Out of Tune Piccolo

jimsaxman · Post by **jimsaxman** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 5:06 pm

I recently bought a Yamaha YPC-62 piccolo on ebay--a good instrument--but I find it to play very sharp for me (more than a quarter tone). When I play the instrument with the headjoint all the way in, it plays fine: covers the entire range quite nicely; but when I pull out to where its in tune, it doesn't cover. Plays very badly. Is there a shim or something I can put in the headjoint? I've adjusted the end cork. Nothing significant. I'm not an amateur--so I don't think its me.

Worried

fluteguy18 · Post by **fluteguy18** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 9:21 pm

I play a yamaha 62, and it plays quite nicely for me. Many new instruments utilize a scale that the player isn't used to. So, it may be that the scale is different from your last picc. Or, if your last picc had a metal headjoint, that also makes a big difference I have found.

I would also have it looked over by a tech. It could have leaks, and overall adjustment issues [like pad/key height, shrunken headjoint cork, shrunken body tenon cork, leaky pads etc. etc.] that could be causing issues.

Keep playing around with it. Maybe you haven't found that 'sweet spot' yet.

And out of curiousity, who did you buy it from on ebay? Was it just an individual, or was it through a dealer that sells their excess on ebay? I bought my picc on ebay from the dealer Matthew's Musik which is in the Netherlands.f If you got it through them, I wouldn't hesitate to contact them. They were very helpful when I bought mine.

pied_piper · Post by **pied_piper** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 9:45 pm

I study with a flutist/piccoloist for a well respected symphony and she told me that many wood piccolos are sensitive to the headjoint position, especially in the extreme upper octave. I play a YPC-62 and had some issues getting A3 and above. Her suggestion was to experiment with the position and move it in or out by a very small amount. I found that pulling out a quarter inch or more caused the third octave to become more difficult - not impossible, but less stable. When I pushed back in to 3-16ths or less, the third octave responds better.

When I got my YPC-62, it took me a while to adjust to the smaller diameter of the headjoint. I had previously only played piccs with a metal head and lip plate. I did have to adjust the angle and amount of lip coverage (a bit less) from what I was previously accustomed to. Now, that I've gotten used to playing a wooden headjoint, I find that I can play in tune @ A=440 with the headjoint at about the 3-16ths inch position and it plays well up to B3.

So, my suggestion is to give it a bit of time and experiment with the headjoint position, your lip coverage, and blowing angle. If that doesn't fix your problem, you might want to have it checked for leaks. Even brand new piccs can get out of adjustment in shipping.

Good luck and HTH!

fluteguy18 · Post by **fluteguy18** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:17 pm

I agree with Piedpiper. It took me a little while to adjust too, but now it plays easily up to C3 for me. I play with my headjoint pulled out about 3-5mm, and turned in ever so slightly.