Are you using the bottom keys. How useful do you find them? Thanks.
Is this geared towards those who play Irish music, or any music?
Outside of Irish music, I would think the response is just as one would expect. Those who play music that uses the foot keys will use the foot keys 
I don’t think I’ve ever heard the foot keys being used in ITM before. Though I imagine they could be used by those who throw in the occasional octave-droppy bits.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard the foot keys being used in ITM before.
A friend and myself used to play in C (concertina &pipes). A fluteplayer who occasionally joined us, Mike Dyer, transposed his tunes on the fly and made great use of the low C while doing so.
I use the bottom keys very rarely - usually in a slow air or something a little less than trad. They really don’t work for fast stuff because the response is too slow (at least for me) and they kind of make a “clacky” noise if you try to go fast on them. Some fiddle tunes do seem to go down to the C and C#, but most of our music stops at D anyway. OTOH, the keys DO look really cool!!!
Pat
Some fiddle tunes do seem to go down to the C and C#,
B, A and G even.
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/how-many-keys-do-you-have-and-how-many-do-you-use/93259/1 has a bunch of related material.
Best wishes.
Steve
The flutes I’m interested in (antiques) have bottom keys most of the time.
I play a flute by Huller with a low B sometimes.
Jem has us all beat with a Rudall with a Bb foot?
Anyone have a panaloun (sp?)
Here is a tune using the foot keys:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_8dPnMoySE
Here is the same tune with no keys:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NYc1TQf9AVM
Sorry it’s panaulon
http://www.oldflutes.com/viennese.htm
Supposedly invented by a guy appropriately named Professor Langer.
Thanks, everyone. I sent the message in the middle of the night and forgot to search.
But there is new and helpful info on this thread, in fact. I have the opportunity to get a good affordable
eight-key. I play whatever takes my fancy, mostly ITM but other stuff too, so I reckon the keys won’t positively hurt..
I guess they will help me play in C, which I do to accompany singers sometimes.
I already have an old rudally flute (from about 1840) and the bottom keys were virtually
unusable so I took them off. Had read this would strengthen the low D. I’ll see how it
all works. Thanks again.
Hi Jim! I’ve regressed from 8 key to a 6 key and only rarely miss the low keys…you just have to jump octaves to play in C, which is not hard. That said, I rarely have to do that.
Eric
jim stone wrote; “I already have an old rudally flute (from about 1840) and the bottom keys were virtually
unusable so I took them off.”
Out of interest Jim, are the low C keys padded or pewter plugs? And what seems to be the problem with them?
I use the low C key a few times to good effect on the Tune Josephine’s Waltz and also on the Carolan tune Morgan Magan. I also like to just play the low C by itself when warming up.
Padded. I think they sealed (it’s been awhile) but I really had to press hard to get
the keys to work, even to move. The flute was probably made by an apprentice in the Rudall
flute works, and shipped to the USA and sold at Atwills Music Salon in NYC. That’s what
our wise ones say, anyhow. Had it gone-over by Kara Lockridge, the embouchure hole
was not cut well, but the body/bore seems good. I should get my fins on the new used flute
presently and will try to report back.
Just to be clear, Kara fixed the problems with the flute, she didn’t create them.
That was the apprentice in England, I reckon.
I use my foot keys a fair bit for ITM and other stuff, but I have made a bit of a point of learning tunes which go there. Plenty of evidence among my YouTube videos and other online flute doings.
Tune with a low B
T:Strayaway Child, The
M:6/8
L:1/8
R:Jig
C:Margaret Barry & Michael Gorman
K:E Minor
G2A|:BEE GEE|B,EE G2A|BEE BAG|FDF Adc|BEE GEE|
B,EE G2A|BdB B2A|GEE E2A:||bee BdB|dBG AGA|
Bee BdB|dBG A2A|Bee BdB dBG AGA|BcB B2A|GEE E2A||
Bee BdB|dBG AGA|Bee BdB|dBG A2f|gfe dcB|AGA BGE|
AGE DB,D|EFE E3||:EAG EDE|G3 BAG|AGE DB,D|E3 E2D|
EAG EDE|G3 BAG|AGF DB,D|1 E3 E2D:|2 E3 E2B||:
efe ded|cBA BGE|GAB d2B|AGE D2c|BAG EDE|GAB cBA|
BAG EAG|1 E3 E2B:|2 E3 E3||:Bee efg|fdf eBA|
Bee efg|fdf e2f|gfe dcB|AGA BGE|AGE DB,D|1 EFE E3:|2
EFE E2B||:edB edB|AGA BGE|edB edB|AGA B3|
edB gfe|dcB AGA|BAG EAG|1 E3 E2B:|2 E3 EGA||
With a low Bb and C
X:1
T:Stratherick
M:C
L:1/8
R:Strathspey
B:Stewart-Robertson – The Athole Collection (1884)
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:Bb
B|F<B, F>D D>CC>D|F<B, F>D F<dc<d|BD D>CC>D|
F<B, F>E D2D:|
f|d>Bf>B d>c c<f|d>Bf>B g>Bf>B|d<bf<g d<fc<d|BE D2 D>B|
d>Bf>B d>c c<f|d>Bf>B g>Bf>B|d<bf<g d<fc<d|G<BF<B D2D||
Most of the well known Dm reels go to low C if you have it and choose not to octave fold them.
I regularly use all the keys on my flute, including the low C# and C, and play 90% ITM. Lots of Gm, Dm and C tunes that use the low C, and having the C# below bottom D is nice when playing in D for different variations.
I’m using the foot keys all the time, and be it only for the best middle c the flute can produce, xox xxx, - honk. But there are a few nice tunes that work well with them, too.