My mate Dave got “The Dots” once. He said he got it from a toilet seat 
I use the dots a lot, too. :roll:
Can’t help it. I can read music, so I do it whenever I feel like it.
Besides, my memory sucks. Listening to the same tune over and over and over again gets wearing.
So, I either find the dots of tunes as I flip pages, tottle them out to see if I like it and work it…or I write the dots down from someone’s playing. Such as I did for Loch Altan recently, the Frankie Kennedy set with Danny Meehan’s. That’s because I couldn’t find the dots anywhere.
But…the dots are merely foundation, not the house. That comes from other sources.
And I do not bring the dots out of my house to a session or gather. Ever.
Hurray for other fellow dot users! I use the dots when I can’t get a tune strictly by listening to it…which is roughly 50-60% of the time. I find that I memorize a tune best by using both (playing along with a tape but glancing at the dots from time to time). It really is liberating to get that out in the open.
Oh, I also have been known to steer with my knee and play flute while driving on open stretches of highway, AND I always play while waiting in line at fast food drive throughs…
Eric
Eric –
Just for curiosity, were you combining flute practice and driving in Louisville last Monday? And did you happen to crash into a white Subaru? 
Cathy:
U.S. Constitution: Fifth Amendment
Fifth Amendment - Rights of Persons
Amendment Text | Annotations
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
But seriously - no, I’ve never made it to Louisville…I usually crash well before St. Louis which should make Jim feel better, too.
Eric
Thinks, “Now if I got a left hand drive car I could play in the car too.” But I got cautioned last month for playing the whistle during a red light!
Thanks for all the :lol:s. I needed them!
Cold tea!
My dirty laundry is that after playing flutes for 43 years and making them for 24, I only play them when I have to (primarily while I am at work making them), and maybe attend a session with one a few times a year.
I don’t even listen to that much Irish music really, preferring opera while I am out in my workshop.
I would much rather play the Galician bagpipes - and do almost every day! I have a lovely set by the elder Seivane, now retired, that is my favorite instrument to play.
Casey Burns
Specializing in small handed Flutes for 22 years
www.caseyburnsflutes.com
Casey - thats one big load (especially the Opera part;)! but I know how it works, I used to make and play recorders, but with time stopped playing them, I like to play the flute much better, even though I really like the sound of the Baroque reorder with tight windway, so now I play the flute, trying to get a tight sound like a recorder, thats why I like the deep chimney and smaller embouchure (got that Casey?! 
)
Cat - you, with the boy friend and car…won, so - I’ll let you keep the Murray for a bit longer! : 
My dirty laundry is that I play the Boehm flute. (I also like opera). 
Dana
Man ! Dana, this is the second time in one thread that you are unhelpful to me!!!
my laundry basket is piling up!!
Which you do very well, Casey. I enjoyed your demo while visiting your workshop last spring.
More dirty laundry from me. Boxwood flutes (in general)… what’s all the fuss? I really don’t get it. Though I’ve puffed on some nice ones (Olwell, Burns) I don’t undertsand what the hype is. Boxwood flutes don’t look like flutes. They look like recorders or table legs.
Cheers,
Aaron
Say what?
Dana
all content removed because KIA’s an idiot
There’s a difference? 
Bob
I can say, in all honesty, that my love for boxwood has nothing to do with anything anyone has said about it. My favorite thing about it is the smell of good boxwood…it’s like cookie dough. Secondly, it is lighter in weight (and, thus, is more comfortable to play) than blackwood. It’s golden color oozes warmth. Admittedly, not all boxwood is wonderful and lovable. Some seems kind of dull and maple-like, but the good stuff is alive and warm to me is a way that other woods are not.
more confessions…
I have been known to insert a french fry (chipie) into the end of my flute and blow it out like a dart gun at other players at our local session.
I also combined a “pit-tuba” with my Uilleann pipe bag and bellows to provide constant “pit” music at Lark Camp one year.
Hah! Blackwood flutes don’t look like wooden flutes, they look like plastic.
The boxwood thing is purely a matter of taste. I like the mellow warmth of the sound and the light weight. I don’t think it’s better, I just like it. I don’t like the weight of blackwood, nor the kind of harsh darkness of the sound. I find that cocobolo is a nice compromise; it’s a little lighter and a bit more exciting sounding than boxwood.
Boys :roll: