The Piccolo Intonation Book

This is a really thorough book. Each of the 39 short studies has suggestions for alternative fingerings for the particular note in focus and there can be 6 or 7 alternatives per note in some cases. Not all piccolos have the top G# facilitator or a Brossa F# key and not all the fingerings will work on all piccolos but it's fascinating to be able to explore tuning in such minute detail. The studies themselves are quite simply structured and great to play as exercises in their own right. There is also an interesting section on fourth octave D and E which will appeal to the very adventurous. Other subjects covered include air supply, tone and vibrato, as well as a detailed discussion on different types of piccolo. Everything is backed up by careful research which is fully acknowledged. This is a challenging book but it is also extremely valuable, both as reference guide and as teaching aid.