Anyone out there have any good advice on bending the C nat note?
I’m thinking specifically of Leon’s Waltz, as played by Loretto Reid on WFO.
I’d like to get a nice “wahh” sound without it sounding forced, if you know what I mean?
Thanks, y’all
Mary
p.s. keyless flute, of course! 
It is possible, although admittedly a little more awkward, to half-hole the C natural on flute, just as on whistle. I know a couple of flute players who only half hole, and I do so on occasion (I always take the path of least resistance for any given tune! 
). If you can get your fingers to cooperate, you should be able to bend it as much as you want!
Deirdre
That’s one of my favorite tunes from WFO. Thanks for the tip on bending that note Deirdre.
I take lessons from Loretto, so I’ve seen her bend Cnat up close and personal.
She uses the half-hole technique. As a matter of fact, I don’t think she ever uses OXXOOO or OXOXXX or whatever for Cnat, just HOOOOO. When you’re used to half-holing, bending is easy. And fun, too!
She has a great style that’s quite fun to learn, I have to say.
Stuart
Here’s what I often do to slide up to a Cnat:
OXXXXO
OXXOOO
It works more clearly on some flutes than others, but it generally does the trick for me.
Here’s another:
OXXXXO
OXXXOO
OXXOOO
–done smoothly to make a continuous sound.
I usually bend the C in a way that sounds like it does on the uilleann pipes. First I cut the C with a D, and then I tilt my chin down a bit so when I hit the C I’m blowing it a bit flat. Then I start sliding my fingers off to sharpen it, bringing it all the way up to (very briefly) C-sharp. In sequence, then:
oxx xxx
oxx ooo
oxo ooo
ooo ooo
This gives you a very “alive” C that rises from C flat up to C sharp, giving a pipey ‘nyah’ sound very much like what Liam O’Flynn did on “Cunla” on one of the Planxty albums.
Sounds complicated, but it’s not.
I’m delighted to hear that some folks consistently
half hole the c natural on the flute. There is hope…
Any advice on how this is done? Finger position?
Which way do you go?
Well, the only tune that I use a non-half hole method is on the tune ‘Tommy Peoples’.
Other than that, half hole it.
I don’t know if there’s much technique to it, Jim; I tend to roll the finger up on the top hand and down on the bottom hand because it seems most logical. I mean, that’s the way hands work.
As for Brad’s and Nano’s suggestions, that’s advanced bending. Like Bending for Benders. It’s a lot harder to do, but once you can get smooth with single-finger bends . . . then get fancy-shmancy.
Get bent, as it were. 
Stuart
Halfing the C hole gets the best sound, indeed.
Note that the “bend” was originally called a “glide” by Charles Nicholson, one of his hallmark “tricks” that made him so popular in the 1820s-30s.
One of the flutemakers of the day actually devised a key system that slid the hole covers (more of a lid than a key cup) away from the hole (rather than up and down as we know today) when the key was pressed. The idea was to allow Nicholson to “glide” on whichever note he wished. Needless to say, the model went nowhere.
I want to say it was Astor or Potter who devised it, but can’t recall right off hand.
The “glide” too was the reason for the Nicholson model flutes to have flat topped RH holes instead of normal rounded wood. I have one like it and it’s terrific indeed.
dm