I see how it can for some if it helps them steady the flute on their lip more. I know Michael McGoldrick pushes the flute on his shoulder for that steadiness, and so do a lot of people who use piper’s grip. Personally, I really don’t hear a difference in tone if I play pipers or classical. I prefer pipers because it is way easier on my hands. If one is having trouble with the steady tone on piper’s grip, then I would suggest moving the thumb out more and letting the weight fall on your thumb.
I’d agree with Rob. Grip shouldn’t affect tone, except badly, if your grip isn’t allowing you to achieve the tone you want. In which case the cure should be obvious - change the grip and the flute set up until they’re all working for you, as Rob has said.
It is possible that your grip might change your perception of tone. I’m thinking that, in say the pipers grip, the embouchure hole is a lot closer to the left shoulder, which might reflect more of the energy into the left ear, as well as changing the overall radiation pattern, which might favour some notes. Try this yourself - play normally and then turn as if putting the head cap onto your left shoulder. I reckon I can hear a difference - a more immediate sound. It would be interesting to see if an independant listener would pick up on it. Or a recording mic. That might suggest that the reason for the difference is change of radiation pattern rather than simple reflection into the ear.
Sigh, there I go again …
Terry
I’d actually buy that…just don’t graph it!
I encourage my students to pull up close to a wall and play straight into it, just to get the experience of hearing one’s tone bouncing right back instead of dissipating into the larger acoustic environment before returning in a “cloud” (synaesthetes, unite!). More to your exact point, any change in posture might change the relationship between the instrument and ear, perhaps enough to subtly alter the perception, rather than the production, of one’s tone.
As an aside, the great Christy Barry has been known to lean back in a loud session, thus firing his tone straight at the ceiling of the pub and thus right back at his own head. Good man, Christy.
Rob
Things like the relative position of the shoulder, ears and tone hole surely will make a difference to the player’s perception. Anecdote (but absolutely true, I swear it): last week, after just having taken greyhound and terrier for a walk (you should be informed that it is late summer here) I felt like playing a couple of tunes (I think one was Rose in the Heather) before settling back to work. Wow! Where had all that crispness and power suddenly come from! I never sounded so good before! Answer - I hadn’t got round to taking my white cotton cricket-umpire style sunhat off.
yes, of course
change it to effect a remedy
presto! grip can affect tone …
all agreed
Because we allow it to until we’ve learned a way not to (notice how you had emphasized should in your last sentence).
Feel free to try the “other” grip for the next 3 hours of playing and tell me if this had any impact on consistently producing good tone.
You know, they call that “screwing up”.
Rob
ya know we all have little things that we do well 
I agree that as long as you are sealing the tone holes, the grip that you use shouldn’t affect your tone.
However, with a comfortable grip that works for you comes good posture. The arms move out away from the chest a bit. Breathing good lungfuls of air gets easier. With a good, comfortable air supply and the body in balance, you have endurance; you can put your energy into the music rather than just into holding the flute up and trying not to drop it.
So I said that to say this: using a grip that doesn’t work well for you, or especially one that puts any part of the body in strain may not directly affect your tone but it will certainly negatively affect your ability to play well.
Flute is not a heavy instrument. When it is properly balanced–I prefer this term, you balance a flute rather than just grip a flute–it takes almost no energy at all to hold in playing position.
–James
This thread was really useful to me as I began the transition from a (mostly unplayable) keyless flute to an 8-key starting Dec/Jan, somewhere around there. Became clear along the way that I was going to have to change my grip if I was going to be able to use the keys. At this point, I have a pretty solid three point Rockstro-ish grip, and can hold that and play without the flute slipping or other bad things happening, so I have one thumb and eight fingers available for keys. Now, I still don’t really have a good grasp on how and when to use the keys effectively, and rarely remember to employ most of them, but theoretically I am poised in case the light bulb goes off.
Thanks.