On my old flute I made the switch to the so called normal flute grip. I found it was better in some respects, but difficult to roll the b note. The holes were smaller on this flute. Now I have a new Hammilton, with larger finger holes, and I find the pipers grip ( I am a piper), much easier. The tone needs working on but the ease of playing is great. Im strongly thinking of abandoning the normal grip in favor of the pipers. Im sorry now I didn`t get a more piper friendly key arrangement .
Ballygo
I come from piper’s grip and now play with normal grip. I think normal grip has some nice advantages, and with time the B roll should come. But you’re a piper, so do as you prefer, if you don’t mind the keys (I do).
Without getting into ancient worm-can territory of pros and cons of different ways to hold a flute (not, EVER, “grip”!!! 
) or telling what you personally “should” ultimately do, I offer this for your consideration:
If you are doing “normal” hold correctly, there should not be any issue with A or B rolls - they should be just as easily available as in a pipers’ type hold. If you’re struggling with them, you haven’t got the hold right. Simples. Get it right and the full finger-fluency will be there, and there will very likely be other ongoing advantages over other holds. 
I think it’s called the “piper’s grip” in part because of Seamus Ennis’s famous little ditty about the pipes that says, “then you must learn the grip.” See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMm-WVt6RQA
There are plenty of very accomplished Irish flute players who use the piper’s grip or hold or whatever you want to call it. But I don’t think any of them use the keys very much. I started out playing with the piper’s grip but switched to the standard flute hold because there was no way I could hit the Bb key, and there were a number of tunes I wanted to play that had Bb accidentals. The long C key was awkward (but not impossible) to hit as well. I didn’t have much problem reaching the other keys, but all of them are easier and more comfortable to reach using the standard flute hold.
On the recorder I will regularly switch from fingertips to flat-fingering on tunes where it feels better one way or the other (and will sometimes switch in the middle of a set). Why should you have to decide that one is The Only Way?
Jack. I do the same my self switching from one to the other. I stuck with the normall grip for 3 years now and still cant to a short roll or long roll on b. But with pipers grip , no problem. I do notice a difference in tone when using normal , in that it`s a bit more solid.
B
Are you using the second joints on your fingers to cover the holes?
That’s what pipers do, so fluthing in this fashion is properly called piper’s hold. If you’re straight-fingering but covering with the first joints, as I do, there’s nothing piperesque about it. I call that the Irish hold.
Rob
It’s GRIP, for heaven’s sake! Personally, I use my own patented death grip © . That way, there’s no chance I’ll ever have to learn how to roll on a B. To quote the Wizard of Os(westry) “simples”!
“It’s GRIPE for heaven’s sake!” After all, it is the Chiff and Fipple. 
Bob
Rob. Im using the first joint to cover hole one, hole two is more on to the second joint, and hole 3 is also straight finger but above first joint more on the pad of the finger.
b
I just did a bit of a search on the net, and some great players are using this straight fingered method. Michael MacGoldirck, John Wynne, Eamonn De Barra, Patsey Hanley, Alan Dogherty . Sorry about the spelling of the names.
An impressive line up.
B
Paul McGrattan as well, and we could probably come up with at least a half-dozen more.
Hi all,
As someone who uses piper’s grip/Irish grip/piper’s hold/Irish hold, I enjoyed watching this video of three excellent flute players all using a straight-fingered approach:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCU07LkzSvE
Cheers,
Peter
Peter. Thats just lovely, what a treat, wonderful.I read they were playing tunes from Josie McDermot, I actually had the honor of playing with Josie Mcdermot in the trades club in Sligo 1978 aprox. I was playing pipes then. There were only a few people playing that night.
B
Well, just as well - you might get stung…
A very talented player can probably play upside-down with both hands twisted in some weird way, but it doesn’t mean that this is the way that gives the better results…
Actually the piper Tommy Keane can play the tin whistle quite adeptly upside-down, with one hand; I’ll have to ask him if he can do it on the flute as well (Tommy is an amazingly good flute player, one of my favorites, although he doesn’t actually own a flute)
Are you using the second joints on your fingers to cover the holes?
Yup, same as a Highland piper.
Flat fingering works best with soprano and alto recorders - the larger and smaller sizes tend to push me more into using fingertips. Alto recorders have the holes in almost the same places as on a Highland pipe chanter so the same tricks work. Having a little finger significantly different from average might get in the way, since the pinkie hole is the only one that’s placed differently.
Something else you usually flat-finger with the lower hand:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMKZ6BpTJFU
I wouldn’t try fingertip stopping on that.
Yeah, but can he do this? (Check it out at around the 4:40 mark) 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FGpUIs3VvI&feature=related
As contentious as brass players can sometimes be, there is surprisingly little controversy about straight vs. curved fingers on valved brass instruments. If it works for you and doesn’t produce unnecessary tension in your hand, it’s all good.
Don’t worry, there’s noting wrong with pipers grip. I have found it more useful than normal grip. But that might be because I am double jointed in my hands, and my fingers lock up when they bend in normal grip.