Piccolo - High Notes

[GerryG]

I need some encouragement. I''ve been teaching
myslef how to play flute (3 months) and piccolo (2 months). In a short amount of
time, I was able to play the notes up to C4 on the flute but still can''t get
above F3 on the piccolo. I can only play the beginning of the upper register by
tonguing and I feel like I''m spitting and blowing awfully hard. Do the
highest notes just take time to reach? Sometimes when I play above F3 I get
notes to come out but they''re lower than they should be. Thanks, Gerry G

[damjan]

Dear Gerry, Piccolo embochure is different from the
one on the flute. It is much tighter as the piccolo requires more pressure. I am
myself not a piccolo player but I do know that the higher you go, the harder it
will be to produce a tone. I will look a little more into this to give you a
better advice. By the way, your flute range is impressive for such a short
period of time! Just keep practicing! Kind regards, Gerry.

[GerryG]

Thanks, Damjan - I appreciate the help. Gerry G

[BandSlave]

Keep practicing your scales with the piccolo and
the flute. That's going to help you recognise the different sounds. Also, try
to, as damjan said, to tighten up your embochure and try blowing more in or
across the hole. The tone will probably be airy, but after a while, you should
be able to get a beautiful sound. Have fun and good luck! Yours, Abby

[GerryG]

Thanks, Abby The other day I was able to hit a
couple G3 and A3's. It seems to be just like when I played trumpet years ago.
The more you practice the easier it becomes to strengthen your embouchure. I
noticed after I hit about 4 A3's doing scales I couldn't hit any more of them.
My lips were just too tired. Howeve, I was encouraged by my progress. Like
everything else in life, you have to put in the effort to get better. Take care,
Gerry G

[sweetensour]

practicing high notes really kills your mouth..
especially on piccolo. my band director always told us to 'warm down' after
doing some intense playing, like playing a concert F major descending.

[AG950Flute]

I'm impressed on your ability to play so well
after only a few months of playing! With more time and practice those notes will
come out without a problem I'm sure. Some advice that I have gotten in piccolo
playing that may help you. First of all, it is very true that the embouchure for
piccolo is different and takes more control. You may want to practice long tones
to develop your lip muscles and build control, see how long you can hold a note
without having the note "quiver" in sound. It's best to start on C, in a more
comfortable range and work your way down and then back up. For the higher notes,
you may want to practice arpeggios starting from the lower notes and working up
instead of just trying to hit the note out of nowhere. This will also build your
lip flexibility and strength. For piccolo there are numerous fingerings for the
third octave. One fingering you may want to try for the third octave F is known
as the "fork" fingering, finger F as you normally would and add your ring finger
in your right hand. This may also help intonation. Make sure that your piccolo
is also in good working condition, there's nothing harder than trying to play
high notes on a piccolo that is leaking! Best of luck!!

[GerryG]

Courtney, Thanks for your suggestions - I'll give
them a try. I have noticed that my lips get tired after a short time playing
high notes. It reminds me of having to build up my lip muscles when I played
trumpet years ago. The piccolo is definitely my favorite between it and the
flute. My goal is to be able to play Stars and Stripes very soon. I haven't
found the sheet music but from listening to a University of Illinois Marching
Illini CD, I've been able to write most of the piccolo part using Play Music
software. I just can't wait until I can play easily up through the higest
octave. The piccolo is just so much fun to play. Thanks again for your help.
Gerry G

[sweetensour]

it IS really fun to play... go piccs! : )