Ravel Piccolo, Black (PICRGP202)

The piccolo (PICRGP202) has a strong and bright sound compared to other plastic piccolos that I have tried which were just a bit mellow-er and had more of a rounded sound. However, this does not bother me since this one is NOT incredibly shrill. What impressed me the most is the easy response across the three octaves and that seems to need less air to produce sound. I think having a brighter sound is the reason I feel it requires less air to play. I was able to produce a clean A7 instantly with the lowest octave E5 and D5 being the trickiest notes at first.The key mechanism is smooth and perfectly aligned allowing for fast passages to be performed without having to press the keys too strong. The plastic finish is elegant almost resembling wood and fingerprints do not stick only to the silver coated parts. It has a cork that requires greasing but I don't mind. It is a very nice piccolo and feels light on your hand, I am happy with the purchase.

I am giving this 5 stars, not because it is equivalent to a Roy Seaman piccolo or something like that, but because it is perfect for what I need and a good value for the price. This piccolo will be used in our school for students learning piccolo for the first time, and doubling, so switching back and forth within a piece. This piccolo has an easy tonal response so kids don't have to struggle. It has a very pleasant tone for a cheap piccolo, too! A cool looking case rounds out the package. I am very happy with it.UPDATE: Almost one year later, and this piccolo is showing its true colors. For an inexpensive piccolo, we got a year of good use out of it, but now joints are coming unglued and it is playing poorly. I will take it in to my repair man, but I suspect it is just a case of "you get what you pay for." This was not played outdoors. Only for concert band for beginning high school piccolo players.

Tough to produce a decent sound. I've waited a while to write a review but would advise if you are considering a purchase of this item, save up and buy from a reputable music store. We loved the price, the look of it, the case,etc but our daughter sounds like a nail gun trying to make this thing play. We are going to go to professional lessons to get some help, but I think it's the instrument. For the name alone on this instrument, we were excited but it's a toughy to play.