Bb twice above staff on piccolo

nomusicnolife · Post by **nomusicnolife** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 3:21 pm

okay, i just started on piccolo but ive progressed pretty well considering i practice in my sleep and all...yea...in one of our pieces were playing for christmas, theres a piccolo/flute section and it consists of Bb twice above the staff....now my question is is there anyway i can make that note come out easier.

the note before it is F above the staff and if i blow harder i end up getting a harmonic o just not changing at all...i have got the note out before and i practice scales with that note..it just when it comes to playing with that F before it...its a little difficult...

so any advice would be great...thanks!

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 4:32 pm

Practice is the key! Try switching what you've been doing up....If you've been doing scales, do arpeggios, or take a piece of music you know and play it up the octave. Only when you can hit and hold these 3rd octave notes with a controlled sound are they really within your grasp, so just hitting it isn't enough. You need to be able to support through the note to be sure it doesn't disappear on you. With picc, especially in the upper register, alternate fingerings can be very useful. I would experiment with those on the piccolo fingering chart at www.wfg.woodwind.org and see if they don't make life a little easier for you. Also, what works on one picc may not work on another, as each instrument has it's own quirks, so what works for our piccs may be of no help to you. Also be sure that you're not just blowing as much air through the picc as possible. Blowing harder is not the way to get the third octave on piccolo. Instead, make sure your embouchure is relaxed (but firm), and use a small, very focused airstream to get these very high pitches. You should have much better results with that method. Also, try using whistle tones to find where you need to put the air before you actually go for the note. They should help you find it without deafening yourself. You should also consider wearing earplugs when you practice this high so as not to risk your hearing down the road. Hope that helps!

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 9:01 am

Lift your little finger from the D# key for the high B-flat on picc.

fluteguy18 · Post by **fluteguy18** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 5:47 pm

Yes Melizzard. Very good advice. It took me about 6 months of trying to play that high Bb, B natural, and C natural (when I first started on picc) to figure that trick out. Then, it was by accident. I have been doing it ever since, and have given the advice to everyone I know who has high range picc problems.

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Thu Nov 23, 2006 1:21 am

I've never had to lift my pinky on Bb's (B's and C's definitely)....I'll give that a go and see if it helps at all.

fluteguy18 · Post by **fluteguy18** » Thu Nov 23, 2006 9:44 am

I havent ever needed it on Bb either. But some people have found that it helps. I definately do it on the B and C though.