No, I don't. In fact, the reason I originally started playing the whistle is I had no idea how to manage the embouchure for the flute! It's just we have this nice little piccolo (it's my husbands, but it's so pretty!), and I can't stand not being able to play it.glauber wrote:Do you play flute?
I find that piccolo is not very different from flute. Everybody in the beginning does this thing of blowing incredibly hard in the piccolo, but if you think of it, it's like playing the flute in the second octave. The main difficulty is that the blowhole is smaller, so you have to be more precise.
good luck!
g
Not really...I have lots of pretty whistles, including a Sweetheart Professional. I'm just interested in a new challenge (having always wanted to play something like this, but never having been able to master the embouchure and never having had the money for lessons). It would also be nice to have the volume on occasion...my Sweetheart, Busman and Susatos have good volume, for whistles, but they're never going to carry outdoors like a piccolo.I.D.10-t wrote:Low A G and F might be the easiest to sound first,
Work your way out from there. I find at times the
middle D is easier than lowest D.
Although it sounds to me that you want a prettier whistle.
Sweet makes a pretty fife whistle combination that could
make you and your husband happy.
Thanks. My husband is just learning too, and we've both been going at it in a fairly hit-or-miss fashion, I'm afraid.I.D.10-t wrote:Ah… So the truth comes out.
Shouldn’t you have posted this on the flute form.
The fife/piccolo/band flute is a wonderful instrument that will not be easy to Start playing (the whistle is easy to start playing, but in my opinion just as hard to play well) but the benefits will no doubt make you pleased you took the effort.
Does your husband Play? If it is his piccolo than why can’t he help you play. Not an insult, just seems strange..
Remember to sit proper. On the edge of a good chair, back straight head up elbows in.
Get into good habits now and you will not have too break bad habits latter.
One of the things to keep in mind is that you should pull your lips tight like you are making a fake smile without showing teeth. Now turn the corners of your mouth down and form a small hole with your lips. now say the word too (you do not want to “spit” into your piccolo, but blow at the edge). Your bottem lip should almost meet the rear edge of the hole. Roll the instrument in and out until you get a sound.
Because you play the whistle, I will not bore you with fingering. By the time you hit the third D you will have learned what the additional fingering is necessary.
One thing to try is to play a note and see how you can change it. You can make it sharp or flat and you can play it loud or soft. Soft is the hardest to play and you should practice playing as soft as you can. Most importantly play it and perfect the note that you are playing.
I don't mean to pick on you specifically, and i agree with most of what you say, but the part about "you'll know you're doing it right when it starts to hurt" doesn't jive with my experience. IMHO, if it's hurting then something is wrong;you should be able to play with a relaxed embouchure and still keep the air focused; this gets even more important when you're learning to play on the 3rd octave without being too loud.ladyceres wrote:Hello,
Most of the best tips have been said already, but I just wanted to add that breath control is VERY important when playing piccolo. It is nearly impossible to get the proper sound if you're not sitting up straight and using your diaphram muscle to push the air across the hole. Also, your embouchure (mouth position) must be very tight, especially at the corners. You'll know you're doing it right when it starts to hurt! You'll only be able to do it for a short time at first. After a while, the muscles will be developed enough for it to feel natural. I played piccolo for 7 years and I think this is the first time I tried to explain it to someone. I wish you well in your endeavours!
I think what ladyceres means by "hurt" is what you feel when using little muscles you don't normally use. As a fluter (and fifer, and piccolo-er) myself, I can tell when I've been slacking off too long when I play for a while and then the effort of holding the embrochure begins to strain--and while it's not a sharp pain, the little muscles at the corners of my mouth do start to complain. People who play all the time get those muscles in condition and never notice it, but a newcomer (or a slacker like myself) sure will.glauber wrote:I don't mean to pick on you specifically, and i agree with most of what you say, but the part about "you'll know you're doing it right when it starts to hurt" doesn't jive with my experience. IMHO, if it's hurting then something is wrong;you should be able to play with a relaxed embouchure and still keep the air focused; this gets even more important when you're learning to play on the 3rd octave without being too loud.ladyceres wrote:Hello,
Most of the best tips have been said already, but I just wanted to add that breath control is VERY important when playing piccolo. It is nearly impossible to get the proper sound if you're not sitting up straight and using your diaphram muscle to push the air across the hole. Also, your embouchure (mouth position) must be very tight, especially at the corners. You'll know you're doing it right when it starts to hurt! You'll only be able to do it for a short time at first. After a while, the muscles will be developed enough for it to feel natural. I played piccolo for 7 years and I think this is the first time I tried to explain it to someone. I wish you well in your endeavours!
