I was wondering what brand of piccolo is good to play during marching band season and can also be played during concert season. Please give some suggestions.
Any of the trusted well known name brand plastic piccolos would serve you well. It would be just up to you to to try them out yourself and see which one you like best.
most people use different materials for marching vs. concert season. plastic and metal piccolos can withstand the everchanging weather when outside on the field where wood can crack and warp. now whether or not someone uses a different brand and not material is completely up to that person. if an instrument responds well to your playing, then why would you give it up for one thats mode completely different, has a differently cut embrochure hole, and can potentially sound absolutely terrible? I guess its all up to that person. everyone is different, right?
the Yamaha YPC32 piccolo is really good I have one, and ive been pretty happy with it. Tuning may be a problem unless you can tune it by rolling in and out and stuff like that while your playing (not moving the headjoint all the time) as im constantly trying to get it in tune when i play it, but its gotten easier for me.
If you don't want a metal headjoint though, then i don't really know. I almost bought an older.. i think it was a Gemeinhardt piccolo but we didn't because as i said it was used, and older (10 years i think) and we figured the new one would have less repair and adjustment costs in the long run.
a metal head is typically good for someone who switches back and forth often, such as a middle or high school student. but for someone who would like to play inside as well as outside, i would recommend no more than a metal head on a piccolo. the typical metal piccolo in a school setting is usually an older armstrong or gemeinhardt and quite frankly, they dont have the sound that a plastic, wooden, or a well-made silver piccolo has. it is up to you to decide which material suits you best, but i would try out the plastic models such as a sonare ($699... which is about the same amount for a gemeinhardt)or even a yamaha ypc-32. unless youre going to spend big bucks on a haynes silver piccolo, youre better off with the plastic.
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I have one, and ive been pretty happy with it. Tuning may be a problem unless you can tune it by rolling in and out and stuff like that while your playing (not moving the headjoint all the time) as im constantly trying to get it in tune when i play it, but its gotten easier for me.