I never thought one handed concertina where a thing.

Zaulden, I not only moved the thumbrest all over the place to try different methods, but I even wrapped a rubber band around the thumbrest and my finger to try to get a good hold.  I have small hands and short fingers, and the G pipe was about my limit because of the holes being further apart.  

I wound up having way more fun on my pennywhistles, so I guess one day I'll sell my G tabor pipe.

Zaulden, I played the tabor pipe and tabor drum together, but I never really got past the "Mary Had a Little Lamb" stage.  It was hard to coordinate the left and right hands... but way harder just hold the G tabor pipe so it wouldn't drop on the floor and break!

Hi Zaulden, and welcome to FOTMD!

The only tabor pipe I've ever gotten was a polymer Susato in low G as well, like the one you have.  I had listened to a lot of Youtube videos of pipe and tabor, and it struck me that the normal high D ones did indeed sound very shrill to my ears, like fifes.  I also noticed they were played outdoors most of the time to accompany outdoor celebrations or dances.  Fifes are usually played outdoors for marching.  Maybe that's a sign!  lol   Anyway, i much preferred the sound of the lower tabor pipe.  I have not played mine in a long time though- I switched to penny whistle and have enjoyed sticking with that instead... for me it was so much easier to hold and finger.

Perhaps a Bb or C tabor pipe would be easier on your ears than going all the way to the more common high D ?

Sheryl... you seem to know me too well.  heheh

hmmm

Here are a few instruments I will probably never ever play:

piano or organ

Highland bagpipes

hammered dulcimer

autoharp

standup bass

guitar

trumpet

marimba

Lisa, Good good start on the pipe and drum. Is there any instrument you cannot, or will not eventually play? I see your calendar is full. 

Try it.......you'll like it.

Not so creative.  I got the idea by actually getting my moustache caught in the harp rack.
I've never tried playing the mouth harp with the dulcimer.

Jim, that's so clever to 'trick' the kids into helping work the limberjack.      

Pretty dog gone creative there Jim.

I don't believe I'll play the mouth harp with the drum, but when playing for kids, I have played the mouth harp while working a clog doll (limberjack).  I would play it for a while, then pretend to get my moustache caught in the rack.  I'd then ask one of the kids to come and work the doll while I played the mouth harp.

You need a one-handed concertina & tabor.

Jim, while I also have quite a few in a drawer. Always one or two laying around in view.


  I also keep a couple in my dulcimer bag and a couple in a uke bag.  I like to be ready.

Here's something you might try, Jim.  Instead of a pipe, use a harmonica, holding it with your harp holder.  Then you have a hand to steady the drum and the other to hold the drum stick.  It actually works nicely.  Real nice

However, something just doesn't feel right about it.  After all,  it's pipe and tabor, not harmonica and tabor.

Jim, I agree with Lisa, as crafty as you seem to be, you can make this drum work.

Terry again, I have a plastic box that I bought at Canadian Tire (a Canuck hardware store).  It was meant to store small parts, but it fits six 10 hole diatonic mouth harps perfectly and fits in a guitar or banjo case easily. The old Elton rack is one I bought in the early sixties and the only modifications are a bend to make it hit my mouth squarely and a couple of lock washers.  I also have a drawer full of harps that I never use, but these six get played pretty regularly.

Terry, Here's another view of the drum.  It was a cheap, $7.00 drum from a school supplies catalog. I put the design on the front in magic marker.

Lisa, I lined up the thumb hole with the third hole from the bottom of the whistle and used a drill bit the same diameter as the hole on the front, so it makes the same note as the third hole from the bottom of a tin whistle.  I seem to recall playing a tune called Nonesuch, in my decade ago attempt at becoming a pipe & Tabor player, but I can't recall what it goes like now.

I just looked it up on "The Session" website and here it is:  Nonesuch on The Session

Fun to see a little mini flurry of posts here       Terry , the vision of you marching around your house with pipe and tabor while your wife perhaps takes cover someplace gives me a good chuckle.      I try to take full advantage when Brian goes out to mow the grass or on an errand... I rush to do a practice session as soon as he's out the door!   lolol   The notes of these pipes and whistles are pretty good at traveling through walls and even floors.  The high notes are piercing indoors, and my neighbors are too close for me to practice in my yard.  At this point in my playing i wouldn't want to cause suffering for wild birds either.  Or I might attract the unwanted attention of chicken hawks.  ;)

Jim , I can't believe how you did that to make a penny whistle into a tabor pipe!  Very inventive!!

Did you calculate where to position the thumb hole?  Because the thumb hole placement is very specific to give certain notes, and your thumb hole looks to me to be much closer to the mouthpiece than my tabor pipe's thumb hole is located in relation to the two top holes.  But the proof of the pudding is- are you able to play tunes on it, like Mary had a little lamb etc?  Does it jump into the higher register where you need it to go to the next note?  I would 'think' that by design a PW would not be able to behave the same way as a tabor pipe, but if it works then I am amazed and very impressed!

I think you could easily use that frame drum as your tabor.  You could either drill a couple of holes in the rim and hang it over your arm (don't make the strap too long), or sit to play and hold it vertically on your lap using your arms and legs somehow.  I recommend a short drumstick with a padded tip, especially if practicing indoors.  If you want to beat the drum with your right hand, then you'll need to hold and play the pipe with your left hand.  While it might be good at some outdoor festival, I hate the sound of my snare while practicing alone indoors, so I beat on the other side of my two-sided tabor drum, and I tucked a little folded piece of chamois under the snare thread to keep it quiet.

I might be wrong, but I 'think' that on either a PW or tabor pipe, if you have a D pipe you can play in G, or D, or E minor.  I have a G tabor pipe only so far, and mostly I've been playing medieval and renaissance simple tunes in A minor.  But if I know the tune by ear, I can base it on the A minor key and work it out without having to find actual sheet music in the key my pipe is in.  Some accidentals (a sharp here and there in the minor key) I have found i can get by half covering a hole.  Using half holes gives you the ability to play in some other keys since you can then create sharps and flats as needed.  But this is mostly beyond my current level.  I do this stuff by hearing rather than by knowing music theory- I hear when I need a note to be a sharp in a certain part of a tune, and I experiment to see if I can make a sharped note with my fingering somehow. If there are several 'missing' notes I know I need to start the tune in a different key or home note (or else get a pipe in another key)...it feels kind of like the mountain dulcimer noter style playing that way!- find where the tune 'fits' on your fret board and start it there so you'll have the needed notes for that tune.   

One other thing I noticed-   I tend to practice for about 45 minutes or so.  When I practice every day I don't notice my progress as much.  When I skip a day or two once a week, when I pick up the pipe again I can actually see and feel the progress since the last session.  hmm...I like that!  lol

Jim,  it would sure be interesting to see the side of the drum.  Us tabor people find this interesting.

Nice looking flute you got there.  Good job.

Coordinating the two instruments for a beginner is, I believe, the most difficult part to learning pipe and tabor.  Fitting the drum on your arm and holding a flute with one hand, well enough to cover the holes properly, is very trying in the beginning.

However, with a little practice, the ah ha moments begin.

Until my coordination improves, I am only practicing very simple songs like:

Mary had a little lamb,  Aunt Rhody, Cabbage song, and Twinkle Twinkle.   For me  the most fun I experience is just making up music and marching inside and outside of my home.  

Neighbors are seldom home and even if they were we are not very close.

My most stressing learning obstacle is arthritis in my hands and fingers.  But I do feel this is improving thanks to Strumelia, Lexie,  my wife, and meds.

Try it.......you may just like it.

I had skipped over page two.  I just saw Lisa's video and was impressed.  I see that my homemade pipe & tabor are quite crude compared to the ones you guys have, but they'll do me for now.  Maybe I'll start working on the tune Lisa played.

I made a tabor pipe from a Generation D whistle about a decade ago and worked at it for a while, but it has been sitting in a crock of whistles in my music room for a few years now.  I got it out to tke these photos

I strted by inding the bit that would exactly fit the third hole from the bottom and , placing the whistle on a piece of scrap board, I drilled through the back of the whistle.  I then put a piece of masking tape over all but the bottom two holes and, voila, I had a workable tabor pipe.

I have a cheap 12 inch frame drum, with no snare, that I had intended using as a tabor drum.  You guys may have inspired me to have another go at it.
What tunes do you folks play on your pipe? 

Why is it embarrassing to look in your harmonica drawer? I don't have a harmonica drawer -  they just lie all over the place!  But I do have a briefcase for gigging.

Lisa, you being a mother hen is just fine.  I'll do it.

I was just telling my wife a few minutes ago, as we are driving from Florida back home to Georgia,  how much I miss practicing my instruments.  She is shopping at a Bealls outlet store, while I'm resting in the car.

Lisa, yes, you are nuts.   A real nut.  But be at peace, there are a lot of music nuts on this forum, including this Ole south Georgia boy.  It's almost embarrassing when I look in my harmonica drawer.  

Lisa!  I really love your video.

Terry, thanks!  As my fotmd "Tabor Pipe Buddy" I know you understand and know first hand about the wacky learning curve on this crazy instrument duo...    Your moral support and feedback have helped keep me moving forward on this pipe & tabor project.

My mother hen kicks in:  Terry please keep your practice sessions very short - like maybe just 10 minutes for any one practice- I don't want you to aggravate your hand pain!

I couldn't resist and I have a couple of penny whistles coming in a day or two now as well.  Guess I'm just nuts but oh well.   I have to wait a month anyway before that tabor pipe maker gets back from his trip and then he can make me my second tabor pipe- a wooden one this time in high D probably.  Meanwhile I can continue on my plastic G tabor pipe & drum, and see if I can figure out these penny whistles as well.  I think the wait will do me good actually- it'll test my commitment. 

fun fun fun.....     

Lisa,

I just saw your video, seconds ago.  Wow!  I am so very proud of you.  I know how difficult this is, and I also know you have put some work into this madness.  

I've got to get home soon and get busy.

Hooray for Lisa.  Hooray,  hooray. 

Thanks friends!  
The people on this site are so great in encouraging beginners!  

Lookin' -- and soundin' -- good Lisa.  You'll get that "pat your head and rub your belly" thing down pat any day now!

Thanks Lexie!  I should have included the description I wrote for the video on Youtube, which has the info about the holes as well as other info:

This is a French 'branle'/dance tune composed by Thoinot Arbeau (real name Jehan Tabourot) in the late 1500s.  It's called Branle des Lavandieres, or Washerwoman's Branle. You can easily find sheet music for it online in various keys. Branles (braules, brawls) were simple folk dances each paired with their specific tune.  You can see youtube examples of dancers today who still enjoy them.  I'm finding traditional old branles to be particularly well suited to beginner tabor pipe, because they tend to have a limited range of notes and thus accessible for a beginner.  I also find them to be pretty tunes, from a period in musical history that I enjoy.

At this point I've been learning the pipe and tabor for only about six weeks, so lots of squeaks and notes out of tune- I have no 'technique' at all yet. It's quite a challenge, especially when paired with a drum- feels like a lot going on at the same time.  But I wanted to put up a beginner level example of where i am so far.  If I get better at it, it'll be fun to look back on this video. 

The pipe here is a 17" long Susato brand plastic low G tabor pipe- my first pipe.  Like pennywhistles, most tabor pipes are in higher keys and are shorter- the commonest being in high D, just as the most common tin/penny whistle is in high D.  The longer the pipe, the further apart the holes are, so it does get a bit harder to make the stretches if you have small hands.  There is what's called the 'piper's grip' for low pipes where you alter your hand position to make it easier.

The 'tabor' is a 9" sized two-sided tabor drum easily found online. It's made to be lightweight so as to hang on the arm.

Tabor pipes have only 3 holes- one is a bottom thumb hole, and two others on top.  Your ring and pinky fingers are then used simply to hold the bottom of the pipe so as not to drop it.  To rise to the next higher notes one after you run out of finger holes (which happens pretty quickly), one uses more air pressure to make the next higher jump for more notes.  

The reason for all this is to be able to play a pipe with only one hand, which allows you to also play a drum (a 'tabor') at the same time with your other hand. This pipe and tabor combo was very common in medieval/renaissance times.  After almost disappearing altogether, the pipe and tabor has been revived somewhat in modern times by English Morris dancers and musicians.

I suspect if you are familiar with playing the pennywhistle you can pick up the tabor pipe without too much trouble.  The tabor pipe being the first woodwind/flute/whistle/pipe instrument I've ever tried, I feel like a real beginner.   =8-*  But I'm definitely having fun!

Very good Lisa you did great! I can't quite tell how many finger holes on the whistle???

Seems that one finger covers a couple holes.

Ok, so today I bowed under pressure and forced myself to record a simple tune I've been working on with my pipe & tabor.  I'm not posting it 'officially' or publicly...it makes me cringe...lol.  But it should show up here in this thread and be watchable when you click it.  If not, let me know.

Squeaks and painful intonation and all... here is Washerwoman's Branle, a dance tune from the 1500s:

Yeah I've been applying some of that there Coordinate Cream on my face every evening, but not sure if it's helping.

I think  blowing Aunt Rhodie on my thumb and patting my belly at the same time would be a piece of cake compared to this tabor pipe/drum stuff.  It's tough!       But I'm still making progress and practicing almost every day.  I never thought that in my 60s I could take up a woodwind instrument at ALL...so I'm pretty pleased that it seems like a do-able thing with enough work if I keep at it. The main thing is that i'm really enjoying the learning process, struggle and all.  

I have no idea why they say that recorders and penny whistles are easy instruments to learn.   Nuts , I say!

Hey Lexie, we are also waiting for some of that "Coordinate".  Please, if you know where I can buy some, please let me know.  Try blowing Aunt Rhodie on your thumb and patting your belly at the same time.   

Terry

PS:  Please let me know how you do.  

2nd PS:  I hope you know I am funnin you...........

Terry and Lisa, we are sitting on the edge waiting for you to  "Coordinate"  this new musical journey.   

I looked up you-tube videos and it is very interesting, have fun!

I am here to report that today is a much better day.  Less stiffness, less pain.  

Strumelia, don't give up on me just yet.  "I'm still here baby!!!"   I can't wait to witness you post a video of you playing pipe and tabor.  That will be the highlight of my day when that day comes, and will probably open the door for others to take up this fantastic combo.

In my humble unlearned opinion, Strumelia, I believe you will be happier with a shorter pipe.  I now prefer wood over plastic.

I'm sad to hear that my pipe&tabor buddy Terry has been experiencing sever arthritis pain in his hands, and thus has to back off quite a bit.  Terry, you admit you were overdoing your practice sessions, so I hope things will improve if you cut back a great deal.  

I've had to skip my pipe/tabor practice on some days, depending on whether my schedule is real busy or not.  But I have to admit I really look forward to my more or less forty minute sessions now, because I'm slowly improving in playing the little simple folk tunes I've pulled together to practice on.  This weekend I dreaded picking it up because I had skipped 3 days in a row, but I was so delighted when I picked it up again to notice that I had slightly improved from my last time, rather than getting worse as I had feared.      Pretty soon I guess i'll make a little informal video demo with mistakes and all, and just post it here rather than publicly...no sense broadcasting my wrong notes to the whole world!  

I am thinking of getting a shorter/higher pipe soon, like Terry has.  My low G pipe is 17" long and thus the finger holes are pretty far apart and it's quite tricky to cover the holes cleanly while stretching my hand.

I'm really enjoying the learning process and struggle...the reward is great when hearing a passage come out prettily, and the drum is a perfect companion accompaniment when playing alone.  It's such a clever instrument pairing- the drum with the one-handed pipe!

I agree.  Beautifil.

Here's my two-sided 9" head Tabor drum.  I used chamois to cover the strap where it hangs over the arm, since the knotted rope is uncomfortable as is.  I also used a bit of chamois to pad the tip of the drumstick so it wouldn't be quite so loud when practicing in the house.      It's a great little drum for the money, very nicely made.  It could also be used for non-tabor music situations and festivities as well.

I got my tabor drum today (so fast!) and yes it is perfect!   Thank you Terry for advising me to get the smaller 9" one...it's just right for me and has a wonderful old tone, though naturally not as deep a tone as Terry's 12" drum.

I padded the end of the stick a little to mellow it when playing in the house.  (!)

It's a quality drum, two sided, and I'd recommend it to anyone wanting a drum for multi purposes.

I'm really excited.... but now my practice sessions become more challenging still... pipe AND tabor simultaneously... yikes!    

Terry says:

I'm here to tell someone out there, if you are a little bored, and seeking a new challenge, another adventure, then Pipe and Tabor might just fill this need.

Agreed...and it's FUN!  -but be forewarned, it's a pretty major learning curve, especially if you've never played a flute or whistle before.  

Lisa, good for you.  And you won't be disappointed.   The sound and the quality is superb.  I will be shocked if you are not happy with your choice. 

I'm here to tell someone out there, if you are a little bored, and seeking a new challenge, another adventure, then Pipe and Tabor might just fill this need.

Well, it was nice of Terry to act as the 'trail blazer' and then advise me concerning the size of drum to order.  I did order the 9" tabor drum and look forward to it coming within a few days.  

It's two sided, and will look like this:

Such restraint!   lolol

Oh yes we do.  I'll give it at least week or so.  

Well, we know what the solution to that dilemma is, then.   

Lisa, while I wish for a 9 inch model, I like the 12 too much to return it.

 Maybe you'd only have to pay 1 way shipping to exchange it for the 9" model?

Today I received a EMS Tabor Drum 12"  with 2 sticks.

The  drum is of excellent quality, and has a wonderful sound.

However, if I had it to do over again, I would choose a 10" drum.  At least to learn on..   I should have considered weight and size to begin with.  It's difficult enough just learning to hold the pipe with one hand.

I'll not be returning the 12".   A little inconvenience might be a good thing.

I am posting this message just in case someone else is out there thinking of diving in.

Lisa, yes, it really is a challenge.  But the idea and possibilities of it all is to much to ignore.  Some things in life just whop you up side your head, and I believe I have been whopped.

Like you Lisa, my plan is to practice a couple of very easy songs, over and over and over  again.  Same method learning dulcimer 4 years ago.

In my humble opinion, I think it will prove more difficult than learning NAF.  Simply because one has to learn to over blow, instead of trying not too.

Wow John, I love it! ...I'm going to claim that as my new credo- it's a great fit for how I like to go through life.   

Terry, it really is a challenge, isn't it?  At this early stage it feels like attempting to pat your head, rub your tummy, and dance a jig all at the same time...impossible!  I'm settling on just four or five  very  simple tunes to play over and over now ...until I stop playing totally wrong notes.   Once I can play them without wrong notes, I'll try adding a very simple drum beat while piping, like maybe only one beat per measure.   

Having never played a recorder, flute or whistle, this really is difficult for me and demands extreme baby steps.  But it's so fun when I manage a little phrase correctly.  The whole purpose of the tabor pipe is to be able to play tunes on a pipe with only one hand , so that you can play percussion (the word tabor means a drum, but you are not restricted to that) with your right hand at the same time.

Yes, one could say a pipe produces a shrill sound,  and it could be said one can hear a mellow sound.

Keys, octaves, pipe, and the skill of the player, determines all of this.

Saying all of this, I really don't know at this point what in the h... I am talking about.  

What I do understand is my new dream of playing Tabor pipe and drum, out in public one day.  I see the possibilities as being fun and everlasting.

Hey Lisa, pretty nice to be out of the closet, huh?

From things I dug up, it looks pretty darn simple to make a tabor pipe.  It's a cylindrical bore.  Half-inch diameter thin-wall PVC is mentioned as a good material, which can be suitably painted/decorated to not look like PVC.

I am a frustrated flute/whistle/recorder/shakuhachi player and there are some funny family stories about my attempts. At least, they think the stories are funny. Oh, well.

But having a new passion, music or otherwise, is always a great thing. Being a beginner is how one stays young. 

I don't think it's any more shrill than a penny whistle, though?

Happily John, my office/practice location is upstairs and my husband's office and the main part of the house is downstairs , so that helps a lot.  He seems to think it's interesting, and he knows I enjoy trying new music explorations periodically.   

The tabor pipe gets more than a full scale on its 3 holes- for example my G pipe goes from the low G up to the next g, and then higher yet to A, B, C, and D.  So I can play it in G, in A minor, and in I think D (or C?) as well if I learn certain 'half-hole' techniques.  But that's getting way ahead of myself.  
Terry was intrigued when i mentioned to him my having just gotten one- then he caught the fever too, poor fellow.  We've been comparing notes on our new pipes for days, before 'going public' with this quirky new adventure.   

I hope you fine people have someplace far away from the house where you can study that tabor pipe! I suspect practicing tabor pipe is grounds for divorce in some states. 

It really is a facinating instrument, though. Even though it only has three holes, by overblowing you can get a full scale. But it is a shrill noise!

Yes I looked at that tradition. It's very cool too! But I am not going to be hauling that thing around in my arms. No way.  Lol

hey, I like drums!

 Wow, Lisa.  Very interesting.

Thank you.

Drums?  Drums!?  We are dulcimer players!  We need DRONES!  Make it a tambourin a cordes ! 

I mean, how cool is this:

I grabbed this photo from this site: http://instrumundo.blogspot.com/2013/04/ttun-ttun-chicoten-tambor-de-cuerdas.html

"At least I know I do."    I do, too.

yep I'm here Terry...in fact typing one-handed with my tabor pipe in the other-  lol

i think you are way ahead of me though since you have flute/whistle experience already-  wind flutes/pipes are totally new to me    =8-o

Terry and I both just received our tabor pipes in the last few days, but neither of us have an actual tabor drum yet.  soon though!

it's a big challenge for sure, but we like challenges- at least i know i do.  

Sounds interesting Terry, I shall look it up. Have fun with it and will look forward to hearing how it goes.

I have a new music interest, called Tabor Pipe and Drum.  I probably don't know enough to even start a thread, as my journey only began in the past week.  I am hoping others, who know of this music, will join in and offer up their experience, opinions and thoughts.

The tabor pipe is a flute with 3 holes, two on top and 1 on the bottom, which is covered and uncovered by the thumb.  

The player holds the pipe with one hand, right or left (left for me), holds the drum with the same arm, and strikes the drum with a drum stick held with the right hand.  

I have already figured out that this presents itself as a real challenge.  However, I am very excited, while apprehensive, about the possibilities.  Searching YouTube, I love the music and the venues.  

I am hoping that Strumelia will join in, as she is the one who initially sparked my interest.  She is certainly a "leg up" on me.

If you would like a look see, just type in Tabor Pipe and Drum YouTube, and you will find many videos.

"A new journey begins."