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Flute/Problem with piccolo lower notes

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Expert: Joe Piccolo - 9/17/2009


Question
Dear Mr. Piccolo,
    Given your name, I feel that you are the right person for this question.  I am a 50-something, former music major and a fairly new flute player.  I love it and have recently upgraded by purchasing a Yamaha flute from a college student.  She offered me a great deal if I also purchased her silver Emerson piccolo.  One look at it and I was hooked so I bought it after playing a few notes.  The student I purchased them from was upgrading to a professional flute and wooden piccolo and the instruments appeared in excellent condition.  When I took them to my next flute lesson, my teacher loved my flute but was unable to play any lower notes on my piccolo even though she has played piccolo for many years.  She noticed that the pads were not very new and the head did not fit tightly but other than that nothing else appeared wrong.  I would be happy to take it to the woodwind repair shop but I'm concerned that this may be a serious problem.  I would not mind spending money to fix it if it can be fixed - even if I had to buy a new head.  What do you think?

             Thank you!
             Bonnie

Answer

expert flute repair Th
Hi Bonnie

GREAT that your playing again!

Your concerns about the piccolo warrant a trip to your local flute specialist. The piccolo need to have "tight" fitting pads and a good solid head joint connection.

Check your Bb-A key combination; you are looking for "lost motion" in other words 1 key is not closing both. Alternate between your thumb Bb, A, and traditional Bb fingering. What did you notice"

How are your trill keys closing?...if the piccolo leaks at the top f the instrument the rest of the nstrument will not sound.

If you provide me with your city/state/sip information I can reccomend a repair technician.

If you wish to send me your instrument for repair visit the following link

http://www.thebalancedscale.com/shipping.html
http://www.thebalancedscale.com/contact.html

Visit my website at the link found below for some diagnostic tools to help in assisting your with your repair quandary.

http://www.thebalancedscale.com/fass.html

Please let me know if you have any further question, or if I may be of ANY assistance.

Joe Piccolo ( no kidding )  

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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