Piccolos ... curious I am

[Cathy Wilde]

If you come across a copy of L.E. McCulloch's "120 Session Tunes", check out the photo on the book cover. I'm pretty sure that fellow in the back is playing a piccolo.

It's funny -- I played picc in orchestra, band, etc. all the way thru college and always loved it but now I can hardly get a sound out of the thing! Hmmmm. Need a little embouchure work, do we?

[MarkB]

Just now ordered a Ralph Sweet Piccolo in Blackwood, in D. Should be interesting at the next session or two.

Does the piccolo use the same fingerings as a D whistle?

How loud is a piccolo, it sounds something that my neighbours won't like.

Is there any current recordings of ITM with piccolo in them?

Mark

[Jayhawk]

Mark,

the fingerings are the same as a whistle or a flute. I've not played one of Ralph's piccolos, but I don't think they're too much different from his "folk fife" in D (maybe a slight difference in bore?). I'm betting it's pretty loud, especially when you hit the higher notes, but I was always able to modulate the fife better than I could a high D tin whistle when you get your embouchure good and tight. If you want to though, you can really blast away.

My best comparison might be a Susato high D whistle in volume, but with practice you can play quieter.

Eric

[MarkB]

Thanks Eric!

MarkB

[glauber]

The best thing about piccolo (as opposed to whistle) is that you can control the volume and still play in tune. Embouchure control is just a little different from flute; you'll need a narrower jet, but surprisingly, not a whole lot more tension than you have with flute. Most people when they try a piccolo for the first time put on this extreme lip tension and blow very hard, and end up just spitting inside it. The hole is smaller so your embouchure has to be smaller and more precise, but other than that, it's like a flute.

[kevin m.]

I've got a neat little nach Meyer Rosewood(?) six keyed Piccolo with an (uncracked!) Ivory headpiece,that I bought off E-Bay last year.It needed cleaning up,re-corking and re-padding(which I did myself),and it's now a fair player.
It does need more precision than flute,but it's fun too play.
A master Piccolo player- the late John Doonan-lived near here.His playing can be heard on the album 'The Lark in the clear air'.

[Azathoth]

... not yet unleashed on the unsuspecting members of my local session, that is.

I picked up this little instrument -- simple system picc with a wood (? i think) body, tuning slide, key of C, 6 keys -- off eBay for €30, which seems a bargain since it plays OK even now, although after an overhaul (thanks to peeplj and whoever posted the link to windcraft.co.uk for help here) it'll sound 10x louder.

Having played classical flute/picc for years, it'll be nice to play something with keys again (currently getting along with a Dixon). Tricky tunes with C/Bb will no longer be such of a problem and I can still argue that I'm playing a flute rather than a tin whistle, and thus garner more 'respect'

If anyone wants a pic, I'll make a few when I get my camera talking to my PC again.

Bye for now,


Az

[rhodeirish]

Greetings,

Just an FYI. Skip Healy also makes piccolos. He's been selling more of them lately. Seems to be some rising interest in the instrument. You can see a picture here:

http://www.skiphealy.com/frames/main/instr_fife.htm

Cheers,
John Harvey

[MarkB]

Hi John, I just visted Skip's website from the link that you provided and I got a question.

What are the extra notes on the ten hole piccolo?

MarkB

[glauber]

D# Fnat G# Bb - i.e.: fully chromatic with only the Cnat being cross-fingered.

[chas]

I've got a neat little nach Meyer Rosewood(?) six keyed Piccolo with an (uncracked!) Ivory headpiece,that I bought off E-Bay last year.

I just fixed a crack in a Nach Meyer blackwood/ivory picc. This thing has the sweetest sound. It's a little breathy in the lower octave (I'm not a piccolo player, though, so it's probably me), and the fingering is a bear for me, having boxy hands. Especially RH1, where one of the posts almost prevents me from covering the hole. Haven't tried any ITM yet.

[MarkB]

Thanks Glauber! I will wait for the Ralph Sweet picc to arrive, to see if I like it AND can play it before I invest more money into more instruments.

MarkB

[padjo]

I've been playing a piccolo in sessions (on and off, alternated with flute) for about 20 years. I find that it does cut through the noise in a crowded session very well, but I can confirm that it does screw up your ears a bit if you overdo it.

There was one very well known Irish piccolo player in England, called John Doonan. He's been dead a few years now. He recorded at least one album (Fluter for the Feis, I think it's called. It's a mixture of piccolo and flute.). As the title implies, he used to play a lot for Irish dancers. I think that's another advantage of the piccolo - it's good at keeping a beat. If there is any fuzziness in the rhythm of a session, you can hold it together well with the piccolo.

I play a Boosey and co from I think the 1920s (but it might be earlier). It could do with a good clean up but it has a true clear sound and is well in tune. I'll try to get a pic of it and post it.

[kevin m.]

[quote="padjo"].

There was one very well known Irish piccolo player in England, called John Doonan. He's been dead a few years now. He recorded at least one album (Fluter for the Feis, I think it's called. It's a mixture of piccolo and flute.). As the title implies, he used to play a lot for Irish dancers. /quote]

John Doonan lived just up the road from me,at a place called Hebburn on Tyne.
I had a ticket for his farewell concert,but unfortunately,he died a couple of days beforehand.
I did,however,see the Doonan family band in the new year,featuring sons Mick on U.Pipes,(Boehm)flute and simple system piccolo,and Kevin on fiddle.

[kkrell]

A master Piccolo player- the late John Doonan-lived near here.His playing can be heard on the album 'The Lark in the clear air'.

Lately I've been listening to his cassete "At the Feis" (Ossian OSS 42). Wish I could find the other "Feis" release.

I had contacted John Doonan (while still alive) about the Wooden Flute Obsession CDs, but got no response. A later inquiry to the family also received no response.

Kevin Krell