All About the Tabor Pipe

by Howard Fosdick © FolkFluteWorld.com

A tabor pipe is just like a tin whistle -- except that it has only three fingering holes. Two holes are on top, and one thumb hole is beneath. It's often called the three-holed pipe.

The idea is that you can play it with one hand. Then, with your free hand, you play the tabor, a small, portable drum.

Put pipe and drum together, and you're a one-man band. With such an ensemble, you go a-taboring. As the woodcut shows, happy dancers will follow in your wake.

This article tells you everything you need to know about the tabor pipe. We'll cover the kinds of instruments used, how to play them, their history, modern traditions, and more.

History

Flutes without any fingering holes, called overtone flutes, stretch back into ancient history. The musician plays different notes by blowing softer or harder into a flush hollow tube. Blow softly, then progressively harder, and you'll play an ascending set of notes called the harmonic scale. Some call this the natural scale.

The pitches of the notes in the scale depend on the length and width of the pipe. (Learn more about the overtone flute and how to play it in my complete article here.)

By the twelfth century, simple overtone flutes had acquired three fingering holes. The tabor pipe was born. This three-fingered pipe, played in combination with a simple drum, spread across many cultures worldwide. Taboring evolved and became widely popular.

This form of entertainment reached its European apogee in the medieval and renaissance periods.

In later eras, it was largely displaced by more sophisticated instruments, such as the recorder and tin whistle. The 19th century saw the invention of the modern concert flute.

Yet taboring continues today in regional European celebrations in countries like Spain, France, and especially the Basque regions. In the British isles, various Morris, May Day, and Maypole festivals support this tradition. Participants dress in period-appropriate costumes, and each town has its own unique variations on the tunes and rituals.

In the United States, morris dancing and renaissance fairs inevitably bring out tabor piping, parades, and picnicing.

Taboring survives and prospers as a part of the celebrations of regional traditions, and among those with an interest in cultural and musical history.

How It Sounds

To get an idea of how taboring sounds, listen to one of these tabor pipers from Youtube. The pipe itself sounds the same as a tin whistle, which it closely resembles:

These videos make it clear that you can produce the exact same sound and play the exact same tunes with a tin whistle as with the tabor pipe. And the tin whistle is so much easier to play.

So you'll only spend time and effort learning the tabor pipe if you want to carry on traditions, or have an interest in historical music. (Or perhaps you just like a challenge.) For myself, I've enjoyed experimenting with taboring but will stick with the tin whistle for musical purposes.

The Pipe

The tabor pipe has two top holes and one thumb hole beneath. At one end is a fipple, a mouthpiece similar to that of a tin whistle or recorder that automatically directs the musician's breath to create sound.

Here's how a modern metal tabor pipe looks compared to a tin whistle. The tin whistle is on top. You can see the tabor pipe's two top holes and its bottom thumb hole beneath.

In the above sound samples, all the pipers play the common D-key pipe shown in this photo.

As with tin whistles, in English speaking countries the most popular pipe is in the key of D. It's often called the high D pipe.

Its lowest note is D5. That's one note above the lowest note of the soprano recorder (C5).

But like tin whistles, tabor pipes can be had in almost any key. D is the traditional piper's key for many historic tunes.

Sometimes you'll see the Low D pipe, pitched exactly one octave lower than the high D. The low D is a bit more difficult to manage single-handedly. It's longer and heavier than higher pipes. (Weight matters more with a metal pipe than a wood one.) When stationary this is no problem, but if walking or marching it can be more challenging.

Perhaps more importantly, its softer voice doesn't carry as effectively as the high D outdoors or when playing before audiences. The louder, higher pitches project better in ensembles or when carrying a tune above background drumming.

You might favor the low D or other low pipes for practicing or personal indoor play. They're definitely easier on the ears than the highest notes of the high D pipe.

Tabor pipes are made from in many kinds of metals, a variety of woods, and plastic. Musicians who aim for historical accuracy insist on wood. This more accurately replicates the music of taborers hundreds of years ago.

Those who emphasize durability and practicality in outdoor weather may favor metal or plastic. You don't want your expensive wood pipe to get rained on during an outdoor performance.

Today, metal three-hole pipes are readily available for about the same prices as tin whistles. For example, Amazon sells Generation pipes for about $20 USD. (The pipes in the comparison photo above are all Generation brand.)

Susato plastic pipes cost about $44, while their more expensive models go for $75 to $110.

Prices for wood pipes vary dramatically. Many are hand-made and rather costly. This webpage at the Taborers Society list makers of wood and metal pipes.

We've focused on pipes used in the English-speaking world in this discussion, but remember that taboring spans the globe. France prefers the galoubet pipe, Italy offers the picco pipe or zuffolo, Basques play the txistu, Slovakia plays the fujara, and other regions have their own three hole pipes. The tuning of these instruments varies by local musical practice. (We don't cover that topic in this article.)

The Drum

While he or she plays a pipe with one hand, the taborer plays another instrument with his other hand. Nearly always, this second instrument is a drum of some kind. However, it could be any other simple instrument suitable for the purpose: such as a bell, triangle, or woodblock.

This artwork depicts David playing his pipe with a bell as he watches over his flock in the pasture. It's clear that he's playing a three hole pipe from the positioning of his left hand on the flute.

The illustration is from the Morgan Bible, an illuminated manuscript thought to have been created in the 1240's for French King Louis IX.

Drums are by far the most common accompaniment for the three hole pipe. They come in a variety of sizes and styles. Often local tradition dictates which drums are used.

Beyond that, the key requirements are that it is easy to play single-handedly, and that it is easy to carry. Many come with an over-the-shoulder strap for carrying. Others feature a wrist strap.

In British tradition, the tabor is typically shallow, no deeper than a half dozen inches. But sizes definitely vary. The deeper the drum, the lower its voice.

Snare drums are popular. These have sharper voices by the addition of metal wire under the drum head. Deeper drums are rarely snares.

Drummers can use one stick or two. A single stick is easier to manage.

These photos show a variety of drums of different sizes and depths:

How To Play

When learning to tabor, the key question is: should you start with the whistle alone, or with both pipe and tabor?

For myself, I found I needed to start with the pipe. Playing it is a weird combination of fingering only three holes and lots of overblowing. You rely on overblowing to move between four different octaves!

So learning the pipe involves mastering its unique combination of fingering and breath pressure.

This simplified fingering chart tells the tale:

(If you prefer to see how the notes appear on musical staff click here.)

This photo shows how you hold the pipe when playing:

Your first two fingers cover the two top holes. Your thumb covers the thumb hole below the instrument. The other fingers simply steady the pipe.

You can see how it's easier to hold and manage a smaller, lighter pipe. This and its sound projection is what makes the high D pipe so popular.

Arguing for a larger pipe is the fact that the highest notes on the high D can hurt your ears, especially if you're playing in an enclosed area.

For pipers who want to keep their hearing intact, I recommend two pipes: A low pipe for indoor practice, and a high D for outdoor performance.

Others disagree and feel that using two pipes hinders training, since breath sensitivity is fundamental to correctly articulating notes.

Where taboring becomes difficult is when you need to cover half of a hole to sound some notes. Half-holing takes some practice to master. Fortunately, only two notes require it: B♭ and C♮. (This fingering chart shows which they are).

The best advice is to stick to tunes that don't require half-holing. It's easy to find sheet music that doesn't require it.

Or, you could switch to a pipe of the proper key so that you don't need to half-hole. This is common practice with tin whistlers but I'm not aware that many taborers do this.

Choice of Drum

Most taborers use whichever drum is traditional in their town or region.

If you have a choice of drum, here are some factors to consider.

First is comfort. Do you prefer a wrist strap of some kind, or shoulder strap? Which will be more comfortable if you are walking or marching a long way?

Weight and bulk affect comfort, too. Whether you remain stationary while playing or are moving may determine which drum you'll prefer.

Beyond comfort, the other important consideration is sound.

Small snares are easy to carry and their design amplifies sound. A non-snare like a tom-tom or a deeper drum sounds less sharply and may better complement your kind of music. I've found that the softer sound of a tom-tom works well for practice, while a well-struck snare projects better outdoors.

Where to Start

For your first three-hole whistle, I recommend the Generation high D whistle. You can buy it directly from the Generation website or from Amazon.

Generation makes a quality metal whistle and it's very inexpensive at less than $20 USD. This allows you to try the tabor pipe at minimal cost.

If you stick with taboring and develop a serious interest in it, then you might want to obtain a more expensive, historically-authentic wood whistle. This webpage at the Taborers Society list makers of wood and metal pipes.

The Early Music Shop, Lark in the Morning, and Red Cow Music are excellent sources for finding a variety of tabor pipes, suitable drums, and accessories.

You can access sheet music, tutorials, and other resources for free. Just visit our resources webpage. Remember, most of the sheet music for tin whistle works just as well on the tabor pipe.

And if you become engaged in the hobby, you'll want to be sure to visit the webpage of The Taborers Society.

Gallery

We'll conclude with a variety of pertinent images from around the web.