I am a sophomore and I am looking to get a piccolo trumpet. I`m not sure which to buy, since I`ve never owned one. I`ve been browsing the internet and everyone seems to like the Schilke P5-4. I have Bach Bb and C trumpets. They work well, but from what I`ve heard, their piccs are not too good. If someone could enlighten with the dirt on piccolo trumpets that`d be great.

It is not a pretty sounding instrumemt, Bach wrote some for it but other than that it isn`t something you will use much.
-matt

I greatly disagree with what Matt said. There are many baroque concertos that are commonly played on the picc. Tartini, Purcell, Fasch, Torelli and many others wrote music for it. Bach did write some too. (Although most of the peices he wrote were for the picc. in F which is quite rare now.) Also, if you can get a brass ensemble together you can have some fun with it. The Schilke P-5 is probably a good buy but I prefer my Bach. Make sure you go with 4 valves. There are some 3 valved piccs. out there, but 4 will serve you better, especially if this will be your only picc. for a while. Make sure the Bb and A leadpipes are included too, as they usually are. Lastly, I would go with the silverplate over the laquer, I have found that silverplated instruments have a far superior sound.

Doing more research I found out that the Getzen Eterna 940 is probably the bes ENTRY level horn.

You get what you pay for applies here. Getzen has in my mind the best price for value $1400 + or -. I disagree with the comment that there is nothing to play on the piccolo. Tons of music if you look. Stay away from the Bach. Which suprised me cuz I own a strad Bb which I love. Older serial numbers are better made horns 53,000 series.
Stay away from cheap imports they are junk. Pic is a hard instument to play and takes practice and patience. I was suprised how terrible it sounded when I first tried it.

It`s insane to think there`s no purpose for the picc!

For one thing, they`re incredibly useful for playing all of those lovely baroque pieces in the key of D... Plus playing picc will improve your transposition skills a thousand times over, and you`ll learn the bass clef in no time!

If you think that a picc will give super-chops and instant range, you`re in for a surprise. They don`t.

The caveat I would give is this- For most people, there are better things to spend your money on. If you don`t play in a setting where this horn makes sense to own... then the obvious answer is to not buy one. Most folks can make do with a C or a Bb in most situations.

If you don`t intend to do chamber work, then don`t waster your money. A picc pays for itself with a handful of wedding gigs, and they sure are fun to play-- but if you`re not a working musician, and you don`t play in an ensemble where it`s especially needed... why waste $1500 on a horn you won`t play? Get a nice solid C, and that will get you through most situations.

That said, why not take a trip down to the local music store and try one out? They are not what you expect.

If you`re a sophomore (college or HS?) I imagine you have better things to spend your money on. Get a cruise, or a nice spring break trip to mexico.

Hi,

I agree with Trevor, Bach 196 (which has the smallest bore of all time !) is the best piccolo i`ve ever played with my old Selmer 59. Simply amazing, what a job they did ! Here, in Europe, we also have Spada, Romeo Adaci, Scherzer & BS (Markneukirchen)and a few other little makers (as Wedgewood or Corso...) In 10 years of playing, i tried all models.Picc is my passion, i made no special effort to try all these models.Beside, it has been a very easy job because of the Frankfurt Musikmesse where all picc. makers are showing their models. The 196 Bach is burrying all other models (except my beloved old Selmer which is at the same level !!!)...If you have money enough go to the 196. If not, go to the old Selmer or old Couesnon (very similar by many aspects.)And forget all long bell models, please. Marsalis told me he`s recorded his album "In Gabriel`s garden (sony)" -you must know it, i guess- with a P 5.4. He should have played a Bach ! I do not know if any contracts has been made for that recording, ididn`t ask Mars, by correction - but i know my friend Maurice André did so with Stomvi, yet...Anyway, do not mix business contracts and musical qualities.

THE SCHILKE P 5 4 IS ONE OF THE BEST BUT IT HAS A PRICE OF 2,700.00 NO DEALS. I HAVE JUST PURCHASED A KANSTUL ZKT SERIES WITH A SCREW BELL, I ALSO OPTED FOR THE BELLS IN Bb & A IN COPPER. THEY HAVE HAVE A MUCH BETTER SOUND - MORE OVERTONES. DONT GET THE G BELL & SLIDES AS IT PLAYS LIKE SH, OUT OF TUNE. BUT THE Bb & A SIDE IN COPPER PLAY AS WELL AS A SHILKE AT A LOWER COST. CALL JACK KANSTUL AT 1-480-753-3468, OR CALL ME AT HOME 1-847-255-6211 IN PM FOR MORE INFO. GOOG LUCK A PIC IS A NICE ADDITION. BILL B

i use a scherzer but it is a rotary and they can make trills tricky, which is a hassle in baroque works.
But the out and out winner in the piston piccolos is the yamaha copy of the the schilke p-5-4, it uses a trumpet receiver, unlike the schilke which is a cornet one, having played both, the yamaha is much preferred. The old selmers are a bit small in general, tho yes Andre does sound fantastic on one.