Hey all you Flute people out there. I got beautiful piccolo, Edward from Kara (thank you) and when I brought him to school My teacher liked him but the rest of my class groaned. I guess it's because last year I had a not a very good piccolo and it sounded airy and shrill. so each time I ask if there's a piccolo part everyone moans. I always feel bad and think that maybe I should stop playing my new picc. What should I do?

I think that if you really like to play piccolo that you should keep playing it. Perhaps you should work on your tone more. The people in you band probably just need to see you play at your very best, and then they'll probably enjoy your playing =]

Well I can play it and I know how picky they are with tuning. I have what my dad calls a tuners ear and I know it is on tune. I practice every day for 1-2 hours I love playing it but I don't know. maybe the kids feel like I'm showing off or something?

Glad to hear you named your Picc Edward instead of Edmund. If there is a picc part you would think it should be played. Normally they don't put a picc part out if it doesn't have some semblance of importance.

As far as groans from your classmates - it is probably a combination of jealously, diverted attention, and peer pressure. You are automatically weird and unique since you have the picc. (no offense intended). So some are jealous of you for that reason alone. Even when I was in band many many years ago, before feelings were invented, the flute/picc person was thought of as a prude. She really wasn't though. She was a nice girl with a good upbringing. And later in life I learned even more about her when we went on a couple of hikes.

A lot of people in groups don't like other people asking questions. I don't really know why other than they personaly don't have the patience to sit through and wait for someone else to ask and get an answer. These type people think you are taking their valuble time away from the attention they think they should be getting from the conductor. It never goes away. Last night at a professional rehearsal the same thing happened. There were a couple of people asking questions about the music we were going to play and others were rolling their eyes and being rude. But, hey, the questions were reasonable questions.

So. Don't let it bother you, it's not you. You are doing the correct thing to see if there is a picc part. Now if there isn't a picc part and you decide to play the flute part on your picc, then they have good reason to moan you. But if there is a part it should be played.

Well My teacher (Because i am the only advanced flute) Has me playing oboe. Oboe and Piccolo are written an octive below flute. Playing the oboe part on my flute is getting a scowl from the teacher. Well I started playing piccolo on that part and she liked it. How wierd is that? Anyways is it really jealousy?

Oboe and piccolo are NOT written an octave below flute. They are both written as heard.

Not quite. Oboe is written as heard. But piccolo is written an octave below which it sounds.

Picc for me is more of a solo instrument. Once you tame the beast its simply beautiful! The hard part is really blending with the band. Higher runs and fingerings are tough on the ear if you can't balance. I'm nowhere near perfect on the piccolo. I just got handed it three weeks ago and I'm struggling but this is what my private lessons teacher told me. It can also be jealously. I think the other flutist in my band are so much better at picc that me, espcially if you prefect it. It sounds like you've gotten far. Bravo!!! Let me know how it goes!!!