A flute changes pitch by opening and closing tone holes, thereby redefining the effective vibrating length of the air column. If the holes were placed only where the fingers naturally fall, the instrument would be easy to hold and make, but its intonation and tone would not necessarily be convincing. Hole position, diameter and combinations of openings must serve acoustics first, while ten human fingers have fixed reach and spacing.
The system refined by Theobald Boehm in the nineteenth century placed larger tone holes in more suitable acoustic positions, then covered them with padded keys connected by rods and levers. One finger can therefore control a distant hole, and some actions can move several keys together. An “open-hole flute” does not abandon this mechanism: fingers touch only some ring keys, while remote holes are still sealed through the keywork.
What matters to the ear is not the apparent complexity of the metalwork, but the relative continuity of intonation, response and colour as a chromatic scale crosses registers. The mechanism is not merely an added convenience. It translates between the geometry of the hand and the acoustics of the air column.
A piano key launches a hammer; a flute key rearranges boundary conditions throughout the tube. The fingers must be accurate, coordinated and airtight, while musical direction still comes mainly from breath, lips and listening.
Sources: https://www.britannica.com/art/flute-musical-instrument
https://www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/flute/mechanism/
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