I just listened to an interview with N. Connaught flute player June McCormack in which she mentioned that, left to her own devices, she prefers the sound of her Eb flute over the D.
Having never played an Eb, what do other people think here? Does the Eb sound nicer to you as a solo instrument?
If so, can anyone recommend a maker? Ms. McCormack mentions a maker - “Mike Winter” - from Australia, but I can’t find him online. Anyone know him?
JeffS
My Noy comes with both D and Eb bodies. If I’m playing solo, I tend to gravitate toward the Eb; something seems a bit more responsive about it, and since the body is shorter than the D, there’s a relatively larger bore for the length in my case; this may account for the sense of greater volume I believe I get (a plus when playing for dancers). But this may be an illusion, and only a matter of the general pitch being higher. It does have a brighter sound; the D is more dusky by comparison, which I love for its own qualities. I could say that the Eb can sound more yearning, and the D more moody. Surprising the difference only a half-step of pitch can make.
I don’t know if the bore would normally be different on an Eb-only flute as opposed to a D-only flute (given any particular maker), and if that would make a difference in perceived volume. Others have mentioned a sense of greater agility with Eb sticks, too.
Mike Grinter
http://users.netcon.net.au/grinter/
Kevin Krell
I havea Copley Eb and I love it. Super loud and super responsive, it is like driving a sports car.
I’ve talked to at least one flutesmyth who believes that
Eb is the ‘natural’ key for the Irish flute, where the
flute is most alive and responsive. I certainly understand
why he says this, though my heart remains with
the D. I prefer busking with the Eb, lovely sound,
more audible.
My heart remains with the D too, though I’d like to buy an Eb some time.
I have an F-flute, maybe that key is a little too high to sound ‘nice’ but it’s fun to play, no stretching for my fingers. Harry Bradley plays some tunes on F.
And was it Dervish that plays all in Eb?
Bart
I busk with a Copley F too. Very nice flute for the street.
I’m thinking of eventually getting an Eb body for my new Grinter after it comes. Olwell Eb is the greatest I’ve played to date though.
I play a keyed Eb Olwell on the Wood Flute Obsession III recording.
Most incredible flute I’ve ever played in any key. It sparkles.
but I have a keyed Rudall/Carte Eb available for anyone wanting a nice solid flute in this key. $2k (dead-solid A=440)
dm
Yes it is.
Glad it is , not it was, I think it’s a nice band.
Bart
I would have to say, IMHO it’s one of the best tracks on the CD.
And you are right, you make that flute sound fantastic.
M 
I’ve got to jump in and mention Terry McGee’s GLP model Eb as well. I had the chance to try one recently, and my gosh it was probably the most fun flute I’ve yet to play. Exceptionally vibrant.
It is was. They no longer play in Eb since a piper joined them on their latest tour. They’re now playing in concert pitch because of that.
Dominic Allan makes a superb Eb keyless.
Eb Hammy. Fun, fun, fun (after about 45 minutes’ playing in). But a bit lonely … 
I probably still get an even bigger kick out of F flutes, though. There’s just a madness to them I love (Madness. Me. Love. Are we surprised?).
A major chunk of Matt Molloy’s first album is on an Eb, yes?
Yes, a lot of Matt Molloy’s playing and recording over the years has been done in Eb. He’s not alone in that - many Irish musicians tune up, not just flute players. Tommy Peoples does it a lot, Frankie Gavin I think always plays tuned to Eb (which makes it real interesting when he then plays tunes in other than their normal key on top of that), and there are quite a few bands who have made entire careers of it. Dervish has already been mentioned, and I believe Danu does so as well. DeDannan of course does so, thanks to the presence of Mr. Gavin in the band. (Is there something about bands whose name starts with D not wanting to play in D?) The Chieftains are well known for playing sharp of A440, but not all the way up to Eb.
There are several reasons that people play in Eb at least some of the time. It adds a bit of brightness to the overall sound, and on many instruments it’s easier to play faster in Eb because the instruments are more responsive at the higher pitch due to tighter strings or shorter/tighter bore. And of course sometimes tuning in Eb serves as a way to limit the musicians that can join into a session situation. Some folks see this practice as exclusionary, and maybe it is, but often it can result in a better musical experience for everyone. One of the best instances of that that I’ve ever seen was one year on the midweek Boston Harbor cruise during the Gaelic Roots festival, when Kevin Crawford, Noel Hill and Paddy Glackin set up on one side of the main deck and started playing in Eb. They played there all by themselves for the entire duration of the 3+ hour cruise, literally until every other person onboard had left the boat after it docked. There was a bit of griping afterward from a few folks who thought they should have been able to join in, but they were vastly outnumbered by the crowd of listeners surrounding the three of them, which had the boat severely listing to starboard all night long. (It’s a wonder we didn’t all drown! :-> ) Anyway, that was some of the best music I’ve ever heard in my life. I only wish I’d had a recorder with me to capture some of it…
Who is the piper?
I’ve mentioned this but please let me rehearse it:
I have combined a seth gallagher head joint with
a Copley body, both from D flutes, and the result
is a truly delightful Eb flute. It’s one of the best
flutes I have.
I’ve tried to account for why it plays in Eb in an earlier thread.
Anyhow frankenflutes can be surprising–you may have
more good flutes than you realize.
Try pulling out the head and see if you have a D flute.
When I push the head in all the way on my Paddy Ward flute I have, in efffect, an Eb.
Mike
Sometimes you can get away with pulling a flute designed to play in Eb out all the way and end up with a D flute. That’s what Mike Rafferty does - he has an Olwell Eb and pulls it out to play in D. I knew that he had an Olwell for years (and all the story about how he got it - see the interview with him on Brad Hurley’s flute site), but it wasn’t until I saw him at the Comhaltas convention in Boston a few years ago that I discovered that his flute is actually an Eb!
But I wouldn’t go buying an Eb by Olwell or anyone else just on the assumption you can get away with this (thereby getting two flutes for the price of one), because it doesn’t always work. When you pull out too far, you may find that the flute is no longer in tune with itself.