http://www.tradlessons.com/?cat=5
He plays the flute covering the holes not with the pads of his fingers but with the next part down. Is that the way you are supposed to do it? Or just a personal preference.
By the way, I think that first tune is the most beautiful thing I have heard on the flute yet.
Yes, lately I’ve been playing that way to ease the stress
on my left wrist. It’s piper’s grip–the main alternative
is classical grip, and there are other variants.
I think classical grip is better, the ends
of fingers are quicker and more precise.
But piper’s grip is good enough.
When I first started playing…way back in March, I swear I thought I would never be able to accurately hit the holes with finger tips, (DIP pads). And the stretch for B3 was always a crap shoot. I tried the piper’s grip, but it just felt stiff.
Then, I discovered that if I rolled my right wrist forward, (toward me), the fingers sort of fell in to a nice unit and hit the holes more accurately. Also, the stretch was not so extreme. So I stuck with the more standard finger tip method and now it’s relatively natural. As for the left hand, I just keep telling it to relax.
You can see from the videos though, that the angle of the left wrist is greatly relieved by the pipers grip. I would suggest learning with the DIP pads, (that’s distal interphalangeal something or other), and then switching to piper’s if you develop wrist issues.
p.s. I no longer do that wrist rolling thing. The fingers became more confident and the hand finally opened up enough to make the stretch without the need to roll. It sure helped at the start, though.
go ahead and email or PM Michael, he’s a great guy and very helpful
he also has a nice website
(he’ll be the first to tell you that he has small hands, and that position is what works best for him)
M
…and 999 pipers can’t be wrong.
thats the only way nobodies fingers are that big (long) except andre the giants
Excuse me?!?!?!?!?!?
M
your too pretty to have fingers that big---------
i might have mis understood-eskin is playing with a pipers grip----not finger tips-------------i was thinking Sbhiks meant finger tips
Here… let me translate.
That is the only way. No one has fingers are that big and long except Andre the Giant!
I’m still not clear on what CF is getting at but there you go.
BTW… I think poor Andre isn’t able to hold on to much of anything these days.
Shortly after starting my own jewelry business, I made a ring for Andre the Giant. It was a size 20 which is approximately 28mm on the inside diameter. My flute by Jon C., headjoint measures 27mm on the outside. And least I forget, it was for his little finger. The ring weighted over 2 owts in 14k gold. This man had some big hands, and this is was when he only weighted 475lbs.
let me translate ----- 
------ i thought the topic provider was saying that it looked weird to play the pipers grip ,that the finger tips were the norm --so i replied the pipers grip is the only way to do it unless you have extra long fingers to play the finger pad way