The piccolo’s range in notes and hertz
| Sounding | Written | Frequency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme low | C5 | C4 | 523.25 Hz |
| Practical low | D5 | D4 | 587.33 Hz |
| Practical high | C8 | C7 | 4186.0 Hz |
Most piccolos stop at D, an octave and a tone above middle C sounding; a few have a C foot. Parts are written an octave below the sound to save ledger lines.
Written and sounding pitch
The piccolo is a transposing instrument: it sounds an octave higher than written. So the range on its part is D4–C7, while the notes you hear are D5–C8. The transposing-instrument tuner reads out the written note as you play.
Instruments with a similar range
The instruments whose normal range shares the most notes with the piccolo’s:
- Xylophone · F4–C8 35 notes shared
- Piano · A0–C8 35 notes shared
- Erhu · D4–A7 32 notes shared
- Glockenspiel · G5–C8 30 notes shared
- Violin · G3–E7 27 notes shared
- Viola · C3–D7 25 notes shared
Tune it, play it
- Piccolo tuner — tune by microphone, with the piccolo’s own target notes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the range of a piccolo?
The piccolo’s normal range runs from D5 to C8 — 587.33 to 4186.0 Hz, about 2.8 octaves. At the extremes it reaches C5–C8. Its part is written D4–C7, because it sounds an octave higher than written.
What is the lowest note on a piccolo?
C5 (523.25 Hz), on instruments that have it; the usual bottom is D5.
What is the highest note on a piccolo?
C8 (4186.0 Hz).