Hi can anyone with a Piccolo trumpet help me out here? I'm working on my grade 8 Bb trumpet and I'm thinking of getting a piccolo trumpet as I've got some music for it. Because I can play a Bb trumpet does this mean I can play a piccolo? Are they just the same? Or is it like learning a whole new instrument?

Any advice gratefully appreciated

Stephen

Well being able to play B flat certainly helps!!

They are v different instruments - if you've ever played E flat or D trumpets it's a similarly different experience.

Tuning and tone are as much a challenge as getting the high notes, which can actually be surprisingly easy to hit.

There are some duff instruments out there - if it seems too cheap to be true, it's probably not worth bothering with. I play a Yamaha which is about the cheapest pic I'd bother with. Shilke's are the stuff of dreams!

...oh and you'll need a new mouthpiece. Warburtons are excellent as you buy the cup and shaft seperately, meaning you can tailor your mouthpiece to suit what you're after.

Pics are beautiful instruments, and when you get it right it's one of the most satisfying experiences a trumpeter can have.

Hope this helps!

Stephen,

I've often wondered about piccolo trumpets the way you have done here, but know next to nothing about them, and I've never played one.

I'm under some dreamy illusion that I'd be able to effortlessly play descant parts in Church an octave above my normal Bb trumpet range. I bet the reality is that these are difficult instruments to play and get a good quality sound out of.

I'd love to have one in my collection, but I get the impression that you have to spend a lot of money (i.e. £500 to £1,500 second-hand) to get a decent instrument that is in tune.

I'd be interested in knowing what models are worth looking out for.

Regards,

Mark.

QUOTE (pod0 @ Jan 6 2005, 10:06 AM)

They are v different instruments - if you've ever played E flat or D trumpets it's a similarly different experience. Tuning and tone are as much a challenge as getting the high notes, which can actually be surprisingly easy to hit.

So probably not then as I've never played either an Eb or a D. Might ask my teacher if I can have a blast through his.

NOT TUNING!! The stuff of nightmares for me!