Piccolo

This article is about the instrument in the flute family. For other uses, see Piccolo (disambiguation).

Piccolo

Piccolo
Woodwind instrument
Classification	Woodwind Wind Aerophone
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	421.121.12-71 (Flute-like aerophone with keys)
Playing range
Tessitura of the piccolo is D5–C8. Some have a key for low C5.
Related instruments
Flutes: Piccolo Treble Soprano C flute Flûte d'amour Alto Bass Contra-alto Contrabass Subcontrabass Double Contrabass Hyperbass

The piccolo (/ˈpɪkəloʊ/ PIK-ə-loh; Italian for 'small') is a smaller version of the western concert flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" or piccolo flute, the modern piccolo has the same type of fingering as the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher. This has given rise to the name ottavino (Italian pronunciation: [ottaˈviːno]), by which the instrument is called in Italian and thus also in scores of Italian composers.

Early 19th-century French piccolo in D♭.

Piccolos are often orchestrated to double the violins or the flutes, adding sparkle and brilliance to the overall sound because of the aforementioned one-octave transposition upwards. The piccolo is a standard member in orchestras, marching bands, and wind ensembles.