i really enjoy piccolo, but i have an oppurnunity to be principle flute(we have to re audition for that...) in my youth orchestra.
i was played piccolo last year, and our youth orchestra is really top notch. we played Shostakovitch's 10th symphony.
Of course Principal flute, people fight to death for this position in youth orchestras! Even their parents fight for it in a political way!! You'll learn so much and get attention from people and learn from conductors his interpretation and thinking and ideas. Your flute voice always flows on top of the orchestra all the time and sometimes penetrate or burst out from orchestra, so cool. Many conductors watch very carefully you and the concert master, because many pieces you are so important and also scold you all the time if you go wrong. A lot of pressure.
Unlike a marching band, in orchestra, Principal Piccoloist is considered 3rd flute, or usually played by 2nd flutist or 3rd flutist in small setting. Not many piccolo parts in standard orchestra. But if there is a heavy piccolo part like the polar express, the piccolo voice always covers the flute voice, (doh I hate my piccoloist lol), if you are not the best flutist in the orchestra, I suggest you go for principal piccoloist, secure that position, coz 2nd flute plays no melody nor solo, too boring. I'm gonna play as 2nd flute this summer in Vienna with Harnoncourt. 2nd flute has no pressure tho.
also principal flute has a lot of responsibility, control your 2nd, and piccoloist! few months ago I got kicked out of the rehearsal room for not able to make my 2nd and 3rd flutists in tune, oh man! I am not their mouth and I can't fire them... just too much responsibility and pressure!!!
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Hey Nick, I just checked, your highschool Symphonic Band performed in Carnegie Hall this April? Wow!! that's way too cool!!! You must be very good piccoloist, your video recording is poor, but I can hear very good standard your band is.
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really top notch that is
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can I ask, what piccolo do you use? my piccoloist uses Burkart, very expensive but very good piccolo! i heard Gemainhart piccolo is very easy to go up to top notes, is that true? do you keep a Gemainhart as backup in case there are a lot of top notes in the piece, so you can just switch picc?
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and which picc is the best Burkart or Hammig?
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when come to picc, you just need the better picc! it's a devil.
im not quite sure i agree with you on that one.
"Your flute voice always flows on top of the orchestra all the time and sometimes penetrate or burst out from orchestra, so cool"
i find the piccolo doing that WAY more than a flute.
"Not many piccolo parts in standard orchestra. But if there is a heavy piccolo part like the polar express, the piccolo voice always covers the flute voice, (doh I hate my piccoloist lol)"
EVERY song my youth orchestra played, had a piccolo part.
and there was little where "the piccolo voice always covers the flute voice" In the shostakovich, if i was playing, it was very important. lots of solos and exposed parts.
i find the piccolo position to be alot more exposed and pressured, it simply just covers up the flutes most of the time.
and in response to my video
i am NOT the piccoloist in there.(she is not too good of a piccoloist im afraid, but the director wanted me as priciple flute, as there were many solos in our program :D )
i am the principle flute.:D i got all the solos. haha
i like flute better in band, and piccolo in orchestra.
i use a yamaha(so does the piccoloist in the video)
and i am buying a Geminhart as a marching piccolo, there is NO way im taking my wooden yamahah outside! >.<
I heard your piccolo video before, you are very good, and since your highschool band uses piccolo for every song(I feel sorry for that principal flutist), then you shouldn't ask this question, just go for the piccolo position.
well this is for the youth orchestra not the band....
and my band is weird...
shes not principle flute. she just plays piccolo because shes 1st chair(well she was last year. i am 1st chair this upcomming year:D)
and the youth orchestra, we have to reaudition on the 1st rehearsal.
so i have to decide between auditioning for principle flute or principle piccolo.
Did you see that little chink kid on youtube? He plays on a Yamaha 221 or something like that and plays really out of tune. I bet he would have a hard time getting a principle position. lololololol!!!!!!!!!!!
My youth orchestra had a simple solution for this problem. They rotated all 5 flautists between parts for EACH and EVERY single piece we played. Who played picc for one piece went and played principle in the next. Who played principle first time around, played 2nd in the next piece. They were always getting up and moving around looking all confused as to where they were supposed to go between pieces. Stupidest thing I've ever seen.
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