Are You Ready to Learn Piccolo?
I get asked this question from time to time and it’s always an interesting conversation: Am I ready to learn piccolo? Well, there are some considerations and I have some thoughts.
Flute Foundations
Do you have a solid foundation in flute technique? If the answer is yes, then great! It’s so rare that someone without that knowledge can pick up a piccolo and be successful, so it’s usually best to make sure that your foundation and your tone is solid. If you’re able to play a chromatic scale all the way into your fourth octave (conservatively, let’s say up to C-4) then you’re probably in good shape to start playing piccolo. If you’re not able to do that yet, then I would suggest working on your range before grabbing your piccolo.
Future Plans
If you’re planning to be a casual player, in my opinion, piccolo should only be picked up if you’re really interested in playing it. If you’re planning to major in music and make a career with your instrument, then playing piccolo can open doors for you, so it’s a great opportunity. Typically, depending on your flute foundations, if you’re planning to go into music professionally, consider picking it up in high school. You’ll likely have many opportunities to play in high school band, marching band, etc. and you’ll have a good leg up when you start college.
Practice Priorities
Do you have the extra time in your practice schedule to dedicate to piccolo right now? Piccolo is a totally different instrument and while it’s very close to flute, it does require a significant amount of practice hours to become a great player. If you don’t think you can swing the extra time in your practice sessions, you may want to wait until a time when you do.
Keep in mind though that you’ll want to ramp up your piccolo practice slowly. So, start out with 5 minutes a day, then progress to 10 then 15, etc. otherwise you could injure yourself.
Lessons
Do you have a teacher that’s willing and able to work with you on piccolo? While piccolo is similar to flute, it still requires some very specific technical expertise, so you’ll want to get a teacher that 1. likes piccolo, and 2. wants to teach piccolo. If your current flute teacher also works on piccolo - perfect! If not, maybe they have some suggestions on who you can also work with on your piccolo chops.
Key Takeaways
You need a solid foundation in flute before beginning piccolo.
Don’t just pick up the piccolo because you feel like you’re “supposed” to. It’s not required, but it can be a great source of income as a flute player later.
Make sure you have extra time to dedicate to piccolo during your normal practice sessions.
Make sure you have a teacher that’s willing and able to work on your piccolo chops with you.
If you’re looking for a great teacher that can work with you on both flute and piccolo, please reach out! Check my Offerings page or Contact me! I’d love to work with you.
