Old Piccolo intonation problems!

Irish Flute
1

Hi everyone,
I recently bought an old wooden piccolo off eBay on a whim. There were a few problems with pads etc. which I have fixed up but on playing I discovered it has awful intonation on some notes- the B is flat (opening the B-flat key actually solves this), and the E and D are a good bit sharp as well. I’m pretty sure the piccolo isn’t worth too much so I was thinking of doing some DIY on it- is there anything I can do such as enlarging certain holes or drilling new ones that will improve the tuning of these notes?

Feadogmhor

2

Intonation problems are a good indicator you are not playing at or near the intended pitch of the instrument. You might query Jem Hammond by giving him the sounding length (center of the embouchure to the foot end, any slide closed.). Might make a better lamp than an acoustic experiment.

Bob