Piccolo

The concert flute’s little sister

The piccolo is a smaller form of the transverse flute. It is held and blown in exactly the same way but sounds an octave higher. In the Baroque the names “flauto piccolo” and “flautino” are found; whether they always meant small transverse flutes is not certain. Italian “piccolo” means “small”. In the orchestra it is a full member of the woodwind section and is at times also used as a solo instrument.

An octave higher than written

Because the piccolo sounds so high, it is written an octave lower than it sounds. It is therefore a transposing instrument, unlike the concert flute, which is written at sounding pitch.

In military music

An early form of the small transverse flute, the fife (German Schwegelpfeife), has been part of military music since the Middle Ages. Together with the snare drum it shaped the typical sound of the infantry.

Common mistakes

• Reading the piccolo part at sounding pitch: It sounds an octave higher than written.
• Confusing piccolo and recorder: The piccolo is a transverse flute, blown from the side; the recorder is an end-blown flute.
• Reading the concert flute as transposing: Only the piccolo sounds an octave higher; the concert flute sounds as written.