Flute to picc switch

[1frodos1]

HELP.I was forced to switch to picc by my BD.I'm SL and it was me or the freshies.I hate that our director pulls this S#!t last year he tried to make us switch three flutes to lowbrass or be cut from the show.We have a small band so it wasnt like people got cut from the show.
Any way i've been handed a picc and told to play it, he says its just like the flute and i shouldnt have an issuse.I'm in symphonic band and dont want to embarris myself or hold up the rehersal by not being able to play, i'm having trouble geting an F# it just dosnt sound like it should.I also cant asciate a pitch to the note on the page.normally i can look at a note and hear what it should sound like.Ading to this is im expected to have a huge dynamic contrast but at the high notes i can barly tell the differencee between high and loud.

Any sugestions

[piccolo + ADD = fun]

Picc isn't THAT bad. Yeah, it takes a bit to get used to because it's an octave higher (And hits notes that should NEVER be hit). When in doubt, tune it a bit flatter. It sounds weirder when it's sharp. More like a fife than a flute. It takes practice and irritated parents and household pets before you get the hang of it. I know i've been playing picc for 5 years and it still irritates my mum.

ps, picc music usually is boring, so get the first flute part too and switch back and forth during the piece. it prevents boredom and you sitting doing nothing half the piece. Hope that helps? =]

[1frodos1]

It dose help.I know my brother is already BEGGING me to stop.Apperently the dogs are cringing in terror.Also i cant seem to switch from flute to picc easy, i mean i cant be playing picc then pick up the flute and play well.I'm guessing it will come with time,i've only had this picc for a day.
Dose the lip plate make it easier of harder?mine gist has a hole in it,no lip plate

[Duel of the Flutes]

Most of your post has been mostly answered already, so I'll just add my 2 cents to that...

For the high F#, try an alternate fingering. That note is notoriously sharp on both the flute and the piccolo, so try using the 2nd finger of the right hand instead of the 3rd. This fingering is also more stable. If you need any more alternate fingerings, there is an excellent chart here: www.wfg.woodwind.org/flute/. I use a couple listed there myself, but it depends on your instrument and you in general as for which ones will work the best.

To answer your question about the lip plate: yes, and no. Yes, because it makes it easier to switch between flute and piccolo because it has a very flute-like feel to it. No, because it really doesn't make any difference once you get used to it. So I guess for right now it's really just your opinion.

Also, picc music isn't always boring. Sometimes you get really great parts, and sometimes you get really boring parts. And sometimes, you get some really killer parts the flutes don't have and then rest for 84 measures of 4/4 before coming back in again. ;D

[nphsdm]

If you play the picc right it will actually help your flute playing. I was skeptic to playing picc for the longest time in concert band until my private teacher told me "Good flute players play picc" and was like... Damn. But I love it now. My picc is actually worth more than my flute... I just got a really good deal on it

Just make sure you aren't bringing the corners of your embouchure back or making it really tight when you play. The tighter and more back it is will cause your aperture to get pinchy and you'll buzz. Try to get used to the feeling that picc is actually looser than flute like you're kissing... but looser. And lots of air speed (Not more air... more air speed.) And don't think too much about the kissing embouchure... just keep it comfortable and loose and like you are kissing... if you pucker up you're not going to get any sound! Loosening up will also help you switch between picc and flute easier. (Make sure that your flute embouchure isn't tight either)

As for the lip plate. It's hard when you're first learning to play without a lip plate, although you can get used to it after awhile. This is probably why you're having trouble associating pitches... I had the same problem. Just play and play and play... get some ear plugs so you don't damage your hearing... this will also help you get notes out easier because you'll be forced to play the notes louder.

And for tuning... It's usually the opposite of flute. Lower notes are usually sharp and higher notes are flat (depending on the note and instrument, some might be flat.) Keep a tuner handy

Dynamics are HARD on picc. Especially Forte-pianos. Picc follows the same rules as flute... you make the aperture smaller by bringing the corners of your embouchure in and keep the same amount of air and support to play softly. But... you have to make it REALLY small for picc. If you have trouble doing this on flute, I'd suggest practicing this on flute first.

All you can really do it practice. Just practice as much as you can. Getting the ear plugs will really help, it helped me a lot. Make sure you keep your embouchure loose too... the notes should almost feel the same in the lower register as in the higher register. That'll click eventually. Make sure you still play lots of flute. Warm up on flute with low notes (like low C and B if you have a B-Foot joint) with a loose embouchure... that'll prepare you for playing picc.

There's probably tons more I can add to this. If you want more help you can PM me if you'd like I've spent loads of time learning picc from my teachers and going to piccolo workshops and such. I'd be glad to help any that I can.

[fluttietuttie]

Picc is not that hard, and when your playing it, not as annoying. The best thing to do for it, after what everyone else has said, is just to practice. Get used to it. It's not that bad, really. Playing high notes sucks the big one, but over all, piccolo isn't that hard compared to flute.

[Deleted]

All I have to say is, don't practice around brass players if you can avoid it, or percussion (snares especially). As somebody said, it hits notes that should never be hit. We aren't entirely accustomed to high notes, and it's just easier for all involved if you practice at home. However, if you are in an altercation with said brass players, a random trill may prove to be in your favor. (not with snares, because five snares doing a rim shot at the same time has a similar, but more profound, effect).

EDIT; Sorry if that sounded jerkish. It was in a sense, but I was really trying to be helpful. Most times we get accused of exaggerating, we actually aren't (granted we are prone to hyperbole), and a sour note on a piccolo is much more devastating than on almost any instrument (double-reeds and strings excluded)

[1frodos1]

dont worry about sounding jerkish.I figure if you want to hear high notes you wouldnt be playing low brass.

I finnally get to the point where i can play 2 octaves and am able to realise it dosnt sound right because it isnt.The picc i had was school owned and they couldnt bother to give me one that worked so i took it in to get it fixed.The two leaky keys turned into a stiky key and a leaky key so i took it in again ;Turns out the pads are doomed and they will cost 300 to replace.I dont have that money right now so i gave it back to the director.His responce was a glare and now i'm on his badside because i "let the band down".
It did help me to become a better flute player in the end though.

[KUguardgrl13]

he shouldn't be blaming you for the pads though. it's a school instrument, therefore it's the band director's responsibility to get instruments repaired. it took an entirely new orchestra director to realize that our cello and bass bows were in desperate need of rehairing.

[brassdancer]

I don't play picc very well, but in my experience I normally roll the headjoint in alot and it helps me out getting the notes. Not sure if that's proper practice, but it works for me. I tried it out since I've been learning flute for a methods class this semester, and I found out I got better as I picked it up each day. So it's the same deal as how I got better at flute, just practice each day and you should get used to it and it's tendancies.

[piccolo + ADD = fun]

Nov 20, 2008 0:28:37 GMT -5 1frodos1 said:

dont worry about sounding jerkish.I figure if you want to hear high notes you wouldnt be playing low brass.

I finnally get to the point where i can play 2 octaves and am able to realise it dosnt sound right because it isnt.The picc i had was school owned and they couldnt bother to give me one that worked so i took it in to get it fixed.The two leaky keys turned into a stiky key and a leaky key so i took it in again ;Turns out the pads are doomed and they will cost 300 to replace.I dont have that money right now so i gave it back to the director.His responce was a glare and now i'm on his badside because i "let the band down".
It did help me to become a better flute player in the end though.

Like epguard said, he shouldn't have blamed you. It's not like you purposely destroyed it. You just got it after others have have kicked ass with it. What brand was it? And how did the rest of the season go for you?