Introduction

The challenge guiding my musical research is the idea that the piccolo can also exist as a soloist’s voice, as well as part of a larger ensemble. New literature for the piccolo, capable of satisfying any musical charm, has been composed during the past 30 years.

My development of a teaching method is based on the belief that it is an instrument offering many expressive possibilities, for the piccolo can be a fascinating and enchanting instrument. It is brilliant and playful, capable of touching the most intimate chords of our subconscious. So – use this method with intelligence and creativity. Always play with a musical idea in mind, including the basic exercises. Be a musician first and not only a piccolo player!

To study the piccolo is also of value for quality flute performance. We must not think that piccolo study may endanger our capability of playing the flute. On the contrary, the greater flexibility is invaluable for the flute’s study.

It would be a problem if while studying the piccolo one withdraws the lips and plays without adequate respiratory support. Therefore, do not flatten your embouchure, reducing the space in your oral cavity, and always maintain proper respiratory support. Find the best location to place the piccolo on your embouchure. There is no fixed point as it depends on the thickness of your lips. Generally this spot is located slightly above the point of contact with the flute.

The piccolo is far more sensitive than the flute, and even small changes of embouchure and support may result in great differences in intonation and sound quality. In other words the study of the piccolo requires a painstaking attention to detail. We should not rely on the position of a note on a tuner, but rather hear it internally which leads to the development of a perfect musical ear enabling us to correct any intonation problems.

We need to be able to identify the three perfect intervals of our temperament system: the octave, the fifth, and the fourth. In the third octave it is not easy to identify the correct intervals. The aid of a tuner is allowed, provided that it is not going to substitute for our ear.

Here is advice on how to best apply this method to maximize your skills and potential:

Begin every day with a new sonority exercise to strengthen your support of every note. It is important to study an exercise from each section of this book at every practice session. Once everything has become familiar, continue with the exercises that provide you the greatest benefit. Never neglect the low note and flexibility exercises. In addition, the scales and arpeggios are important, so practicing two keys at a time may be enough. Always work using a good range of dynamics, from pp to ff, while maintaining accuracy of intonation.

Above all, when working on a simple melody, do not just play, but practice it applying all the timbres and flexibility that you have acquired from the other exercises. Create different and appropriate sounds. Devote yourself to legato playing and precise intonation.

Identify your limits and try to overcome them by practicing the exercises that address your weaknesses.

It is imperative that we never play without thinking and having complete body awareness. Listen carefully to your playing, and be aware of what is happening in your body. For example, notice how muscle tension makes a difference in your sound production. Also be aware of your breathing and keep the entire air passageway open.

Play with your mind and your soul fully engaged.

Always be aware of how you move your fingers, especially when coordinating opposing movements. The left hand requires a closer position compared to the flute, and the height of the keys is shorter, sometimes causing a more difficult coordination, especially when some fingers are lifted while others are going down. Identify your limits, and try to overcome them by practicing the exercises that address your weaknesses.

Let us now approach the study of the piccolo with enthusiasm and good will. May our practice turn out to be useful for our general musical development and potential employment.

Many thanks to my daughter Sara for invaluable help with the electronic writing, and to Susan Hafner for editing the English text.

Nicola MazzantiMay 2014

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PART I: SOUND

The Three Check Points: Support, Larynx, and EmbouchureThe first approach with the piccolo often begins with the wrong conviction that one has to immediately achieve a delicate and clean sound. This thinking leads to poor support, constriction of the larynx, and tightening the lips resulting in a smiling embouchure. Good support leads to a stronger pressure that allows us to play with full resonance and a flexible embouchure.

FIRST ChECk POINT: Support—Use greater pressure

The first thing to be addressed is the muscular tension that enables us to use a certain pressure to expel the air. The piccolo calls for a faster airflow than the flute. The proper air speed will be achieved only by using a stronger pressure.

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Preliminary Exercises

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Tone Exercises

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IntonationThe Western system of tonality features “perfect” intervals: the octave, the fifth, and the fourth. These intervals don’t change regardless of the harmonic context in which they are found. Other intervals (thirds, sixths, sevenths) do change, depending on their context. That is why perfect intervals are the ideal starting point for the study of tuning.

Some students will need to train their musical hearing also. Often, flutists who are able to hear the tuning of intervals precisely on their flute cannot do so when frequencies and tone color change, so don’t hesitate to use an electronic tuner. Test your hearing by looking at the needle only to confirm accuracy when you feel that you are playing an interval in tune.

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Flexibility of the High NotesFrom Reichert: Seven Daily Exercises, Op. 5, Ex. 2

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Schubert: Sonata in A minor “Arpeggione,” Mvt. II

Tone Development Through Famous MelodiesAfter having played the phrase satisfactorily, repeat it a half step higher. Continue doing so, beyondthe examples shown below, until you have played throughout the complete range of the piccolo.

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Low Notes

SECOND ChECk POINT: Larynx and Oral Cavity – Open and resonant

In playing the piccolo, one often tends to tighten the throat to produce a sound. However, any closure of the larynx does not increase the air speed, but rather lowers the sound quality. Take care to keep a broad resonating chamber inside your mouth and throat. Also, do not widen the opening of the lips while making the crescendo on the low notes.

Even if your instrument is lacking a low register, there is nothing more useful than to work on low notes. To practice the low register is always a workout on the capacity of the throat and oral cavity. It is peculiar to note how Marcel Moyse dedicated an entire section of his book De la Sonorité, Art et Technique only to the low notes and not other registers. This perplexity disappears as soon as we realize that we need a wide air supply with low speed to obtain the low notes.

In the following studies, a series of four-note patterns is provided on pages 34-40, with each set identified by a letter. Then a series of 40 Variation Exercises is shown on pages 41-44. Each of these exercises is demonstrated by the first four-note pattern from page 34 and should be applied to all of the four-note patterns that follow.

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Variation Exercises

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Flexibility Exercises

ThIRD ChECk POINT: Embouchure – Precise and extremely flexibleFlexibility is of utmost importance for playing the piccolo. There are four types of flexibility:

1) ability to play large intervals2) dynamic variations3) sound variety4) intonation of one single note

Start with a wide resonance and try to adapt your lips by moving them forwards, like a tube that is narrowing. Begin in the first octave, which is closest to the flute, and focus on a single note. This way you will obtain a better quality of the sound. The following exercises will help you achieve a flexible embouchure.

In the following studies, a series of eight-note patterns is provided on pages 45-54, with each set identified by a letter. Then a series of 32 Variation Exercises is shown on pages 54-57. Each of these exercises is demonstrated by the first eight-note pattern from page 45 and should be applied to all of the eight-note patterns that follow.

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APPLYING ThE ThREE ChECk POINTS: Singing & Playing and harmonics Exercises

Singing and playing puts your vocal cords into motion. This will enable you to: 1) achieve good support2) become more conscious of the movements of your larynx3) better focus your embouchure

Observe that the larynx will remain still while singing a sustained note; if you are conscious of this, you will be able to avoid unwanted movements. Practice these exercises in your warm-up routine, and soon you will see results.

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PART II: SCALES AND ARPEGGIOS

Daily study of scales and arpeggios is the secret to good flute performance. This is crucial not only to maintain your current skill level, but also to improve at any age. The same goes for the piccolo. The smaller size, different embouchure, higher pressure, and different finger coordination (mainly in the left hand), all necessitate the same kind of daily study. For those who decide to dedicate their time and concentration to the piccolo, the study of scales is very important.

I am often asked, “What type of scales?” Basically there are two types of scales: those consisting of a limited interval (often a fifth or an octave) and those that cover the instrument’s three octaves. When the interval of a fifth is not exceeded, adapting the lips is normally not needed, because working on portions of scales not exceeding such an interval is like playing one long note.

Someone beginning the piccolo should start with limited interval exercises, such as those found in the beginning of the 17 Grands Exercises Journaliers de Mecanisme by Taffanel and Gaubert, with the goal of obtaining a focused embouchure leading to a greater concentration of sound production. Do not aim to play quickly, but concentrate on achieving quality in all aspects of your sound. Begin by trying to obtain an open and intense sound without forcing it. Pay attention to synchronizing your fingers and playing smoothly, especially when switching from the first to the second octave. Practice the double staccato slowly without shutting off your throat and without trying to obtain excessively short sounds. Bear in mind that it is easy to play many notes with the piccolo, but it is much more difficult to play good ones.

Once you can play the whole range of the piccolo comfortably, dedicate yourself to the scales that cover the instrument’s three octaves. Marcel Moyse, in Exercices Journaliers, always starts with the tonic, ascends to the B of the third octave, descends to low C, and then ascends to the tonic. This exercise is absolutely effective in achieving the desired flexibility. I have thorough respect for Moyse’s original, but I recommend starting with the tonic of the second octave, then descending to low D, ascending to high B, and descending again to the tonic. In this way you start with a relatively easy note to play. You can focus it well and then play the rest of the scale. This scale exercise takes 10 seconds to play twice at =120. In this period of time, which is relatively short, you must get to the bottom and then to the peak of the piccolo’s range. However, do not try to achieve this tempo right from the beginning. Start slowly, and gradually increase the speed until you reach the desired goal.

Practice these scales and arpeggios in all their harmonic major and minor tonalities. Also remember that proper breathing is essential, especially in these types of exercises. For example, you will be able to execute the third octave more easily when you allow the thoracic cavity to fully expand, being completely supported from the abdominal muscles. In addition, play with quality and clarity when working on the various kinds of articulations. Finally, constantly practice with varying dynamic intensity with the goal of performing a scale f and then immediately p afterwards. It can take a whole lifetime to achieve mastery of a wide dynamic range.

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Chromaticism

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PART III: MELODIES, OPERAS, LIEDER

During my daily exercises, I never miss the study of simple melodies. To work on a melody means to put into practice all your previous studies with a stronger musical intention and direction. Pay attention to dynamic range, intonation, purity of sound, vibrato, and legato. It is easier to play fast with the piccolo than to play slow with good intonation, tone, and expression!

Which melodies are regarded as easy on the piccolo is a matter of discussion. I have provided some melodies, but you are free to choose whatever you like. Study the intervals and exaggerate the dynamics, then raise the melody by half steps until you have played the complete range of the instrument. This will enable you to master the piccolo completely.

J. S. Bach: Cantata No. 156, “Sinfonia”

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Famous Melodies

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Donizetti: L’elisir d’amore, “Una furtiva lagrima”

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