:5d27fc25-6150-4e6e-aa0b-5eabf4a473bb` | Woodwind, 6.0 s | Openverse | CC BY 4.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes |
| [Native American Style flute in A](https://freesound.org/people/Wood_Flutes/sounds/333996) | `openverse:aa8fc608-e5e7-4f2b-a68d-4f55d6616bc0` | Woodwind, 1:22 | Openverse | CC BY 3.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes |
| [Dizi Flute 03.wav](https://freesound.org/people/CarlosCarty/sounds/427849) | `openverse:546c86c1-694b-44cd-98b9-13bb8efcc6cb` | Woodwind, 40 s | Openverse | CC BY 4.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes |
| [Echo Flute 9.3.wav](https://freesound.org/people/davidou/sounds/88492) | `openverse:c35ef20e-06f5-48ed-b47b-c12c7d5c11b0` | Woodwind, 12 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [NATIVE FLUTE FIGURE 05.wav](https://freesound.org/people/sandyrb/sounds/85794) | `openverse:9fff08fe-a070-4576-aaf3-b9f31c6d40bc` | Woodwind, 3.5 s | Openverse | CC BY 4.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes |
| [Native American Flute Echo Loop Am 131 bpm](https://freesound.org/people/CarlosCarty/sounds/463037) | `openverse:b90ab78d-c18e-4c98-847b-01bc8b32a04f` | Woodwind, Loop, 131 BPM, A minor, 22 s | Openverse | CC BY 4.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes |
| [flute-recorder.wav](https://freesound.org/people/polarkin/sounds/348351) | `openverse:77ead0e3-a0d0-44ae-98a5-9f8a1b75f2dd` | Woodwind, 5:38 | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [Medieval Flute Loop 124 bpm.wav](https://freesound.org/people/CarlosCarty/sounds/416512) | `openverse:39119074-f4b4-464e-bfe3-64453b6afbb6` | Woodwind, Loop, 124 BPM, 17 s | Openverse | CC BY 4.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes |
| [01720 kenacho flute indian.wav](https://freesound.org/people/Robinhood76/sounds/97666) | `openverse:8431b0b8-f211-456d-b311-90e53ee4eba3` | Woodwind, 4.3 s | Openverse | CC BY-NC 4.0 | Non-commercial only | yes |
| [flute loop.wav](https://freesound.org/people/pryght%20one/sounds/27129) | `openverse:cf285d7a-616c-497e-bfec-31facef5e694` | Woodwind, Loop, 16 s | Openverse | CC Sampling+ 1.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes |
| [Handel - Sonata for flute in E minor HWV 359b - 3. Adagio](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1076398) | `openverse:2071eb8b-54ce-4b76-b3bc-3f65b5dd9434` | Woodwind, E minor, 43 s | Openverse | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes |
| [Handel - Sonata for flute in E minor HWV 359b - 4. Allegro](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1076401) | `openverse:3fb2e0bf-68a8-4a8e-9045-f51e668aa127` | Woodwind, E minor, 2:15 | Openverse | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes |

## Questions

**Why are flute loops so popular in trap?**

Breathy flute melodies over heavy 808s became a trademark sound of trap in the late 2010s. The contrast between a soft, airy lead and hard drums is what makes it work.

**How do I keep breath noise from getting harsh?**

Breath lives in the upper frequencies. A gentle dip around 6 to 10 kHz or a de-esser softens it without dulling the tone, and a short reverb blends it in.

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Source: https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-flute-samples