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About Joe Piccolo
Expertise
all things related woodwind repair and maintenance. I do not accept qustions regarding serial numbers and the value of new/used flutes.

Experience
Repair at the Balanced Scale is not Sax Pads considered in terms of “good enough” for a student instrument and meticulous for the professional. Traditional and time-tested materials and practices are coupled with modern band instrument repair tooling, techniques, and materials to provide excellent repair for all instruments.

Organizations
Part of a Larger Organization N.A.P.B.I.R.T. (National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians), of which I have been a member since 2004, is an international professional association comprised of musical instrument repair technicians from all over the world. A network of colleagues, mentors and friends, the Association encourages the continuing growth of the industry’s knowledge base through its newsletter, yearly conferences, and workshops.

Education/Credentials
Continuing Education - Student for Life In 2004-2006, I attended and completed the practical portion of a highly specialized program focusing on brass and woodwind repair at Keyano College. The Music Instrument Repair Program (M.I.R.) is the only one of its kind in Canada. The Program offers students a comprehensive foundation of repair theory coupled with practical application followed up with industry feedback and guidance. During my time at Keyano, I developed a deep interest in flute repair. In 2007, this interest took me to Straubinger Flutes in Indianapolis, Indiana where I received specialized training and certification for the installation and servicing of Straubinger pads. Experience and Training at a Glance Straubinger Flutes, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA 2007 – Straubinger Pad Certification Keyano College - M.I.R. Lab, Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada 2004-06 - Student Shop Assistant Tool Trade, Windsor, Ontario, Canada 1993-2004 - All aspects of manual machining related to the tooling industry: Precision grinding E.D.M. (electrical discharge machining) Layout and inspection Hand polishing Spotting and fitting I.S.O. training University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada 1990-92 - Music Education

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Flute - spoilt e flat key of piccolo

Expert: Joe Piccolo - 10/29/2009

Question
Hi Mr Joe Piccolo. I've got this high school band performance coming up soon. Unfortunately, my e flat key is spoilt. I'm able to press the key down but the key won't 'pop' back up like it's suppose to. According to my seniors, the key gets spoilt often. I've asked my seniors on how to repair the key but most of them had said that the piccolo needs to be sent for repair. I'm not sure how it got spoilt and how to repair it myself. Is there a way to fix it myself?

Answer

spring hook tool

Sara,

Sorry to hear you are having trouble with your Picc.

It sounds to me like your spring is out of adjustment.

I have a few questions:

Is the picc yours? If yes and your comfortable with adjusting it then great.

If not...then give it to your teacher and let she/he decide what to do.

There are sooo many factors that can affect key action. But the most common is the spring pressure and spring location.

If you "un-hook" the spring from the Eb key where does it "go to". Does the spring stick traight up from the body?

When the key is oof of the instrument the spring should be almost where it is when the key is attached. If the spring is too high then the pressure is not placed where it needs to be for the key to spring back to "home" position.

The best way to fix it is to bring it to a flute specialist.

If you want to try yourself and feel comfortable taking the key off, your on your own then; before you remove any keys take a picture of the key for reference. Notice where the spring catches the key; when the key is off the spring should remain "close" to that position.

So make your adjustment with a crochet hook with a little "V" filed into the end. So you can push and pull to make your adjustment.

Re assemble and check if the pressure is better.

Let me know how you do?

If this does not help we will try again.

Good luck for great notes!

Joe Piccolo (no kidding)

visit The Balanced Scale on line @

www.thebalancedscale.com

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