ok ive been playing clarinet for 7 years and just picked up the flute about a year ago.. but i think i caught on rather quickly. well i havent been in a band since last yr but i still love playing for fun in all.. but i really wanna try playing the piccolo which is very similar to the flute? is it harder to play or easier? just wondering.. and how much do they cost? for a decent one..
It's not an easy instrument to play well, but then no instrument is. The basic technique is similar, but the two instruments have some big differences. You'll have to treat it as a completely different animal. It has it's own strengths and weaknesses completely separate from the flute. It's definitely worth learning though, as some groups won't even consider you if you can't play picc. However, I would suggest you stick to flute for a while longer yet before you take up picc. You need a really firm basis in flute playing before you'll be able to play picc even decently. Just for reference, you can get a decent used piccolo in working order for a few hundred dollars (under 400, certainly), but they can also go for as high as 5K+.
c_otter wrote:One question is: How easy do you find the third octave on the flute? The piccolo plays an octave above that.
OMG really? Like, in harmonics or real fingerings?
The piccolo is pitched one octave above the C flute. If you finger the lowest D a piccolo is capable of playing, it will sound the second lowest D a flute is capable of playing (the one in the staff). Technically, all notes above the first octave are simply harmonics of lower pitches with special fingerings to compensate for tone and pitch.
If you are struggling to get a decent sound in the 3rd octave of the flute, it might make sense to work on the flute a little more. Otherwise, go for it.
