Phillipe Marcil D-flat Piccolo

[BuckeyeFlute]

Hello,

I bought a Phillipe Marcil piccolo for $30. The main reason I purchased it was because it is a D-flat, and I am hoping to finally master Stars and Stripes, something I could never do.

It is all metal, and structurally, in great shape, other than tarnish. It is off being given what I call the spa treatment.

Can anyone tell me anything about them? I found a letter on Ancestry.com from the Smithsonian, stating that they were gifted some of his instruments. It also states that he worked for Haynes, tried to start his own company, and finally worked at Selmer.

I wondered if anyone had one. I have an all metal Armstrong, purchased used in 1978 for marching band, because it was all metal. My flute instructor told my mother that marching band was not the place for a wooden one or the combination metal head and wooden body. It served me for 4 years of marching band, the piccolo chair, and a year of marching band in at University, where marching band was a physical education credit for non-music majors.

Thanks to a suggestion from another poster, I joined a community band, and have again started playing regularly. The summer music includes several Sousa marches.

But, I just wondered if anyone had any experience with this model, and had any suggestions or tips for playing a D-flat piccolo. And, I wondered if anyone had an idea of its worth. I forgot to ask when I dropped it off. But, I'm curious. Also, I need to take photos, and list an amount for our home owner's insurance. Although, I would expect that replacing it would be difficult. I couldn't find one for sale anywhere, or any information about it at all.

Thank-you,

BuckeyeFlute

[SylvreKat]

Hello,

I bought a Phillipe Marcil piccolo for $30. The main reason I purchased it was because it is a D-flat, and I am hoping to finally master Stars and Stripes, something I could never do.

...

Can't offer any help with the picc since I've never encountered a Db picc. But I'm trying to get my brain wrapped around that part of your post, since I've played S&S on my various C-piccs since high school. Is there something different in the Db part than the C part?

Ok, just Googled "Marcil piccolo" and first hit has one at an instrument shop for $200-- https://www.timsbisecomm.com/p-23-dflat ... -picc.aspx

>'Kat

[BuckeyeFlute]

From my research, D flat piccolos used to be the norm, prior to public schools offering music programs, and expanding them. Piccolos then went the way of the flutes, as this market became the largest one.

The Sousa marches were all written for a D flat, and the music for Stars and Stripes is MUCH easier for the D flat. MUCH easier. The Library of Congress has it in their public domain pieces.

My impression is they are rare, but there isn't much use for them, other than Sousa marches, unless one wants to transpose every every piece of music. One post in this forum makes mention of someone having one just for Sousa pieces, such as Stars and Stripes,

My search didn't turn up the link you posted. I did find a Haynes for $1500, and another one for $1895, which was wood. There is also a professor from Idaho that mentions it in a historical context.

No one seems to actually play one.

Gayle Ann

[SylvreKat]

Gayle Ann,

1) Me, I would still call that instrument shop and see what they know about the Marcil picc they're selling.

2) I would assume a print of this ad would work for your insurance company in establishing value. It's not like some random eBay auction, it's a legit business within their field of expertise.

3) I did go check out the LoC's online copy of S&S in Db picc, and quite honestly it looks exactly the same, albeit a half-step lower. Which would make several of the trills including the extended one at the end harder for me--I would way rather trill my middle finger than my pinky for that long! But then, I've had carpal and cubital tunnel surgeries twice on my left, so that might be why my pinky wiggles kind of unevenly. The C-version also seems easier in some of the jumps--Eb to Ab instead of D to G. Ditto jumping Db to G, instead of C to F#--seems easier to me to move all my left fingers together rather than add the thumb and ring and ring fingers. Probably personal pref.

Anyways, good luck mastering it, on whichever picc you end up using!

>'Kat

[SylvreKat]

Btb, too bad you don't live here in KC. I'd ask you to join the Civic Band for the Mem Day ceremony. I'm planning to picc-out for the end of S&S. There's four of us who own piccs. I'll loan out my wood. There's a clarinetist who owns one (although she says she can't even get a sound out of it--I'm working on convincing her though!) There might be other flutists with a picc who just haven't come out of the closet about it, ha. I'll even loan out the PofC Artley, if someone's brave (foolish??) enough to take it on.

>'Kat