- Generation 3 Hole Flageolet; D-tuning, brass; with hygienic plastic mouthpiece; is the perfect instrument on which to learn the ancient musical art form of the Tabor pipe. (tabor = drum, pipe = whistle); The English Tabor pipe is a 3-hole whistle which, since the 11th century, has traditionally been used in conjunction with a tabor drum. A single musician would beat the drum with their right hand whilst playing the pipe with the thumb and first two fingers of their left hand. The origins of the Tabor pipe can be traced back to the bone-flutes of pre-history, are found in many different cultures around the world, and come in many different styles. And from the royal courts of the medieval era to Shakespeare s plays to folk customs, this little three-hole pipe has quite a colourful history.