starting on piccolo~~~~~need help!

nomusicnolife · Post by **nomusicnolife** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:48 pm

okay, im starting on piccolo for the first time after playing flute for 5 years. i can get some notes out but not enough to know if im playing it correctly.

so my questions is......how do i postion my mouth? how are my lips? what are they compaired to a flute embrousure? basically.....how do i play the dang thing?

please and thank you

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:57 pm

Piccolo playing is very similar to flute playing in some ways. The embouchure is essentially the same, but the airstream will need to be a bit more directed to get a good sound. Try blowing down into the piccolo a little more than you might think you need to to help produce a better tone. You'll also want to position the picc a little higher on your chin than a flute (the embouchure hole shoild feel like it's in about the same place as a flute would). Intonation is also a major issue, so when you practice piccolo (yes, you must actually practice picc!!) be sure to do some tuner work to get your ears working in that high a range. When you first start off, you can't expect to have a full range (Up to high F is probably about the highest you'll get for a little while), so to gradually extend your range, start on a note that's comfortable and sounds good, and slur (slowly) up chromatically two notes at a time (I.E. B-C, C-C#, C#-D, etc.) until you hit the new note. Then start attacking on the note once you have a feel for where it is. Also be sure not to tense or try to just shove as much air through the picc as possible in an attempt to get the upper register to sound. This will actually hurt your playing. A well focused airstream is far more likely to produce a pleasant tone, as well as the desired pitches than tons of air, or a pinched airstream. You might also make use of some alternate fingerings, as all piccolos are different and some need more babying n certain notes than others. Check www.wfg.woodwind.com for a list of piccolo specific alternate fingerings. Hope some of that's useful! If you have any more specific questions, feel free to ask!

nomusicnolife · Post by **nomusicnolife** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 6:06 pm

okay...thanks for the advice...it really helped alot...but i have another question for you...ive had the piccolo for alittle more than a week...well, ive been having to practice that thing more often than my flute cuz i had to learn three movements for a marching show on it...but i would still play my flute for scales in class..well tonight i picked up my flute to play through some things....I CANT PLAY IT!!! i tried relazing my mouth, top lip especially, but my airstream is still directed at a sharp downward angle...i tried everything i could think of and my airstream is still pointed down....what do i do? how can i get my flute embrochure back and still keep my piccolo embrochure too? ugh, i waited years to play the picc and now its just frustrating me because im not that good at it yet and it took my flute...

please help!!!

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 6:10 pm

nomusicnolife wrote:okay...thanks for the advice...it really helped alot...but i have another question for you...ive had the piccolo for alittle more than a week...well, ive been having to practice that thing more often than my flute cuz i had to learn three movements for a marching show on it...but i would still play my flute for scales in class..well tonight i picked up my flute to play through some things....I CANT PLAY IT!!! i tried relazing my mouth, top lip especially, but my airstream is still directed at a sharp downward angle...i tried everything i could think of and my airstream is still pointed down....what do i do? how can i get my flute embrochure back and still keep my piccolo embrochure too? ugh, i waited years to play the picc and now its just frustrating me because im not that good at it yet and it took my flute...

please help!!!

Don't worry! It happens to everyone at first! Likely you are tensing too much on picc, rather than on flute. Relax you embouchure on picc, and hte results should be better for both. It's really just a matter of time. You should practice both. If at all possible, each day play picc enough to qualify as a good practice session (maybe 30 mins, since you're just starting), and also enough flute to get your embouchure woking there too. Some people suggest warming up on flute and then going over to picc, but I really noticed no difference when trying this. Give it a shot, though. Overall, it just takes time. The picc may screw with your flute playing for a while...Maybe a year+, but the more you go back and forth, the easier it becomes. I remember I could hardly play after screwing around on picc when I first started it, but now, 5 or 6 years later, I play mostly picc, and can go back and forth between the two seamlessly. Don't stress about it too much.

fluteguy18 · Post by **fluteguy18** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 6:33 pm

yeah I had the same problem.... but worse. I switched to piccolo for an entire marching season. So, I went from june to January playing ONLY piccolo. I didnt touch my flute the whole time. then..... when concert season came up..... I was first chair flute..... and there was this solo..... and I couldnt play..... at all. It was embarassing. but now I switch very seamlessly between picc. flute and alto flute.

Meredith · Post by **Meredith** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 7:50 pm

It takes time to transition from piccolo to flute. I'd suggest playing one for two minutes (say, a round of scales), and then repeating the exercise on the other, and continue going back and forth until you can make the transition seamlessly.

Whenever I had to make a quick switch from piccolo to flute, I'd smile and stretch my lips. This helps to relax the embrochure.

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 7:58 pm

My first college flute prof suggested sitting down with a comfortable etude book and just playing through, one page on flute, the next on picc, the entire book, every day, until you can do this with ease and good tone/intonation.