I'm considering buying a piccolo because I love the range it makes but I have thick lips. I already play the flute and I have a feeling that the thickness of my lips affect my playing. I've tried the piccolo during one of my flute turtoring sessions and I was not able to let out a note. Are my lips the reason or is there a specific technique for this? Am I capable of playing the piccolo?
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I don't think you will get a reliable answer, sight unseen: you need to have a flute teacher look at you. My personal experience is that thickness of lips is rarely a problem, but a pronounced cupid's bow (when the upper lip dips down to a point in the middle) can be.– Scott WallaceSep 11, 2017 at 19:37
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2 Answers
I can not give you a confident answer, as @Scott Wallace stated above. But in the majority of flute-to-piccolo transitions, the answer would be that your lips should not affect your ability to play the instrument. Your lips size can affect the way you hold your embouchure, but I have never seen it cause someone the inability to play the piccolo. The best thing would be to check with your flute teacher and see their input on the situation. The most probable circumstance would be that you have just not found the right embouchure for you on the piccolo yet.
The thickness of you lips doesn't matter too much. If you have thick lips, you need to adapt your embouchure to get a good tone out of the instrument. Your lips will not prevent you from playing the piccolo, but you might need a little more time to adapt your embouchure. When you play high notes (which is characteristic of the piccolo), remember to not make your apeture too small. Hold your piccolo in a position you are comfortable with. Don't hold your piccolo in a peculiar postion, if your lips are obstructing it.
answered Apr 8, 2018 at 2:17
