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The purchase of the instrument

The careful purchase of your own piccolo flute represents a good beginning. If you choose to dedicate yourself to a career as a flutist (not only as a piccolo player!), the purchase of an instrument becomes an immediate and fundamental concern. It’s indispensable to have your own instrument for a good performance in a concert or in a competition.

While there are differences among flutes that are built with the same or similar materials and with the same density, these differences are much greater among piccolos, because no two blocks of wood are identical and the due to the smaller dimensions of the piccolo, the margin for error is far smaller.

Before purchasing a piccolo, it is advisable to forget the following:

1) The more expensive the instrument, the better

2) A fine flute builder must make equally fine piccolos

3) The endorsement of a great flute soloist (who may not even play the piccolo!) should be taken seriously

4) A wooden piccolo is better than a metal piccolo

5) A metal piccolo is better than a wood piccolo.

Only when you have emptied your mind of these prejudices will it be possible to understand that an unbiased attitude and willingness to experiment are the best guarantees for making a good choice.

The instrument must be suitable to the player and his needs, not the contrary.

The audition committee of an orchestra usually chooses a finalist based on the sound and the style of the orchestra they play in. Knowing this helps you select the two most important criteria;

1. Where do I want play the piccolo?

I believe that one should base one’s choice of an instrument on its utilization, that is, symphonic, operatic, ballet or chamber or theater orchestra, woodwind quintet (or, why not, wind band!) and whether one plans to play the piccolo professionally or as an amateur, frequently or occasionally.

2. How do I want play the piccolo?

There are piccolos for flutists who want to play the piccolo with blowing pressure similar to that of a flute, producing a brilliant sound. Other models need more blowing pressure, give a darker sound and great dynamic range but are harder to control.

Remember - there isn’t a best choice if you don’t know how and where you want to play the piccolo.

If a student is interested in owning and playing piccolo, before he graduates, he should ask his teacher to recommend an inexpensive instrument for practicing, but not necessarily a long-term commitment. I have played excellent inexpensive piccolos which I could use in my daily professional activity which my colleagues would not play at all!

If your teacher cannot do this and you are hoping to work as a professional flutist/piccolo player, try to contact the piccolo players of important orchestras to ask them the reasons for their choice of instrument (which may be different from yours). When doing so you should describe your goals and how you hope to utilize the instrument. This will give them the information they need to help you.

Which characteristics do we need to understand in order to select our instruments?

There are two models of piccolo commercially available:

  1. Conical head joint and cylindrical body (used for a few student models),
  2.  Cylindrical head joint and conical body.

Most piccolo players choose the second kind.

  • Every kind of embouchure changes the piccolo’s sound and its flexibility. Some builders use different kinds of embouchures, some of them with special “wings” to prevent the player from covering the hole too much
  • It is necessary to test the tuning with perfect intervals: fourths, fifths and octaves. But watch out! A poorly-trained musical ear could commit mistakes, so it is advisable to use an electronic tuner.
  • Try also to use different blowing pressures. It is also important to test the high register for flexibility and ease of the dynamic range, especially piano and pianissimo and make sure the low register has sufficient volume.
  • Difficulty in playing particular notes or registers means difficulty in tuning. Pay attention also to the articulation through the registers.
  • Try every instrument you can - your teacher’s, your colleague’s, your friend’s, and those you find in the music shops. Try also different headjoints and take notes about the good and bad aspects you discover.

Trevor Wye’s has said “it’s a question of time, patience and intelligent study.” This is particularly applicable to the study of the piccolo. The instrument is very important, but the most important thing is practicing!