The Greek verb auleo means to play the aulos, a double-reed wind instrument similar to an oboe, commonly played at funerals and celebrations in the ancient world. It appears twice in the New Testament (Matthew 11:17; 1 Corinthians 14:7), in contexts about communication and appropriate response.
In Matthew 11:17, Jesus uses the image of children playing the flute at weddings and funerals — and being ignored — to illustrate Israel's rejection of both John's fasting and His feasting. Neither response was acceptable to His critics. The deeper point: God speaks through many registers — repentance and celebration, mourning and joy — and hardened hearts refuse all of them. 1 Corinthians 14:7 uses the same image to argue for intelligibility in worship: a flute must play distinct notes or no one knows the tune. So too spiritual speech must be understood to edify.