Piccolo FAQ's

In general, no. The piccolo is about half the size of a standard flute, which means that playing the instrument in tune can be a struggle for many flute players. The piccolo also plays the highest possible notes in the woodwind family, and every piccolo player knows that keeping those notes pure requires a lot of work and practice to get right. If you’re looking for advice on this, take a look at our piccolo practice guide.

Most piccolo players start off as flute players. But if you’re a flute player, here’s what you should know: the skills and techniques you learn playing the piccolo will serve you well as a flautist. That said, a flautist will not be playing piccolo as good as the flute on their first day, due to many nuances of playing either instrument. For instance, a flautist may tend to collapse their body to fit the instrument’s size (because the piccolo is smaller), which will not be good for air flow and sound. At the end of the day, a flautist will need to adjust for a lot of things on the piccolo. It’s more work, but it will be worth the effort in the end. For additional guidance on piccolo specific technique, check out our beginner’s guide article.

Piccolo is an Italian word which means “small flute.” This makes a lot of sense because the piccolo itself literally looks like a smaller version of the flute. It is the highest pitched instrument in the woodwind family, common in orchestras and a lot of marching bands (often military ones). The sound a piccolo makes is an octave higher than the flute, leading to it replacing the old flageolet in modern orchestral arrangements. Overall, its use in orchestras date back to at least the 18th century. 

We’ve talked about how small the piccolo is compared to the flute, because it really is. A standard size piccolo measures 13” (330 mm) long, while a common concert flute is about double that, at 30” (660 mm). The smaller size helps it pitch an octave higher than the flute and gives it its role in a modern orchestra.