How many holes does a flute have?

Why were so many holes added to the flute?

• Answer:

  The flute is not a perfect instrument. Even after tuning, a good flutist will adjust the pitch of every note according to that note's particular tendencies (i.e. some notes are always flat, others sharp, while some are flat in some situations, etc.). Holes and keys have been added over the years to make the flute more in tune, and to make certain trills and fingerings easier. This in turn makes it much easier to play. If you play a Baroque flute, you will notice a substantial increase in difficulty if you're used to a modern flute.