Simple PVC Piccolos by Jemtheflute (Jem Hammond).
This post offers for sale my Simple Piccolos which have developed out of a project I offer to schools in which children make their own and learn to play them (course enquiries welcome, and I can also offer shorter workshops…..).
There is a short sales/demonstration video clip of my Piccolos on my YouTube channel - click here: Demonstration video
Every Piccolo is supplied with a full Fingering Chart and Information Sheet.
These Piccolos, whilst being fully functional, "proper" musical instruments, are ideal for children, whistlers who fancy (cheaply) trying a transverse flute, complete newcomers to flute who want to see how they get on with it for a minimal investment……. & for established fluters who want to be noticed in that noisy session!
Ordering & Prices:
Please note that I am increasing my prices with effect from this post - this Price List supersedes all previous ones even if still displayed online. This is due in part to increased postal charges but also to the fact that I now find making the piccs considerably more expensive than formerly in terms of my work time spent on the making process (and therefore not earning money in other ways) and I need to get a slightly better return on it to make it viable.
I can supply Piccolos by post to most parts of the world. I usually have a certain quantity in stock ready to go & try not to become bogged down with a backlog of orders. I can accept payment (in advance of despatch) within GB by cheque or direct *Bank Transfer (*please contact me for details) or from abroad by PayPal only (to the e-address given below).
All payments must be in £ Sterling/GBP.
Price per Piccolo including P&P and an element to cover PayPal fees:
£16.00 within GB paid by cheque or Bank Transfer(despatch on clearance of funds)
£16.50 within GB paid by PayPal
£17.50 to European Union destinations
£18.00 to the rest of the world
(direct sales collected in person £15.00)
Orders for multiple instruments may attract some discount at least of P&P costs - please ask for a quote on 3 or more instruments. Enquiries from shops on commercial terms are welcome, but please be aware that I will likely need notice/manufacturing time to fill orders for more than a few piccolos.
To order, please contact me by PM or, preferably, direct to jemhammond@yahoodotcodotuk.
You can make your order for one or two piccolos by initiating a PayPal remittance to that e-address.
(Please contact me before remitting if you want more than 2!)
Subject to stock availability, PayPal orders will normally be despatched within 48 hours.)
Please observe C&F Forum rules in this regard & do not make order enquiries in this thread!
Comments & technical questions are welcome, however, as would be any feedback in due course.
PLEASE NOTE:
1. Current stock/production is of right-handed instruments only (the embouchure centre is offset from the tone-hole centre-line back towards the player’s side of the tube). Left handed instruments are available by special order.
2. I am (still!) not as yet making (or taking orders for) instruments with adjustable tuning/embouchure angle or interchangeable bodies in different keys, mentioned in my Demonstration Video as future possibilities - More R&D is needed before I am happy to supply such. I’ll advertise them when I’m ready.
Description:
The Simple Piccolo is a very basic but surprisingly versatile fixed-pitch diatonic instrument in D. That means that the simple fingers-off-in-order scale is that of D major starting on D (an octave above the D above "middle C") with all holes covered & that there is no way to adjust the tuning which has been set to be at standard “concert” pitch (A=440 Hz) when blown properly as designed. (Instruments with adjustable tuning and in other keys may be available in future at extra cost.) It is best suited to traditional/folk music & can play easily in D & G major & the related minor keys & in modes with one or two sharps in their scale, just like a Penny/Tin Whistle. The tone is stronger & more flexible than that of any whistle, & is very sweet & rich in the lower octave & sweet whilst not too shrill in the second octave. It is capable of playing well into the third octave if desired. Balance & response between octaves is good & all the Irish finger articulation/ornamentation techniques work crisply.
The fingering chart supplied with each instrument also gives cross-fingerings (where available) & half-holings for the full chromatic scale up to A in the 3rd octave. It is relatively easy to blow (compared to an orchestral piccolo) & is a suitable (& cheap!) starter instrument for children whose hands &/or arm-reach are as yet too small for a full size flute, either Böhm or Simple System (“Irish”). There would be no significant changes of technique in up-sizing to Simple System or keyless Concert Flute, & only minor changes to shift to a Böhm flute.
(Note: “in D” is the norm for both Concert Flutes & Piccolos including Böhm, though classical/orchestral terminology would describe them as “in C” because they are not “transposing instruments”, notwithstanding their underlying “home” diatonic tonality.)
The Piccolos are individually hand-made & finished &, as such, may show some traces of the production processes; they may not be entirely uniform or consistent in appearance, though they should all perform equally well.
Tuning & Intonation:
General playing pitch as well as that of individual notes can be affected by how you form your lips into an embouchure, how much of the mouth-hole you cover with your lower lip & the angle at which you blow at the far edge of the hole. The more of the hole you cover & the more you direct your airstream downwards into the hole, the flatter (lower) you will play; the less of the hole you cover & the more straight-across you blow, the sharper (higher). At the frequencies at which a piccolo operates, very small embouchure adjustments have quite noticeable effects on pitch. The instrument has been designed to be played with an “Irish” style of blowing (more covered & downwards), so if you use a modern classical French-school flute embouchure (open/across) you will probably be sharp to begin with. Find the strongest, richest sound you can in the bottom octave & you should be near enough in tune at A=440Hz. It is up to you, the player, to play in tune with other instruments - the piccolo is as in tune with itself (to Equal Temperament) as is possible in such things!
Unlike most other conduit/plumbing tube PVC flutes available on the market, the usual intonation problems with all-cylinder transverse flutes made of pre-formed tube (primarily flatness in the 2nd octave) are addressed in my Piccolos by a Tipple/Fajardo wedge glued into the top end of the tube. The wedge is a substitute for the body taper in a traditional wooden flute or the tapering Böhm head on a modern flute - it isn’t a perfect or total solution, but it does as good a job as can be expected on this simple an instrument which will in any case inevitably have some minor intonation compromises/limitations, however cleverly designed and made. Any such residual limitations are easily compensated for with good embouchure technique.
The edge of the wedge is visible in these pictures (above) inside the tube through the embouchure hole and you can also see it in these up-tube shots (below):
(Note: I think that for group or class use, the standardised tuning/non-tunable nature of these piccolos is ideal - just think of the hell of tuning a school group of recorders!)
Audio/Video samples and Feedback:
Here are some audio and video clips made by customers using my Piccolos:
Michael Clarkson PVC Piccolo demo clip 1 (The London Lasses & The Dublin Reel)
Michael Clarkson PVC Piccolo demo clip 2 (Titles unknown)
Michael Clarkson video clip on his Facebook
Timo Bark (Tim B.): Hurry the Jug & Menuet with Smallpipes and Piccolo
You can read past feedback on my piccolos in my original Commercial Post.
Materials and Care:
The Piccolos are made of PVC tube that is sold for use as electrical conduit. It is a safe & reasonably durable material. (I am not aware of any health concerns or contra-indications with this material, having done some research on the issue.) It may deform if subjected to too much heat (so avoid leaving it on a radiator or the parcel shelf of your car in summer) but is not readily flammable or melt-able. It can be scratched or surface dented, though not too easily (e.g. tooth-marks if the dog wants to play with it…). However, there’s no need to worry about dropping it or moderately bending it & it will survive your little brother or parents or children or friends hitting you with it to get you to stop playing it! It shouldn’t even hurt too much! Light scratches may be removed by rubbing lengthways with fine wire wool if desired - that is how the original finish was achieved. This is a real musical instrument, not a toy, but it should be safe around small children & has no sharp edges or small, loose parts which could present a choking hazard. In the unlikely event that either the stopper or tuning wedge in the head becomes loose or falls out, please contact me for advice. No special care is needed after playing - just blow/shake out any condensation in the tube (choose your target well!); this may also be necessary during a prolonged playing session as gathering water drops can muffle the tone. An occasional wash-out with warm water & washing-up liquid, perhaps using a bottle brush, would be a good idea. It probably won’t actually hurt it if the Piccolo gets used to eat chocolate cake or to dig up the garden… best not to do that sort of thing, though!
Happy Tootling!
