The piccolo is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the flute family. Its name is short for 'flauto piccolo,' which is Italian for 'small flute.' It is pitched one octave higher than the standard concert flute. While small flutes existed for centuries, the modern piccolo was perfected alongside the concert flute by Theobald Boehm in the 19th century. Because of its extremely high pitch and piercing tone, the piccolo is often used in orchestras to cut through the sound of the entire ensemble, especially in marches and military music. Interestingly, the piccolo sounds an octave higher than it is written on paper, a convention used to avoid the excessive use of ledger lines above the staff. While concert flutes are almost always made of metal today, professional piccolos are frequently made of grenadilla wood to produce a sweeter, less shrill tone in the upper registers.