How limited are you on a 3 valve piccolo?
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Hey everyone.
Just curious, if you buy a 3 valve piccolo instead of a 4 valve piccolo, how much lit are you unable to play? I know that 4th valve gets rid of some range, but how much lit are you actually missing out on?
Really been interested in one of those Penny Lane Couesnon Piccolos but I don't want to have an obsolete horn for serious work if I'll be missing out on a ton of work.
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@stv13402 Well, you would be missing out on some of the best Handel solos... some of them are already difficult to manage on the A four-valve picc, which is why by this time, most of my picc work (the Baroque stuff) will end up on my G picc - so much easier to play, and that extra tone to the lower end will help you indeed. And most G piccs have slightly bigger bells and are less finicky in tone quality. At least that's my experience after a series of Bb/A piccs (two Selmers, a Besson, a Stomvi, a Courtois, a Roland Meinl, a Scherzer, a Votruba and now, as a backup, the ACB Doubler - I can't stand Schilke in any form) a Bach Strad high-F (which was bloody useless and in my collection only to complete the alphabet) and a couple of high-Gs (Stomvi, Scherzer, and now an old Selmer from the estate of Maurice André).
That is my experience. And now you're free to do whatever you like. -
There are some piccolos which offer you a third valve "trigger" slide, which drops it to that 4th, allowing you to play some of the baroque repertoire. I know Yamaha makes one, but I am unsure if any other manufacturer makes one. I honestly cannot think of a reason to purchase a 3-valve piccolo. They are expensive instruments to begin with, and almost all the baroque repertoire requires use of that 4th valve. I would not purchase one unless it were a total steal.
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Whenever I work on a 3 valve picc, I have to wrack my brain for repertoire to play test that doesn’t require that bottom range. The 3piston + rotor will get you a few more notes, but you’ll still miss out on some repertoire, especially any Bb parts you would rather play on picc. A piccolo is always worth spending a little more on to give yourself a better advantage, anyway - it’s a difficult horn to play to begin with, so it’s easiest to learn on one that you don’t have to fight any extra to play.
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3 valve piccs can work IF we have an half tone extension for the third valve (1+2+3 should give us the low concert D with the A tuning). Then all of the D major baroque stuff works. I have a 3 valve rotary pic and it is my go to instrument for baroque literature in D or Eb when I play modern horns.
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I would never recommend somebody with a limited budget purchase a 3-valve piccolo.
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In answer to the stated question, I can state with high confidence that I am extremely limited on a 3-valve piccolo, or a 4-valve piccolo, or anything higher than an Eb. And the Eb is iffy.
