Piccolo and Eb Flute

The piccolo (also referred to as petite flûte, ottavino, flauto piccolo, and kleine flöte) is the smallest and highest member of the flute family, sounding one octave higher than the concert flute. The piccolo has been around for approximately two hundred years but actually traces its roots to the fife, which was used extensively in European military music, long before the piccolo came into being. Eventually, the smaller piccolo with keys gradually supplanted the larger, keyless fife and was possibly in use as early as the music of Handel, in his opera Rinaldo, and the music of W. A. Mozart, in some of his operas and German Dances. Most music earlier than this, such as the Vivaldi "Piccolo" Concertos, were more probably intended for the sopranino recorder, an end-blown flute, rather than the piccolo. The piccolo didn't become standardized as an orchestral instrument until Beethoven's Symphonies #5, 6 and 9, which all use the piccolo in one movement. In band music, the Db piccolo, rather than the larger orchestral C piccolo, was the mainstay until the early 20th Century, when the Db parts were gradually transposed for the C piccolo because of its stronger tone. The Db piccolo however, retains the distinction of being the first woodwind instrument to be added to the American brass bands of the mid-19th Century.

Today there are basically three types of C piccolos used: wood, metal, and plastic. Wood is primarily used in orchestral playing because of its sweeter, more mellow tone, while silver or silver-plated piccolos are often used in bands because of their more penetrating tone. The plastic piccolo has been quite useful as an outdoor instrument, although it tends to have less projection than wood or metal piccolos. Adding a silver headjoint can help correct this problem.

Fingerings are basically the same as on the flute, although some variations have to be made due to the smaller size and because, until recently, the piccolo has been less acoustically developed than the flute. For example, the highest Bb on most piccolos will not "speak" if you leave the first finger of the left hand down, whereas on the flute it will "speak" quite easily. (Please note that this isn't the fingering of choice on the flute either, since high Bb usually is already flat to begin with and this lowers the pitch even more!) Most piccolos also need to have the second and third fingers of the right hand down in order to easily produce the highest Ab. This fingering is only used as an auxiliary fingering on the flute but is practically a must on the piccolo even though it can be VERY awkward at times. Also, unlike the flute, the piccolo has no low C# or C keys and can only play down to a D natural, so it is limited in its lower range.

Some other problems of the piccolo are its intonation, which is actually different from the flute. Many notes on the flute that have a tendency to be sharp tend to be flat on the piccolo and vice versa. Because most piccolos today, except for maybe the newest professional quality instruments, are so poorly designed compared to the flute, each instrument can vary widely as to what the pitch tendencies for each note are. It takes a lot of practice with a tuner before you can really know your instrument well. Another problem in regard to intonation on the highest notes is that it can be hard for the piccoloist to correctly hear the intonation of the pitch being played due to the effects of internal air pressure on the auditory nerve when blowing.

Because of its smaller blowhole, the piccolo requires less breath, making it easier to play longer lines without the breathing problems that can occur on the C flute. By the same token, it is very important that the piccoloist remembers to keep his or her embouchure very relaxed and not fall into the temptation of pinching because of the smaller blowhole. Best results will always be obtained by staying relaxed and letting the air do most of the work. A fuller, more focused tone with better control of intonation will result if this is adhered to (as well as less fatigue for the piccoloist!).

The piccolo is such a fun instrument to play because it can be so many different things in an ensemble. It can be the chirping of a bird with its grace notes and trills; in its low and middle register it can be poignant sadness or in its upper register, the flash and fire of lightning. Whatever role the piccolo plays, its always sure to be interesting.

The Eb soprano flute or Terzflöte (3rd flute) is somewhat smaller and sounds a minor third higher than the C flute. This less well known member of the flute family was originally used in U.S. public school bands as a substitute for the more expensive Eb clarinet from approximately the 1940's through the early 1970's as well as a beginner flute for students with very small hands. Since its tone color and range was unlike that of the Eb clarinet, and since most beginners were either able to handle the C flute without problems or else buy one with a curved headjoint, manufacturers stopped making them around 1980. However, due to the popularity of flute choirs, one U.S. manufacturer (Emerson) began to make them again in 1991, as there are more and more pieces of flute choir music that require the instrument. Its distinctive tone color, sounding sweeter than the C flute and more mellow than the piccolo, makes the Eb flute a unique member of the flute family whose potential is yet to be fully explored.

The Eb flute requires a slightly smaller embouchure than the C flute that is relaxed and not pinched. The biggest problem that players will encounter with this instrument at first is the fact that it transposes, therefore the beginning player's ears will not be accustomed to having a different note sounding than what they're fingering. Like the piccolo, the Eb flute has been less acoustically developed than the C flute so the flutist will have to listen carefully for intonation, especially if playing on one of the older existing instruments. They tend to be somewhat flat in the middle register, although the upper register is generally in tune. The adaptation to a slightly smaller mechanism should be no problem after playing it a short time. It's actually much easier to play than the piccolo.

The flûte d'amour (also incorrectly referred to as a tenor flute by Emerson Flutes) has been around since medieval times, as part of a family of flutes (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass). These early flutes were side-blown, but had no keys. As time went by and keys were added, the flûte d'amour was pretty much phased out, with the exception of a few 19th Century flutes pitched in the keys of either Bb or A. The modern Bb flûte d'amour is pitched one step below the C flute. It has the same fingering range as the C flute but sounds its best in the middle and low registers. It has a much stronger sound in the low register than the C flute and is therefore useful for transposing extremely low C flute parts to provide a better balance in orchestral or ensemble playing. These flutes are currently only made by Altus Flutes and come in both closed and open hole models; however, with its somewhat larger tubing and wider-spaced keys, the closed-hole model is probably easier to play. The flûte d'amour today is quite rare and generally only used for jazz, since it's in the same key as the tenor saxophone and clarinet, making it easier for the jazz musician to double on all three instruments. If you get the chance, try one. You'll love it!