Why Pick Up the Piccolo?

Why Pick Up the Piccolo?

 

I imagine that almost any flute player who has had experience playing or owning a good piccolo will be inclined to answer quickly simply and immediately - because it is fun! I fully share and support this opinion - but it does not say enough about the benefits to the flautist so I hope to expand a little. I would say that experience of playing and better yet, playing and treasuring your own piccolo deserves to be viewed as an important part of the development and maturation of every flautist.

The similarities between the flute and piccolo are many. The piccolo sounds a straight octave higher which makes immediate sense, but some differences remain to be addressed. Despite the tendency of many new players to try to 'force' the lips into a smaller embouchure and exert extra effort for the piccolo it actually responds best with a more relaxed embouchure. Yes, the airstream may be more forceful but the lips should almost be allowed to relax to no effort at all to create the ideal small aperture desired. The placement of the piccolo on the lip is also higher than the placement for the flute and this will take some practice to refine. This studied relaxation and related embouchure placement will come with practice (long tones and slurred octaves are very useful) and once the tone and response settle down a piccolo 'attitude' should hopefully become second nature.

This practice may be a bit upsetting for the flute embouchure at first but if you think of the results gained from piccolo practice as an extension of high note practice on the flute the benefits of the greater embouchure relaxation and experimentation with placement will transfer to the flute and be very useful.

The smaller size and lighter weight of the piccolo is an obvious difference. The player's finger technique must be lighter and more precise on the piccolo as tension or unnecessarily heavy contact with keys will disrupt the embouchure and is likely to affect the cleanliness of the sound and response. Transferring some of these skills back to the flute is often beneficial in itself and may eventually result in a more fluid technique on your main instrument.

Carefully observing the tuning of characteristics of a new instrument, in this case the piccolo, can 'open up your ears' to better habits and greater awareness of the tuning on your flute. Everything becomes more critical, not harder, just requiring more refinement and subtle adjustments to work correctly.

Flute players usually discover that the piccolo uses up a smaller amount of air than the flute but requires more solid air support. Learning how to breathe more deeply and how to best hold onto the greater reservoir of air required to stabilise the sound is a very useful learning process and the discipline and awareness that one learns are sure to enhance breathing and phrasing on the flute as well. One's playing posture, important as it is to all musicians, is especially important on the piccolo and working to improve posture goes along with better breathing habits.

The piccolo is almost entirely a solo voice in the band, orchestra or ensemble and as such when it is included in a score it is intended to be heard - almost never a 'filler'. Becoming used to hearing oneself instead of feeling 'buried' within a section may be a bit nerve but it also can be a wonderful confidence boost!

Balancing the tonal qualities of different ranges of the piccolo requires careful listening and the cultivation of new sensitivities. Some ranges where a healthy tone comes easily on the flute may feel weak on the piccolo and vice versa. It is a good goal to strive for evenness of tone from bottom D to top Bb at least. The highest B and C are tricky for many players and downright near impossible on some instruments but they should be pursued, with the relaxed embouchure and very solid airstream mentioned above. If consistently achieved they are a real glory for the player and wonderful to experience.

Learning to switch between and care for your instrument is also very beneficial as it is often the case (even likely) that your flute and piccolo will have been made by different manufacturers and the key mechanisms could feel quite different. Coping with this is a fact of life for many players and it should make you a more flexible individual capable of understanding all your equipment better.
 
I would recommend regularly splitting your practice time between the flute and piccolo. Playing scales, arpeggios, interval studies and long tones on the piccolo is time well spent. When the flute is picked up again your technique is almost certain to feel more fluent. 

Anything written for the flute can be played on the piccolo (with the exception of the low notes below D) but the most rewarding playing may be excerpts from orchestral repertoire, exercise studies or solo repertoire originally for the Descant or Sopranino recorder. I recommend that all learners purchase the 2 volume method by Danielle Eden titled Piccolo Piccolo! It contains progressive studies that deal with all the familiar requirements of the instrument. There is also an excellent collection of practice exercises, studies and orchestral repertoire that has been put together by Trevor Wye and Patricia Morris titled Practice Book for the Piccolo. An excellent investment for anyone.

A final point I would add is that the ability to play the piccolo, and the ownership of or access to an instrument, can often be the 'ticket' to opportunities to perform with a wider range of ensembles and even result in participation in groups where just being able to play the flute would not be of interest.

I would encourage all flute players to embrace whatever opportunities they get to play the piccolo. Make sure any instrument you might use is in good condition by having it checked over by a repairer and then go away and do the necessary 'familiarisation' practice. When you feel that you are ready then go out and let everyone know that you have added piccolo to your skill set. You will be glad you did! 

The tips and comments above are the result of many years of providing help and advice, my personal interest and study, and the teaching that I have done during my career. I have many colleagues and teachers to thank for sharing their thoughts and suggestions on this and other topics. In addition I am indebted to Woodwind & Reed, Cambridge ( www.wwr.co.uk ) where, in the course of helping customers, many of these concepts have been refined and have proven helpful. 

Thomas Dryer-Beers