421.221.12 Open flutes with internal duct with fingerholes

Tabor pipe. A long narrow duct flute made from boxwood/fruitwood, with turned rings at the bass and having 3 large holes at the lower end. Length 14 9/16 inches.

Three-hole pipes have one thumb-hole and two finger-holes. A combination of fingering and overblowing encouraged by the proportions of the pipe, give a range of about two octaves. The tabor pipe is almost always paired with a snare drum to form a one player ensemble. The drum is held on the left arm and is played with a single stick held in the right hand. At the same time, the long pipe is played with the left hand. Until the early 20th century in England, musicians used this combination of pipe and tabor to provide the melody and rhythm for morris dancing.

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk