[perina14]

Hello. My query is in the description. Is there an obvious way (beyond markings) to distinguish a Db piccolo from its C cousin? Length? Bore? Headjoint? Thanks in advance.

 

[adamk]

Play it?

 

[milandro]

the length , measured between the center of the blowhole should be around 24 cm while a regular C should be around 26 cm

 

[turf3]

If it's really old (and most Db piccs are) you might have a high pitch C piccolo.

I have heard that the fingerbuster picc part in the dogfight of Stars And Stripes Forever is much easier on a Db. I have not confirmed or refuted this for myself.

 

[milandro]

well they were written for Db piccolo

 

[perina14]

Thank you Milandro for your response. This answers my question. But one last thing, does this imply that the body of the C piccolo is 2cm longer or merely the sounding length? Thanks again (again).

 

[soybean]

Interesting. Piccolo is the only instrument I can think of that was made in Db.

 

[kreacher]

Interesting. Piccolo is the only instrument I can think of that was made in Db.

Clarinets were also made in Db, actually, you pretty much had full chromatic scale with types of clarinet tunings. I think the only ones never made (that I know of) are the clarinet in F# and G#.

I think trumpets were also made in Db.

 

[CaneMutiny]

Here ya go!

https://music.osu.edu/sites/music.osu.edu/files/Stars and Stripes Forever.pdf

 

[adamk]

Ear plugs aside, I guess the knife is to slit one's throat after playing those high A notes.

 

[milandro]

Thank you Milandro for your response. This answers my question. But one last thing, does this imply that the body of the C piccolo is 2cm longer or merely the sounding length? Thanks again (again).

I have asked this in the past to identify a piccolo which I had, and it was about the sounding length , this is generally used about piccolos , in flutes it may be also useful comparing the entire length to also assess the tuning of the foot.

But the sounding length takes do account of the length of the tuning slide which may differ.

 

[CaneMutiny]

The bayonet gets some members of the band's attention far better than a baton ..... when cane players mutiny.... or haven't studied the music prior to rehearsal.

Seriously.... Some of my woodwork deals with Military and Law Enforcement and Pachmayr called me the Picasso of Pistols decades ago.
Joe Pass signed my Colt 1911 stock back around 1980.
Perhaps six people were at Bubbas that night. After warming up he let us call the tunes. At his break we discussed me going home, 2 hour round trip to get my flute, and he said he'd be gone by then.
I was in practice at the time.
At nights end I told him I've never asked for anyone's autograph. Pulled out my pistol and after we stopped laughing he slipped with the sharpie when starting the J and said... I've never autographed a pistol before.
Question: can the members of the President's Own shoot as well as other Marines?
I always carry a Fife and the Grandkids carry a magical musical fishing hook on a Cuban yoyo.

 

[perina14]

Thanks again Milandro. As always a thoughtful and precise response. Be safe.

 

[bruce bailey]

I have produced a few Db piccolos but not that popular as there are so many oldies for sale. Db flutes were quite popular years ago. I have a Conn, Pan-American and a really nice Haynes flutes in Db.

 

[Arundo Donax]

.. Some of my woodwork deals with Military and Law Enforcement...

I've seen a lot of 1911 grips over many decades, but those are the nicest ever.

 

[milandro]

Thanks again Milandro. As always a thoughtful and precise response. Be safe.

Cheers! You too. Good luck with the piccolo.

 

[kymarto]

Thank you Milandro for your response. This answers my question. But one last thing, does this imply that the body of the C piccolo is 2cm longer or merely the sounding length? Thanks again (again).

All the toneholes in a C picc are farther apart and that includes, proportionately, the distance from the embouchure hole to the first tonehole. But I have to dispute Milandro here. 2cm is much too much. Consider that the Eb key on a picc is less than 1cm from the end of the flute, and when you open that key, you raise the pitch by one semitone. That is the position, more or less, of the end of the Db picc. So you can compare the bodies of a C and Db picc: just line up the top C# tone hole on both and the end of the Db body should be just a touch below the middle of the lowest Eb tone hole on the C picc.

 

[milandro]

Kymarto we've had a similar discussion years ago.

I measured my piccolo and measured yours at the time you concluded that my piccolo was a Db piccolo

G.R Uebel Db grenadilla piccolo

I am at it again! I have been given a piccolo from a friend of mine who has an antique shop and exchanged it with a saxophone that I gave him. I don't know much about it and about piccolos in general. I think this is a Db piccolo. Anyway It is just nice to show it to you. It will be nice if the...

www.saxontheweb.net

 

[soybean]

Fascinating. Thanks for the information guys. I would love to try a Db flute some time. By the way, I have an Eb flute which is really fun to play.

Clarinets were also made in Db, actually, you pretty much had full chromatic scale with types of clarinet tunings. I think the only ones never made (that I know of) are the clarinet in F# and G#. I think trumpets were also made in Db.

I have produced a few Db piccolos but not that popular as there are so many oldies for sale. Db flutes were quite popular years ago. I have a Conn, Pan-American and a really nice Haynes flutes in Db.

 

[kymarto]

Kymarto we've had a similar discussion years ago.

I measured my piccolo and measured yours at the time you concluded that my piccolo was a Db piccolo

G.R Uebel Db grenadilla piccolo

I am at it again! I have been given a piccolo from a friend of mine who has an antique shop and exchanged it with a saxophone that I gave him. I don't know much about it and about piccolos in general. I think this is a Db piccolo. Anyway It is just nice to show it to you. It will be nice if the...

www.saxontheweb.net

Hmmm...I had forgotten that conversation. I'm thinking now that your instrument might have been Db high pitch or something.

This is very easy to solve: simply measure a C picc to the end of the D# hole and then to the end. The measure from embouchure hole to the end of the D# tone hole will be almost exactly the length of the Db instrument from embouchure hole to the end of the tube. I don't have a picc with me to measure, but I'm pretty sure that that distance is no more than 1 cm. Someone with an instrument to hand can check that.