Fingerings in F Major - Playing the Brandenburg on C piccolo puts the fingerings in F major, which is super familiar to all of us used to playing on the A piccolo trumpet for the countless Baroque pieces set in D major. It also helps with the fingerings, intonation, and transposition compared to playing in G major on the Bb picc. 

Easier Trills - There are several trills and technical passages in the Brandenburg that are just easier to play in F - like the trill in the opening of the first movement. When you’re on a Bb piccolo, the opening has a slightly awkward D to E trill, while on C piccolo it’s a simple C to D trill which lets you use the common trick of trilling open to 4th valve.

Better High Notes - Yes, the C piccolo is pitched higher than a Bb piccolo, but I wouldn’t actually say the notes are physically easier to play as a result of this. You still have to vibrate your lips to produce the high notes, but the specific high notes found in the Brandenburg are a little easier in the key of F. The most sweated over passage in this piece is usually in the second half of the first movement, which has three high concert Gs in the space of only seven measures after you’ve already been playing continuously for several minutes. On the Bb picc, those are high As, and people use various strategies to help play nail them, including different fingering options as well as removing the fourth valve slide and playing them 4th valve only. Some folks even use a small secondary bell called a Brandenburg bell to make this note sound more like the rest of them. On the C piccolo however, that note is just an open high G. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still super high, but it’s definitely easier to just “pick off” compared to a high A on the Bb picc.

Balance and Timbre - Believe it or not, the Brandenburg is NOT actually a trumpet solo, but a concerto for FOUR musicians - trumpet, flute, oboe, and violin, all in front of a small group of string players and harpsichord. So, even though the trumpet part is high and difficult, the challenge is to somehow play it while playing “nice” with a bunch of comparatively quiet instruments. The C piccolo makes balancing with them easier due to it’s lighter, glassier timbre, which helps you play with a nuance and delicacy more like the other soloists. 

Feedback - Some of the most common C Piccolo trumpets come with a herald bell design (like the Yamaha 991 and 9910 and Schilke C5-4). I feel like the bell being a little further away helps reduce the amount of your own sound you hear while playing, which give you a more accurate picture of how your sound is blending and balancing with the other soloists.