THE INSTRUMENT

Generally speaking, there are two types of piccolos, those made of metal and those made of wood. Metal piccolos have a cylindrical bore, and while they respond easily, they produce more piercing and strident tones and are best suited for outdoor performances with wind bands. The conical-bored wood piccolo is less shrill and more sonorous in tone, and it blends more easily with the sounds of an orchestra or chamber ensemble. Some players compromise by placing a silver headjoint on a wooden body; others investigate the variety of wood headjoints available in today’s market. Prices range from $500 - $5000, and makers include Amati, Burkart, Emerson, Gemeinhardt, Hammig, Haynes, Jupiter, Keefe, Powell, Seaman, Weismann, and Yamaha.

THE FIRST ENCOUNTER

Piccoloists can not be shy; they must play confidently and with a well-supported airstream. The oral cavity must be relaxed and open. The lips should not be tight since tight lips create a piercing tone, poor intonation, buzzing, and fatigue. Experiment with placing the piccolo about halfway up the lips to avoid covering too much of the embouchure hole. Remember to play with a fast spinning vibrato to round out the sound. If your practice area is small, you should strongly consider the use of earplugs when practicing, as the high-pitched sounds reverberating in a confined space might damage your hearing over time.

ADDING THE PICCOLO TO YOUR ROUTINE

It is best to first warm up on flute before switching to the piccolo, and even then, you should do slow legato exercises on the piccolo that concentrate on moving from lower notes to higher ones. If the lips buzz, return to the lower notes to avoid overtaxing the lips. Feel free to transfer warm up exercises from the flute literature and to play lyrical pieces such as those found in Marcel Moyse's Tone Development Through Interpretation (McGinnis and Marx). Always play with close attention as you build a round tone, tasteful vibrato, and good intonation. Most technical studies for flute will, with minor alterations, work well for piccolo.

THE HARDEST PART

Playing with good intonation is perhaps the most difficult aspect of playing the piccolo. The intonation tendencies of the piccolo differ from those of the flute and can vary greatly from piccolo to piccolo. In general, the following notes are flat on piccolos: low D, Eb, E, F; middle Bb, B, C, C#, D; and high Bb. The notes that tend to be sharp on piccolo are middle C, C#, D, F, F#, G; high Eb to high C (with the exception of Bb). Use the tuner creatively when you practice and find a flutist friend who will play the same music as you (but sounding an octave lower, of course).

FINGERINGS

While flute fingerings will work on the piccolo, there are several instances when other finger combinations produce better results.

Because piccoloists often need an arsenal of alternate fingerings, many have responded by publishing specialty charts. One such chart is John Krell’s Auxiliary Fingering Guide for Piccolo and another chart can be found on the Woodwind Fingering Guide web site. Other useful sources are Stephen Tanzer’s A Basic Guide to Fingerings for the Piccolo, Burkart-Phelan’s Fingering Tips for Piccolo, and back issues of Flute Talk magazine.

PICCOLO METHODS

PICCOLO RECORDINGS