KSU Marching Owls Band: Game One vs. Point 2019

[@ae4xo]

ok dad, can you tell me why they only have pics? My daughter is a senior in highschool and would love to join the band next year but she plays flute. Pics arent hard to learn but she is kinda nervous about that. thanks.

[@LeoTheWizard]

ae4xo Okay...I tried to do a little research to give you a legitimate answer, but to no avail, so I’ll tell you what I know personally 😂 Piccolos are very high pitched (precisely an octave higher than that of a flute). Due to this, these instruments are typically used as solo instruments in other occasions, such as concert band, orchestra, or ensembles. Marching bands have always been known for their large production of sound. Marching bands are also known for their entertainment factor. Sound production is a key factor in all of this. Flutes can be powerful, of course, but piccolos send this power to a different level, and this is what colleges look for. This gives the ensemble a brighter sound, which is great for marching band. Sometimes, in powerful, brass-heavy high school marching bands, flutes and other softer woodwinds tend to be covered up by the sound of screaming trumpets and mellophones, blaring trombones and baritones, and the powerful bass of sousaphones. In order to counteract that, piccolos can be used (more often than not, in a large quantity) to resurrect the balance and blend of the entire band. When you listen to the fight song of a college like KSU or UGA or a school like that, there is absolutely no doubt in the world that you will hear that piccolo section at some point-they SCREAM. The piccolo section has the ability to pierce through the rest of the band to present their sound. That said, learning piccolo would definitely be worthwhile. As your daughter may know, learning piccolo is not that different from that of a flute. It is all in the embouchure and the focus. She has to learn how to tighten her embouchure to play the piccolo, along with MAINTAINING that embouchure as she progresses through her music. Due to the fact that Piccolos are half the size of normal flutes, it will take even MORE work in order for her to make sure that all her notes are in tune. All of the fingerings are the same. Notes are the same. Key signatures are the same. Everything is the same except embouchure. The best part about the entire process is that once she finally gets it down (the proper way) it will actually influence her flute performance for the better. My main instrument is tuba, but when I began playing euphonium (same instrument, octave higher...just like the flute and the piccolo) I began to produce a better sound on my tuba because of the practice I had on maintaining a strong embouchure while I was playing euphonium. It works perfectly, without fail. It’s like a cheat code for a better embouchure. She can practice with any flute music, since the fingerings are exactly the same and the only difference is that she will be producing notes that are an octave higher than the notes written on the page. That said, I hope I have given both of you guys a better understanding as to the use of pics and the use of learning to play one.

[@ae4xo]

@@LeoTheWizard WOW thanks! that helps a bunch! She still hasnt heard from KSU yet but hopefully they will be getting to her app. She loved it the day we went to the game and was very excited. More than any other other schools.