Woodwinds · Flute family
Piccolo
Half the size of the flute and an octave higher: the highest instrument of the orchestra. Usually played by a flutist.
- Section
- Woodwinds
- Family
- Flute family
- Classification
- Aerophone · edge-blown
- Transposition
- Written an octave lower
- Clefs
- Treble
- Sounding range
- D5 – C8
Parts of the piccolo
Most piccolos have a wooden or composite body and no footjoint. Photo: Yamaha Corporation, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Labels added by Musicians Tools.
Range
Written D4 to C7, sounding an octave higher. Some piccolos reach written C4. Playback uses a neutral tone, not the instrument's own sound.
Writing for the piccolo
- Written an octave lower than it sounds.
- The top octave is piercing and cuts through a full tutti; the lowest notes are weak and easily covered.
- Agile like the flute: trills, runs and repeated notes work well.
- Doubling flutes or violins an octave higher adds brilliance; a soft solo in the middle register can sound surprisingly sweet.
History
Small transverse flutes were used in military music long before the piccolo entered the orchestra in the late 18th century. Beethoven used it in the finale of his Fifth Symphony (1808). Modern piccolos use the Boehm key system.
Listen
Key works featuring the piccolo. Each link opens a YouTube search, so you can pick the recording you like.
- Beethoven – Symphony No. 5, Finale
- Vivaldi – Piccolo Concerto in C, RV 443
- Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 4, Scherzo
- Sousa – The Stars and Stripes Forever