My piccolo is an armstrong silver piccolo with a metal headjoint with the lip plate...my friends however tell me that headjoints that are plastic or wood without the lip plate are much easier to play. is this true? If so I am thinking of purchasing an emerson piccolo, is emerson a good brand? THANX

Its really a personal preference.

I think that the the metal ones with lip plates are easier to play and easier to quickly switch from flute to the picc, but I also think that the metal ones usually are much more shrill. I sometimes wish that I would have gotten a piccolo with a plastic headjoint instead but I am also fine with the one I have as I have learned to play it in tune, but it took a while. At first I was constantly fighting with it.. after marching season I never had any pitch issues, I fixed my pitch automatically

If you already have a piccolo, and like it, its probably not worth buying another one..

I don't know much about Emerson..

In my experience, Armstrong and Emerson piccolos have a better scale than Gemeinhardt and even Yamaha. Emerson makes solid instruments, and I think they make a piccolo that comes with both a plastic and metal headjoint. Fluteworld sells Emerson piccolo headjoints separately in case you ever want to switch.