Wiens Piccolo mandolin

[ira]

okay jamie, i'm sold. (if i could only buy all that i long for.....-oh well, one day) thanks for the information.

[J. Wiens]

Hi Gary, thanks for the kind words buddy. The finish is lacquer.
As far as me making an A-style piccolo....I'd probably consider it. Drop me a private message and inspire me *g*................Jamie

[crandolin]

Hey Jamie, Do you still have the piccolo at home? I would love to pop by sometime and play it a little. (for all you other members, i am lucky enough to live up the street from Jamie Wiens, but not lucky enough to be able to afford one of his instruments).

[Bob A]

I believe the Gibson piccolo is an oval-hole, as well as being a six-string. How would the sound of the instrument vary from an f-hole piccolo? (This would be tough to answer unless someone can reply who has played the Gibson, I suppose).

[Stopstop]

I came across this thread and thought it deserved a bump due to recent piccolo related threads. A very cool creation - I would love to hear it in action!

[JeffD]

I have and often play my Weber Sopranino mandolin. The problem I have with these piccolo mandolins is that there is no context I could find where they are needed. I have been welcomed most everywhere, and had great fun at jams, but always as a special effect or a wonder, never as "hey finally, someone came to play that high part".

In the classical world there is little enough composed for mandolin, (and how much less for the piccolo mandolin), making it often necessary to "steal" from violins and other instruments' repertory, to play or hear classical mandolin. (Thank God for Vivaldi and Beethoven.)

So I have a suggestions, for all of you folks that have pull with mandolin orchestras, how cool to play Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #2 or the Clarke Trumpet Voluntary, or similar material, and feature the piccolo mandolin. If an orchestra records it, I will buy a recording. If a local orchestra (within a day's drive or even farther depending) plans to play it, I will attend the concert in person. If and where appropriate, and given enough heads up, I would love to learn and practice and try out for the piccolo part to play with y'all.

I think it could seriously be glorious. Or at the very least a metric ton or tonne of fun.

[Jim Garber]

Hmmmm… have you looked at the notation for the Brandenburg piccolo part. I am guessing it is not for the amateur piccolo mandolin player. I am not sure if this would even work. A piccolo mandolin is a fourth higher than a standard mandolin whereas a piccolo I pitched almost one octave higher than a flute which I believe is in the same range as a mandolin.

[JeffD]

I meant the Brandenburg piccolo trumpet part. But even so you may have a point.

I have a prejudice that a mandolin can do it all, so I have not checked.

[JFDilmando]

I'll give this thread a bump with some pics of Jamie's second (I believe) perhaps one of only two (maybe) piccolos that he as undertaken.... on this one, he went the extra mile to fabricate a tailpiece that is true to the diminutive dimension of the piccolo....
Very cool voice....