The piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The modern piccolo has most of the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written. This has given rise to the name ottavino, by which the instrument is called in the scores of Italian composers. It is also called flauto piccolo or flautino.
