Piccolo lower register...

I got my piccolo in the other day (and I'm just LOVING IT), but I've been noticing that I'm having some difficulty with the lower register (second octave E and lower). I'm having no problem with higher notes; in fact, they play wonderfully.

I've played on the piccolo before, but the music I played around with it on didn't require those notes to be played. (My band director is finally putting me on the piccolo, for those of you who didn't read the other topic I posted about buying the piccolo).

Any tips for my embrochure that will help these lower notes come out better? It's not like they won't come out at all, they just sound beginner-ish when I play them. A mix of the note and just air being blown through the horn.

Do you mean the lowest E you can play on piccolo (but the second octave E on flute), or the second octave E on piccolo? Either way, be sure you are supporting and that your airstream is focused, but without tensing your embouchure. You might want to blow down a bit more to get more sound and less air. If that doesn't help, have it checked out by a tech. Many instruments require some setup when they are new out of the box, and it could well be that you are experiencing leaks or some other problem (particularly if you meant the lowest E on picc, as these require that everything be sealing perfectly).

I'm talking about E on the upper staff (The one on the space) That's really all I can explain it as...

I'm getting it checked tomorrow, so hopefully it'll test okay. Thanks again for your help! I focused my airstream a bit more, and it's getting there. With a bit more practice, I think I can get it

That's an unusually large range to have tone problems over. Most likely you do just need to practice, and maybe the picc needs some work too. Just out of curiosity, what type (make and model #) of picc did you get?

It's an Armstrong 250.

The sound has gotten MUCH better over the course of the day. It's still a bit scratchy, and might have a problem.

Nope. It's working fine. It took me a little bit to get the embrochure right, because I kept swtiching between the flute and piccolo (I don't want to have problems come Monday with my embrochure out on the marching field). I'll start playing it in band during concert season, since the current flute lineup in the marching show has the current piccolo player in a certian spot

Again, thanks for all of your help!

No problem. If you continue to go back and forth between flute and picc, then soon it won't even be an issue. I remember when I started on picc, after just a few minutes I could hardly play flute, but now I can go back and forth without missing a beat. It just takes a little time to get used to the transition. Now if you want to feel something wierd, play an alto flute for a little while, and then try to jump to piccolo! Anyway, I'm glad you got it figured out...Good luck!

Is your piccolo new, or used?

If there is a burr or a ding on the mouthpiece, especially on the far side of the embouchure (there's only one R in embouchure!) you can get a fizzy or buzzy sound from a flute or a piccolo.

If you look back, there was a thread regarding tone problems that Joe B, our resident expert, explained well. This is a fixable problem, usually.