Fifes are made primarily of wood, such as blackwood, grenadilla, rosewood, mopane, pink ivory, cocobolo, boxwood, maple, or persimmon.

Military and marching fifes have metal reinforcing bands, called ferrules, around the ends to protect them from damage.

Modern fifes may have two- or three-piece constructions, and may incorporate a sliding tuning joint made of metal or cork.

In medieval Europe, the fife was used in some folk music traditions to accompany dancing by all social classes.

The fife was one of the most important musical instruments in the United States' Colonial period, even more widespread than the violin or piano.

One of the most famous artists in the tradition was Othar Turner, a musician from Mississippi, who played blues on homemade cane fifes.

There remains an active and enthusiastic group, primarily in the northeastern United States, that continues to play fife and drum music in a folk tradition that has gone on since the American Civil War.

[2] There is a loose federation of corps, though not a governing body, called The Company of Fifers and Drummers,[3] which maintains a headquarters and museum in Ivoryton, Connecticut.

The groups that use this instrument utilize only flute and percussive elements in their music, in a profusion of Native American, African and European traditions.

When played in its upper register, the fife is loud and piercing, yet also extremely small and portable.

Swiss and German mercenaries were hired by monarchs throughout Western Europe, and they spread the practice of military fifing.

By the early 19th century, warfare was changing and fifes were no longer practical as combat signaling devices, being gradually replaced by the infantry bugle.

They were still used as signaling (as opposed to musical) instruments by American units during the Civil War, but were gradually phased out by the 1880s (the same case in France).

However, the British have an unbroken tradition of using fife and drum corps attached to their infantry regiments, with whom they still parade regularly.

Germany also continued an unbroken tradition of fife and drum corps until the end of World War II.

They were integral to the regular German Army, Air Force and Navy, and not merely part of the Hitler Youth and the Nazi Party organizations.

The Russian Army places fifes and drums at the front of major military parades such as those on Red Square in Moscow as part of a dedicated formation.

In Argentina, only the Tambor de Tacuari military band of the Regiment of Patricians has fifers, in accordance with an 1809 military regulation of the Viceroy of Buenos Aires, which allowed every militia unit in Buenos Aires to have a drummer and two fifers.

The rise of these corps led to a demand for fifes that were superior in intonation and better suited for group playing than those used during the Civil War.

In addition, they gave the player greater dynamic control and could be played even louder than traditional fifes, the result of the lower cone in the bore.

These were actually ideas derived from several makers of the days of the 19th century, including Giorgi, even though there was no need for F♮ in traditional fife music.

Around this time, Roy Seaman had been deeply involved in the making of piccolos under his name, the body style of which resembled the McDonagh Model fife.

In time, the quality of the instrument eventually suffered and other models of fifes began to emerge in the United States.

A new manufacturer, Wilson Woods, with oversight from Roy Seaman once again, produced the new fife, designated the Regimental Model.

After Mr. Ferrary's death, his tooling and equipment were purchased for Ed Bednarz of Warehouse Point, Connecticut, who markets his fifes through outside sellers, including fellow Lancraft fifer Ed Boyle of Philadelphia and the well-known Ancient sutler, Leo Brennan of Madison, Connecticut.

In 1975, Patrick Cooperman opened his full-time workshop in Centerbrook, Connecticut, making traditional fifes, drums and drumsticks.

Historical re-enactors find that the traditional fifes – Ferrary, Model F, Peeler, Cooperman, and Sweet fifes – are much better suited to their historical requirements while simultaneously allowing their fifers to play together without the discordance that can result when using instruments from multiple manufacturers.

Those who play competitively usually choose McDonagh or Healy fifes, corresponding with a vaguely geographical delineation (New York, New Jersey and western Connecticut groups are more likely to choose McDonagh fifes while competitors in central-to-eastern Connecticut tend towards the Healys).