Pick Pic Picc

Pick Pic Picc is an advanced piccolo trio, a piece of chamber music, a theatrical sketch, and quite possibly a terrible idea that got completely out of hand.

It was commissioned by Peter Verhoyen, who phoned me in 2025 and asked a slightly extraordinary question:

“Do you have a piccolo trio?”

I think my answer was essentially:

“No. Of course I don't have a piccolo trio.”

He then asked whether I had time to write one.

Also no.

This was during a period when I was already writing Aurora, Roots and several other new works, so I really did not need another piece to write.

I hung up the phone.

And then my brain started going:

Pic. Pic. Pic. Pic. Pic.

Three piccolos.

Pic. Pic. Pic.

There was something inherently cheeky and irritating about the sound of the word itself. Peter also happens to have a wonderfully mischievous, quick-to-laugh personality, and almost immediately the whole thing started assembling itself in my head.

Within a few days, Pick Pic Picc existed.

I grinned pretty much the entire time I was writing it.

Quick Details

• Piccolo trio

• 3 Piccolos, one player per part

• Duration: approximately 4 minutes of music

• Plus approximately 90 seconds of theatrical action before the first note

• Advanced / Conservatoire / Professional level

• All three parts are technically demanding

• No conductor

• Deliberately rude, mischievous and obnoxious

• Includes a fully scripted silent comedy sequence

• Includes an obligatory on-stage selfie

• Features deliberate harmonic clashes and “anti-harmonies”

• Includes some singing while playing

• Contains a section of weapons-grade sentimentality

• Finishes with a very definite BAM

• Commissioned by Peter Verhoyen

• World premiere: NFA Convention, Atlanta, 8 August 2025

• Premiered by Anke Lauwers, Sarah Miller and Peter Verhoyen

• Strictly chamber music, so complimentary flute-choir PDF parts are not included with the printed edition

Instrumentation & Player Levels

Piccolo 1
Advanced

Piccolo 2
Advanced

Piccolo 3
Advanced

This is not one of my mixed-level pieces.

Nobody has been given the easy job.

All three players have substantial technical and musical responsibility, and the level is best thought of as conservatoire, music-college or professional, although a particularly strong pre-college trio could certainly tackle it.

The challenge isn't simply range or finger technique.

The players need:

• excellent rhythmic accuracy

• confident high-register playing

• very strong ensemble awareness

• precise comic timing

• complete commitment to the theatrical material

It is a bit of a roast.

But hopefully a very enjoyable one.

PICK

The first part of the title is:

PICK

because before anybody plays a note, the three performers have to pick where they are going to stand.

This is not supposed to happen efficiently.

The score contains an approximately 90-second silent theatrical sequence in which the three piccoloists walk onto the stage and become locked in an increasingly furious disagreement about their positions.

To the audience, they remain perfectly charming.

Smile politely.

Turn towards colleague.

Absolutely incandescent fury.

No, you stand THERE.

No, I'M standing there.

You move.

Smile sweetly at audience.

Resume argument.

It should have something of the spirit of a Monty Python sketch, with the performers taking the absurdity completely seriously.

Eventually they appear to reach an agreement.

They settle.

They tune.

They smile at one another.

They smile at the audience.

Everything is finally ready.

And then, at the very last moment, they change position one more time.

Only then can the music begin.

Please wait for the audience to calm down

The opening bars contain an open repeat.

There is a practical reason.

At performances where the theatrical opening works properly, the audience is generally still laughing or applauding when the performers finally start.

So the trio keeps repeating the opening until everybody has calmed down sufficiently for the actual piece to continue.

That sentence alone probably tells you most of what you need to know about Pick Pic Picc.

PIC

The second part of the title is:

PIC

as in picture.

Piccolo 3 has another vital piece of equipment to bring onto the stage:

a mobile phone.

The score specifies an iPhone.

Although, as I rather generously note:

(an Android will do, I suppose.)

During another open-repeat passage, Piccolo 3 takes out the phone and the performers must take photographs.

Not mime photographs.

Not pretend.

Actually take them.

A selfie of the trio.

A picture involving the audience.

The whole thing should be conspicuous, theatrical and slightly overdone.

And yes, the intention is that the resulting photograph gets posted.

Preferably with me tagged in it.

Is the selfie optional?

No.

It is part of the piece.

Piccolo 3's part actually contains an image of the mobile phone during the relevant bars.

The performer is resting because they have something else to do.

This isn't an optional comedy suggestion to spice up the performance.

It is written into the composition in exactly the same way as a note, rest or dynamic.

Bring the phone.

PICC

And finally:

PICC

Piccolo.

Three of them.

There really isn't anything more sophisticated going on there.

So:

PICK where you stand.
Take a PIC.
Play the PICC.

Pick Pic Picc.

I apologise for nothing.

The Music

Once the actual playing begins, the music behaves very much like the performers have behaved before it.

It is cheeky, rhythmic, obnoxious and deliberately rude.

There are accented harmonic clashes, clusters and what I tend to think of as:

anti-harmonies.

These aren't mistakes.

They aren't tuning problems.

They are supposed to sound that way.

The clashes are deliberately foregrounded, accented and enjoyed.

If at some point you find yourself wondering:

“Surely he didn't actually mean it to sound like that?”

there is an excellent chance that I did.

Weapons-grade sentimentality

Then the piece suddenly develops feelings.

Far too many feelings.

The middle section becomes unbearably saccharine.

Sentimental.

Mawkish.

Sweet.

Earnest.

The musical equivalent of staring wistfully into the middle distance while a soft-focus sunset occurs behind you.

It is not enough for it merely to sound beautiful.

It should be weapons-grade sentimentality.

The players should commit to it completely.

And just as everyone begins wondering whether the composer has suffered some kind of emotional breakdown...

there is a tiny pause.

Then:

nyeh nyeh nyeh nyeh nyeh.

A musical thumbing of the nose.

Sentimentality destroyed.

Straight back into the chaos.

Escalation

From there, the original character returns with increasingly little restraint.

The rhythms become more heightened.

The interactions get more ridiculous.

The piece becomes increasingly convinced of its own bad behaviour.

And eventually, after all the arguing, selfies, clashes, sentimentality and piccolo-based nonsense, there is only one sensible way to finish.

A huge:

BAM.

Subtle endings have their place. This isn't it.

Extended Techniques

For a piece this strange, the actual extended-technique demands are relatively modest.

There is some:

• singing while playing (piccolo 1)

But the major non-traditional demands here are really theatrical rather than technical.

The acting, facial reactions, stage positioning, timing and photography are all genuine components of the performance.

Playing the comedy seriously

This is one of those pieces where simply learning the notes is only part of the job.

The theatrical material needs rehearsal too.

The argument before the piece should feel spontaneous while actually being tightly controlled.

The performers need to know exactly when to look at one another.

Exactly when to smile at the audience.

Exactly how long to let a moment hang.

The selfie needs confidence rather than embarrassment.

And the saccharine middle section needs to be played with the same level of musical commitment as everything else.

The quickest way to kill the joke is to indicate to the audience:

“Don't worry, we know this is silly.”

They already know.

The players should behave as though every second of it is completely justified.

From “No” to World Premiere

Like Fourmies-Dabble, this is one of those pieces that began with me saying I did not have time to write it.

But once the title appeared, the entire concept followed very quickly.

It felt almost fully formed.

The stage sketch.

The obnoxious harmonies.

The selfie.

The ridiculous sentimental section.

The return to chaos.

The big finish.

I wasn't able to attend the world premiere, which took place during the 2025 National Flute Association Convention in Atlanta.

The NFA programme records the premiere on Friday 8 August 2025, performed by Anke Lauwers, Sarah Miller and Peter Verhoyen.

I did, however, get the photographs and recording afterwards.

Most importantly:

the audience laughed and applauded in all the right places. Mission accomplished.

Printed Score and PDF Edition

Pick Pic Picc is written as one-player-per-part chamber music, not as a piccolo choir piece.

For that reason, purchases of the printed edition do not include the complimentary PDF parts offered with my larger flute-ensemble works.

A separate PDF edition is available for players who prefer a digital score. The current printed-product page also explains this distinction.

Frequently Asked Questions

How difficult is Pick Pic Picc?
It is Advanced. All three parts are demanding and are best suited to conservatoire, music-college or professional piccoloists, although very strong pre-college players could also perform it.

Is one piccolo part easier than the others?
Not significantly. All three musicians get roasted fairly equally.

Does it need a conductor?
No. It is chamber music for three players.

Can any of the parts be played on concert flute?
No. This is unapologetically a piece for three piccolos.

Do we really have to do the acting before the piece?
Yes. The theatrical opening is part of the composition, not an optional extra.

How long is the acting section?
Approximately 90 seconds, depending slightly on the performers and audience response.

How long is the music itself?
Approximately 4 minutes, which is also the duration listed in the official 2025 NFA repertoire guide.

Do we really have to take a selfie?
Yes.

Can we pretend to take one?
No.

Do we really have to bring a phone onto the stage?
Yes.

Does it have to be an iPhone?
An Android will do I suppose.

What are “anti-harmonies”?
Deliberate clashes and clusters that are intended to sound rude, abrasive or harmonically obnoxious. Please do not try to make them tasteful.

Is the sentimental middle section supposed to be that excessive?
Yes. More.

Is the comedy more important than playing accurately?
No. The fun comes from excellent players performing ridiculous material extremely well. The technique, ensemble precision and theatrical commitment all matter.

Are complimentary PDF parts included with the printed version?
No. This is a one-player-per-part chamber work rather than flute-choir repertoire, so it does not qualify for the complimentary ensemble PDF-parts scheme.