So my Band director just doesn't understand, or am I crazy?

[Sujiku]

Well... I am a piccolo/flute player in my band and I sometimes have trouble switching from piccolo to flute in the middle of a piece (I still play, but the tone isn't as good as if I were on just that instrument) like my teacher wants me to do. I told her that it is hard to just switch after you warm up to one of them and she is like, "What? It's the exact same thing!" When in my opinion, my lip positioning and techniques for both are VERY different. Playing piccolo makes my flute playing sound airy... And too much flute playing makes my piccolo playing sound very piercing.

Am I crazy, or my band director? Isn't there a big difference in playing the two? And if so... She shouldn't expect perfect quality in my playing if she keeps making me fumble between the two numerous times in pieces. Well.. Atleast in my opinion.

[flutepicc06]

There's a difference, but not a huge one...Often times you think there's a bigger difference than there is, and overcompensate, which will produce poor sound. I don't know how long you've been playing picc, but working on both while practice (in fact, going back and forth between them) will really improve your ability to switch between the two. Take an etude book, and play one page on flute, the next on picc, etc. With experience it gets easier. I had the same issues you described when I first started, but know I can go back and forth seamlessly. So, yes your band director doesn't have a very good understanding of what it takes to switch back and forth or what to expect when you have to, but there are ways to fix those issues and get the result your band director seems to expect.

[ick27]

I had similar difficulties when I first started playing piccolo. However, it got easier over time. I think the more switching between piccolo and flute you do, the better you get at it.