I finally got an evening to sit down with Grey Larsen’s new book (and what a book!!!) and Grey talks about the Piccolo in Irish music and how at one time it was favoured instrument because it could cut through all the other instruments in a session etc.
And Grey goes on to say that he wishes that the piccolo would come back in use.
I know nothing about piccolos, do they come in different keys etc. Is there such a thing a simple system piccolo?
Does anybody have any experience in playing a piccolo for ITM? Would it be acceptable in a session, since it has been away so long.
There are simple system piccolos, and they can sometimes be found for far less than their lower-octave cousins.
I have never yet had the chance to try an antique; Michael Cronnolly sent me one in high F (!!!) that plays nicely but is so small it is physically difficult to play and control:
A downside is the proximity of the toneholes to the ear, coupled with the high pitch and volume of the instrument.. Stories about hearing troubles on the part of long-term piccolo players are out there.
Doesn’t Ralph Sweet make a couple of simple-system D fifes? (Just checked the Whistle Shop - they list a maple “Renaissance Fife” and a cherry “Celtic Fife”). They are listed as “playing in the same range as a tinwhistle”, so it sounds like they’re designed to be played in the first and second octave.
I have a Hammy piccolo which is my favourite session weapon. The downsize is that you shouldn’t try “noodling” on the piccolo , play only what you know well.
Ralph Sweet makes very good piccolos too, especially considering the price. He sometimes calls them “fifes”, sometimes “celtic piccolos”.
Hello everyone,
I keep a yamaha fife as my car/beach flute. It is a conical bore d “pic like” instrument, and it cost $8.00 here in Singapore. It uses recorder like fingerings, but a bit of hacking with the drill has converted it to play F# like a simple system flute.I have tried it in sessions, and it works quite well. It has quite a nice tone, and is relativly in tune. I think it is quite well worth trying out.
Michael
Yep, I had one each of Ralph Sweet’s D folk fifes and one of his renaissance fifes in D, but I sold both to finance my Seery. I do miss them, though, from time to time. The renaissance fife I think is a real bargain, but you can’t tune it (although mine was in tune). So for a fun tootling around experience the renaissance is great, but for playing with others, the folk fife is better. Both sounded great to me, but they are loud…I was banished either to the basement or outside to play them by my wife. :roll:
Well Im lucky enough to have a little Bossey and Hawks boxwood piccolo in D and I suppose it is why I could care less about an expensive wooden whistle. It has 5 keys and tuning slide and sounds just out of this world. It is loud but doesnt have to be. My fingers are a little big for it but if I played it and hour a day instead of a couple of hours a week that wouldnt be a problem. I havent seen the chapter in Greys book about the piccolo but its good to hear. I think they are great for Irish trad. Course I live alone and don`t play it in public
Yes, there are simple system piccolos. They come up on E-Bay every now and then, no telling how good they are. As more than one mentioned, Ralph Sweet does sell a couple. It’s been at least two years since I last tried to play one of his. It was hard at the time, but I was still pretty new then. Just popped over to Ralph’s page, check out http://www.sweetheartflute.com/piccolos.html
There are many modern pics with Bohm keywork that are made with a cyllindrical head and conical body, like the simple system flute, in either plastic or blackwood.
I’m not much of an Irish player (enjoy it, but haven’t learned to play in anything resembling an authentic style!) so I couldn’t even guess how a wood/resin Bohm pic would be welcomed at a session. They can certainly be loud. My son’s high school marching band had a large flute section. I never heard them. Would have heard piccolos.
The only problem i’ve had with piccolo in sessions is that sometimes someone will think it’s a fife (which apparently has bad connotations due to Orange marching bands, etc). As i said, i have a Hammy Hamilton picc. It looks like a flute puppy – like taking a Hammy flute through a shrinking machine. It plays like a dream, except the C nat is a little tricky (the usual fingering is sharp, you have to put a few extra fingers down). But before i had this, i played the Ralph Sweet “celtic fife”, and it works fine too.
Picc is great for loud and busy sessions; not only it cuts through with no problem, it also takes a lot less “real state” which can be very nice if you’re in a crowded session.
This is great, thanks guys! Now that I am a free man, and there is some extra money, I will gamble on a Ralph Sweet piccolo, just to try it.
Some sessions on Tuesday night here run to about 15 musicians in a very small pub and there are only two us that play wind instruments … not being heard at all. This would be a better session if only half showed up.
So Grey Larsen planted a seed of thought and action, I will try it out
I like mine. It’s maple, keyless, the usual Sweetheart thread-lapped tenon. It was definitely worth the $60 i paid for it. It’s in tune, loud, easy to play. The only complaint i have is that the tone seems a little “light” to me, it doesn’t have the same “weight” of the Hamilton piccolo (which is in blackwood and cost me about $500).
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?
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.
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.
