"School me" on PICCOLO Trumpet.

[Man Of Constant Sorrow]

Without myriad technical details ... can some of the knowledgable TH members here provide me the general aspects of the PICCOLO Trumpet, please ?

I have never played one. I have played just about ever other upper-brass instrument, including Eb/D horns.

Does the Piccolo trumpet play Bb trumpet literature ?
Or ... specific sheet music for the instrument ?

What contexts are where the Piccolo trumpet might be appropriate ... symphonic, BBB, "Big Band"/swing, martial music, community bands, and-so-forth ??

Is it preferable to acquire a Piccolo trumpet keyed in A ... or Bb ... or both (with specific tuning-pipes)?

Is a fourth valve advantageous ?
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Sub-Optimal Hillbilly Jazz

[Christian K. Peters]

Hello,
The piccolo's main lit is baroque and orchestral music. Bb/A is the normal pipe that comes with it, either in trumpet or cornet shank receivers. C piccolo is great for some of the Bach cantatas, as the part or key is just easier. The tonal quality does not really lend itself out of this genre. You certainly don't play a pic like a Bb or even a C trumpet. A few lessons will keep you from embarrassing yourself. Lesson to all the great small horn players first. Four valved instruments will be useful and stay with a major brand.
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Christian K. Peters
Schilke Loyalist since 1976

[Richard A]

I am an amateur. After many years of longing for a piccolo trumpet I finally bought one.

I play it periodically in my community orchestra, which isn’t often. It doesn’t magically extend your range, but it does make playing high more secure.

Most common configuration is B-flat/A by changing the lead pipe. Mine, a Getzen 940, offers lead pipes with either trumpet or cornet receivers. Four valve trumpets are more popular than the three valve versions. The fourth valve extends the range and makes some passages easier to play.
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Richard Ashmore
I am a Mechanical Engineer and have many years of Social Distancing experience.

[Goby]

To add on to what others have said, the most common key for piccolo is A. Most repertoire is made easier with an instrument in the key of A rather than Bb, and most piccolos play better on the A side. The fourth valve is required for quite a lot of repertoire, as it adds a fourth to the bottom range of the instrument, allowing it to get down to low C#. The fourth valve can also substitute for 1+3 to improve intonation with that combination. Since the valve slides are so short on a piccolo, there isn't much room for precise tuning, which is why it can be advantageous to switch the instrument to either A or Bb depending on what you're playing.

[Jeff_Purtle]

The reason to play Piccolo in A is that if you are reading a D trumpet part you end up transposing a 4th higher so a written Low C for the D trumpet part would be played as an F on the first space, also making the 4th valve useful to finger 14. You don't always use the 4th valve for an equivalent of 13. When you have to play that F, like in the Messiah, you should check the pitch of that F with 14 and make sure the 4th slide is pulled a little more so it's in tune with the other notes.

You can also use the 4th valve by itself for example for a C to D trill so you don't have to use 13 for the D but 4 to make it cleaner.

There is a great book by David Hickman with lots of general knowledge about piccolo trumpet and examples of solos and excerpts and how to use it.

Don't approach the piccolo like Bb. Listen to Maurice Andre and others to get the concept of the sound. The piccolo will not make high notes easier. Develop on your Bb and work on music with the piccolo. You might acquaint yourself with the feel of the piccolo by playing some simple flexibility material like Smith up an octave and modify it to your playable range just so you can feel where the notes slot in and tune after used to that. I typically play Smith #1 and #2, which takes you to a G, which is reasonably high for anything you might play. The point is more feeling exactly where everything centers so you are not fighting the horn.

Another example, if your key you are playing in is Eb Major with a low Eb you will need to tune the slide even longer and do it 234 and it is a compromise if you have to play an F 14. The reason for this is that 4 valve instruments are always a compromise with what you do with the 4th valve tuning. You don't just do a chromatic by adding the 4th valve or the lower you go the more off the pitch is.

The piccolo will amplify any harshness or ugliness in your sound. If you approach it like trying to play lead trumpet it will be pretty rough to listen to.

Have fun with it and get that David Hickman book.
I think it's called Piccolo Trumpet Big Book.

Jeff
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Jeff Purtle
Trumpet Lessons Online since 2004, teaching since 1983
MultiTouch book on Claude Gordon
+1 864-354-3223 iPhone w/ FaceTime
Skype: jeff_purtle

[Shark01]

Agree with most of the responses, play the piccolo in a light manner….don’t try to overpower it, don’t even take full breaths.

The A side definitely suits the instrument design better than Bb.

Equipment choices (horn and mouthpiece) definitely take a lot of thought and experimentation. I started with a small bore Getzen Eterna, which has a “French” sound like a Selmer. After 3-4 years, I felt like I outgrew it.

So I bought a Schilke P7-4 with a bigger 0.450 bore from a principal player in a U.S. major orchestra which had a valve adjustment, and wow, a HUGE difference. This is an instrument I’ll never outgrow.

Mouthpiece wise, it has been a safari. Started with a 14A4A because I already had it…..nope, all wrong. Then I migrated through 7D, 7E, and a Stork with meh results. Finally, I started experimenting with different Wedge combinations (because I was using them on large trumpets).

Finally, I determined that small cups with larger throats worked best for me in terms of the trade off between sound, intonation, and range.

[patdublc]

[Man Of Constant Sorrow]

Comments are muchly appreciated,
Sound advice !

I know I will face the challenge with some trepidation ... however; I have a feeling I shall enjoy the ride !

Further comments welcomed.
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Sub-Optimal Hillbilly Jazz