There’s some lovely Irish music being recorded on C flute lately - the new “On Common Ground” recording by Kevin Crawford and Cillian Vallely is grand. The Mulcahy family also has some tunes in C on their two albums; terrific stuff. Enjoy!
I found “On Common Ground” at [u]http://www.ossianusa.com/[/u] .
However, although I can find the Mulcahy family at [u]http://www.thesession.org/[/u] , could you suggest a source for their CD recordings, please?
It otherwise seems that the C flute and the Boehm Alto could suffer a similar fate, in that both are great flutes, but that both are relatively obscure.
Thanks!
Boehm alto obscure!? Flook is the cure.
Flook? Yes! But apparently Flook recently broke up as a group, unfortunately.
Otherwise, Sarah did a nice job with the Alto.
Let’s hope that they eventually get back together again.
They’re both available from Ossian USA.. The first one is called “The Mulcahy Family,” and the second is called “Notes from the Heart.” Stunning music btw.
I’ll go back to Ossian, and have another look.
Thanks!
congrats cork, on your new baby! hope labour wasn’t too hard and it doesn’t cry at night… 
and, is the next baby going to be a Bb???
berti
lol
Thanks, Berti!
The trouble I have with Bb flutes is that either the tone hole spacing is simply too wide for me, or that a flute maker must compromise the qualities of the flute by altering the size and the spacing of the tone holes.
I have a couple of keyless Bb flutes, and I do like them, but a C flute is about as large as I can comfortably handle.
http://celticgrooves.homestead.com/CG_Mulcahy_Family.html
They play a lot in Eb, too. Here’s a clip - it sounds a bit high-pitched to me so it might be Eb, esp. since Louise is using a keyless flute - IIRC as of a few years ago, her D flute is a 6-key Cotter, the Eb a keyless Cotter and the C a keyless Murray:
http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_248_1_mulcahy_family/
Thank you, and it now appears that there’s yet another recording for me to collect!
BTW, I can’t offhand recall my ever playing a keyless Eb flute, although I’ve heard they are popular amongst those who do play them.
They’re grand. 
Once you get your mitts on one it’s hard to go back. Don’t know why, but I find C and Eb flutes far more salubrious to my ear than D. … Eb is so sweet, C is nice and rich, but D is just sort of … well, kind of in the middle and a little pale in comparison.
FWIW, I’m pretty fond of B and Bb, too. I’m blessed with a very nice keyless Bb that’s so deep and resonant playing it is like that Tibetan toning.
Anyway, enjoy the Mulcahys. They’ve got it all, and then some.
Well, on that recommendation, and thank you, cat, it looks as though I’ll now keep an eye out for a keyless Eb, should one come along. The main reason why I haven’t tried one is because I simply haven’t had any need for Eb tuning, at least as far as ITM goes.
The B flute is another one I don’t think I’ve ever tried, Bb and A, yes, but B, no.
My hands are not small, and I can comfortably span 9 inches between the tip of my thumb to the tip of my little finger. However, I have one of Doug Tipple’s Bb flutes, which have a “natural” tone hole spacing, and while the upper holes are just within comfortable reach, the lower holes, especially the spread between the fifth and sixth holes, are just a bit too much for my comfort. Doug himself uses an R1-R2-R4 grip on that flute. My other Bb is a Casey Burns, which is comfortable for me, but the holes are a bit smaller, and so the flute is somewhat stifled, although quite nicely in tune.
How do I manage a Boehm Alto in G? Well, the holes are covered, plateau style, and instead of placing the fingers directly over the center of the keys, the Alto’s keys have offset key touches, silver bezeled mother-of-pearl touches, similar to those found on saxophones, which bring the finger spacing much closer to that of a C flute.
Not that I’d recommend an Alto flute for fast dance tunes, but it’s a great compliment to the Boehm Concert flute. And, in a similar sense, I’m now beginning to appreciate a keyed C flute as being a fine compliment to a keyed D flute.
However, at now four different chromatic fingering systems, I think I’ve about hit my limit. Whew!