Hello all. I was new a year ago, and haven’t really contributed much. I have a keyless Somers delrin flute that I love as well as a Yamaha 521 silver flute (closed hole, c foot, pro level etc.) I’m trying to convince myself that I will never need a keyed simple system flute since I can cover anything with the two that I have now. In addition I have the DVD by Brian McCoy on playing Irish flute with a classical flute (my cousin Pat used to be the bodhran player in The Kells). So my question is, is there justification in buying a professional level Irish flute with keys? I’m fairly proficient with my yamaha and the keyless, but it would be nice to combine the keywork of the yamaha with the tone and feel of my keyless.
You might consider adding a wooden headjoint to your concert flute.
I have tried a wooden headjoint and while I liked it, it didn’t give me the same tone as I’m used to with an Irish flute.
If you have the money and can afford a keyed Irish flute, you don’t need ‘justification’ to spend it
on something you want. The flute, remember, keeps its resale value. Keys aren’t much used in
Irish music but they do come in handy sometimes, they’re beautiful, and maybe you’re playing
other kinds of music too.
If you mainly play celtic (and hell, just about any other type of music in D, G, Em, Bm or A mix) you don’t need keys. Some people like the “historic” feel of the precursor to the Boehm, but there’s a reason Boehm’s design replaced it. 8-key flutes are uncomfortable to many people’s hands and preclude you from using the piper’s grip in many cases. They also add a whole new level of maintenance and upkeep, with springs and pads that may need servicing. If you were only going to own one flute, then maybe keys would make sense, but it sounds like you’ve already got a nice chromatic flute, and what’s the point of paying for metal you aren’t going to use?
Keys (as other metal parts of a wooden flute: rings, lip plates) give a better overall tone to a wooden instrument, even if you don’t use them: it’s not simply a matter of fully chromatic scale, it’s a matter of global density of the instrument, which vibrates in a different (and better) way if there is metal on it. So state both Chris Wilkes and J.-M. Veillon, and I agree with them.
That might be true, Etruskan.
I recall there was a discussion on this forum about this same subject.
The metal may add desity to the flute, but there is also a downside.
There seems to be some difference between the sound/tone of the keyed and the keyless holes.
This apparently has to do with the fact that the keyed holes leave only a small gap between the rim of the hole and the pad of the key. The tone is supposed to be slightly quieter/muffled if I recall, while the keyless holes have a more wide sound (if you get what I mean).
I only have a keyless flute by Eugene Lambe, so I have no experience about it myself.
Maybe someone else can shed some light on this discussion.
Personally I would think the deference will be so small, that it’s hardly audible when playing a more speedy tune.
Maybe on slowair etc., but I wonder if most listeners will notice.
I would say that a keyless flute has a “lighter” tone: definitly, metal gives you more deep, full tone. It’s important, because “to be heard in a session” it’s not just a question of volume (it depends in any case by the player more than by the flute), it’s a question of tone quality: the deeper and fuller is the tone, the more the people around is able to catch the flute sound among other istruments.
That’s an interesting point about the added density with keys. I play only ITM on my keyless and everything else on my boehm. I do this not because I’m trying to be traditional, but because of the diatonic nature of the keyless. I play flute pretty much exclusively. I’d be interested to hear everyone’s opinion on whether it would be more beneficial to buy a top quality keyless or an intermediate keyed flute knowing that I will pretty much only play ITM on the flute because I love my yamaha and need to give it love also, just with other styles than ITM. 
Buy a top quality 6 keyed flute…
Beware of advice from people that don’t know what they’re talking about…
Justification is vague. Because you’ll look way cooler? Because you can? Because you need to buy yourself a present? Because it would be fun?
Well, in my opinion… get keys if you feel the need and don’t if you don’t, but treat all proclamations that they’re useless for trad. and cross-fingering or half-holing are adequate substitutes for the same notes with a pinch of salt.
that’s the can o’worms, innit
ignoring the obvious…a keyed flute doesn’t roll off the table 
Have a go at playing something blueish on the keyless in C or F.
C brings in the F natural (XXX XDO) and looses the F# (XXX XOO)
F adds the Bb (XDO OOO) and looses the B natural (XOO OOO)
F is the same mental game, with both hands, eh…
If ya like the stuff ya can do with the keyless, compared with the Boehm, and get tired of the half-holing then get a keyed.
Seems in general, the sooner you get keys, the more time you have to get use to them and get into good habits like proper venting and finger position.
If you can afford a keyed flute why not try one?
There seem to be some very good deals on used, keyed wood flutes 'round here.
It comes down to what you want, and what you can afford, need ain’t innit, issit?
Disclaimer- I don’t know Jack(or Jill for that matter).
This hits exactly on what I’d like to know. I’ve been told that you don’t need keys for most ITM. while that may be strictly true, I have a feeling that ornamentation of the tunes does (or could) rely heavily on keyed notes. Is this correct?
Not really (in D, G etc.), no… it’s more about those interesting tunes with accidentals and/or different key signatures (eg A or D minor, which are much easier with keys).
ornamentation of the tunes does (or could) rely heavily on keyed notes. Is this correct?
No not for me - I’ve only ever played a keyed flute, all the standard ornamentation ie. cuts, rolls etc. are played without using the keys.
Having keys may enhance the tone on some flutes as some suggest here - but I have never witnessed that after making several keyed and keyless flutes. All of my keyed flutes start as keyless. I get them playing really well first and if successful (usually am) then I add the keys to them. Also do lots of retrofitting of keys on keyless flutes that my clients have already played in for a few years. So don’t expect keys to add anything to the tone quality and playing qualities of the core flute. I have seen no data that support this.
Many of my clients get the keyless flute first, and then try it in sessions and other musical situations for a while before they consider which keys to add. A popular combination is short F and G# only and a few weeks ago I shipped a flute that had a solitary G# key. Others opt for an Eb key, able to get F, G# and Bb by simple cross fingerings and half holes. There is something convenient about having a flute without all the bling.
I’ve also had some clients who stayed away from 6 and 8 keyed flutes, finding that the keys get in the way and cause hand problems.
Casey