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Old 08-04-2005, 02:30 AM   #4 (permalink)
mattdalton
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Location: Newcastle, WA USA
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If the Selmer has the sound you like, I'd try a different leadpipe, an alignment as MahlerBrass suggested, or even a different mouthpiece. My Selmer picc plays badly out of tune with the stock Selmer pipe. Back in the late 1980s I tried a Blackburn pipe, but it didn't help much. Then I got a cut off Bach 25 pipe that really makes the A side work. I guard it carefully because it's a one-off experimental pipe that I can't replace.

I bought a Najoom pipe to try to address pitch on the Bb side. It's helped a lot, but the horn still plays better on the A side. That might be another option for you to try.

With that said, the Scherzer is a very nice piccolo. One of my good trumpet friends has one and finds it a good fit for solo and chamber playing. I've only tried it in A, but he says it plays well on both the Bb and A sides. He can't really cut through a big orchestra with it, but that's really not an issue for him either. I find the sound of the Scherzer very pleasing. I've prefered the tone of the Selmer and rotary piccs to most other makes for many years; to me it has more fundamental and warmth. If I could justify owning multiple piccolo trumpets, I'd have both a rotary picc and my Selmer picc.

Hope this helps.
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