hi
how many pipers play the wooden flute? did you start on flute or pipes,
is there a little problem with the change of fingering, or does some players mix-in some pipe-fingering where it may sound alright in there flute playing,
in a conversation during a break at a music sessiun some time ago a person mentioned that “it is quite easy to distinguish the playing of a flute player who also plays pipes”, i imagine that may be so if they started on pipes first.
Precisely 1251 pipers also play the flute. The number could be higher but some pipers play the silver flute (or low whistle). These numbers are quite interesting given that there are only 1247 actual UP players. 
I wouldn’t be so sure.
Pipers who later pick up the flute may throw in ornaments like crans that are particular to the pipes, but a lot of flute-first players use those ornaments too so it’s not really a good indication. Especially since Matt Molloy has had such a big influence on flute playing…he uses some piping techniques (mainly crans and the hard bottom D) in his fluting, and that has led many other flute players to follow in his footsteps, even if they’ve never tried the pipes themselves.
I think it’s more often the other way 'round: there’s a tendency among some flute players who take up the pipes to play them as if they were playing the flute, rather than treating the pipes as a totally different instrument. The result tends to sound more like flute playing on the pipes than piping. There are, of course, notable exceptions, such as Harry Bradley, who plays pipes like a piper and flute like a flute player.
I suppose some pipers who also play flute do tend to overlook the possibilities of dynamics, changes in tone, and articulation that you can get with the breath and changing your embouchure, since with the pipes you have to do most of that with your fingers (plus chanter off the knee, bag pressure, etc., but it’s more limited than with the flute).
Most pipers though play the tin whistle so it’s not too hard for them to pick up a flute and get off a tune after a few weeks practice. Most pipers’ traditionally played tin whistle to exchange tunes down the pub with other pipers without having to cart the full set out. That tradition hasn’t died off.
I remember picking up a Dizi (chinese bamboo flute which, can be harder to play than the Irish one) and giving it a go. It didn’t take long before I was playing Irish tunes on it so getting the funny lip thing was the main difference between tin whistle and flute from what I could find (I’m sure there are a few more though).
They may or may not play flute as a regular addition to pipes and tin whistle. I’ve met plenty of pipers who don’t play flute and I’ve met a few who do. I’ve only ever met a handful of pipers who don’t play tin whistle and they’re new directly into piping.
In my unscientific observations, most pipers don’t play flute but a few do and most could easily pick it up and play it if they desired to. It tends to be whislte players progressing either to pipes OR flute but rarely both.
Don’t know how accurate my words are here but they seem to hold true.
Kind regards
Andy
It’s true that the fingerings are the same, but I’d argue that playing the flute and playing the whistle are nearly as different (if you’re serious about it) as playing the whistle and playing the pipes. It’s actually not as common as you might think to find a good whistle player who’s a good flute player, and vice versa.
I play pipes and flute.No problems switching between the 2 instruments.
I use a few pipng techniques on flute and they work fine for me.
Frankie Gavin, Mick O’Brien, Harry Bradley, Ronan Browne, Kieran O’Hare.
Here are a few off Wooden Flute Obsession volume 1:
Barry Kerr
Michael McGoldrick
Here are a few off Wooden Flute Obsession volume 2:
Brendan McKinney
Desi Wilkinson
Emer Mayock
Kevin Henry
Zac Leger
Here are a few due for Wooden Flute Obsession volume 3:
Caoimhín O’Raghallaigh
Isaac Alderson
Mick O’Brien
Kieran O’Hare
Ronan Browne
Tim Britton
Add Mikie Smyth
Harry Bradley
Bound to be others I’ve missed.
Hope that helps your research on their flute vs. pipe playing.
Kevin Krell
Mikie Smyth 
Patrick.
Wow, posted at exactly the same time. I spelled it right, didn’t I?
Kevin Krell
LOL… yep 
He has a site too at www.mikiesmyth.com CD’s coming soon, it’s a guddun!
PD.
Add
Me, Ivan Goff, Gary Roche, Anton Davila, Mick Coyne, Donncha Dwyer and I’d say theres heaps more!
Tommy
Willie Clancy, Peadar O’Loughlin..
to your original question; extremely common. you see it at sessions.
i am not talking about playing both well, though there are lots of those. i am talking about being able to manage both at the amatuer intermediate level.
at that level, the flute is just not that much harder than whistle once you have theembrochure.
and the tunes are almost exactly the same.
the application of piping tech to the flute, and whistle for that matter, is a good thing. crans work well. pipers play the aca triplet , and many others, crisply on whistle and flute.
i play whistle not badly, pipes at the advanced beginner level, and can manage several tunes on flute.
i might add that at one of the most consistent sessions in the dc area, at ri ra, flute is the most common intrument. meaning that several have it as their first instrument, but almost everyone seems to have it as a second instrument. there can be 5 or 6 on the table while their owners play box, fiddle, etc. presumably they are all as adept or more adept on whistle.
again, playing some and playing well, are very different things.
meir
meir
Also Brian McCoy from The Kells–he lives in Columbus, OH
see http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kells
This will showcase both his flute and pipe playing, as well as provide a link to their website. But his nickname is “Flutio”, so make what you will of that.
JC Talty, Michael Falsey, Martin Talty, Sean Talty, Padraig Macmathuna.
could list a heap more, but the bottomline is a lot of people play instruments as second or third instrument without making much of a fuss about it. Seamus Ennis was a decent fluteplayer too by the way.
You can guess that a flute player is also piper by looking is fingers :
if he (or she) plays with the second phallanges of both hands, he/she might be a piper (or a low whistler …)
but the real difficulty with flute is not more the fingering than the blow technique, and that’s a challenge for a piper !
Fiddle too, or so I’ve heard.
Our dear friend from Brockville also plays flute, so I’ve seen last Wednesday.
upiper71
Both Ennis and Clancy claimed to be able to play fiddle. I have read that Clancy was the better fiddler of the two, but don’t recall ever hearing a recording of Clancy on fiddle. I have, however, heard Ennis on fiddle, and it was woeful. :roll:
djm