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Your First Notes

This document provides instructions for playing basic notes on a wooden pipe and introduces taboring (drumming) techniques. It instructs the reader to play low and high G by adjusting air pressure with all finger holes open. Then to play low and high F# with the thumb hole covered. Finally, to play low and high E and D by covering additional finger holes. It notes that the lower quiet notes are unnecessary and to focus on the higher notes D through G. It introduces how to play A and B and get used to changing breath pressure. The document concludes by emphasizing the importance of practicing taboring techniques like tapping different rhythms while playing tunes.

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Angel Fernando Duarte Novoa
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37 views3 pages

Your First Notes

This document provides instructions for playing basic notes on a wooden pipe and introduces taboring (drumming) techniques. It instructs the reader to play low and high G by adjusting air pressure with all finger holes open. Then to play low and high F# with the thumb hole covered. Finally, to play low and high E and D by covering additional finger holes. It notes that the lower quiet notes are unnecessary and to focus on the higher notes D through G. It introduces how to play A and B and get used to changing breath pressure. The document concludes by emphasizing the importance of practicing taboring techniques like tapping different rhythms while playing tunes.

Uploaded by

Angel Fernando Duarte Novoa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Your first note!

Holding the pipe as below and leaving all 3 finger holes open, blow very gently into the pipe.
You should hear a quiet note. This is a G.
Now blow a little harder until you have a higher
note which is also G. There are higher notes to
play here, but concentrate on adjusting your air
pressure just enough to achieve a low G and a
high G. Play them several times.

Now cover the thumb-hole and blow very gently for a low F# and harder for a high F#.

When you’ve got the hang of this, cover the thumb-hole and the top hole (index finger) and
you should find low and high E.

-1-
Finally cover all 3 holes and find low and high D.

(Hint – if any note is not sounding clearly, make sure your fingers are covering the holes
completely, as even a small leak prevents a clear note) You can cover the holes with the
first joint of your fingers or in a flat fashion using the first and second joints of your
fingers.
“But”, you say, “this is 8 notes and I’m only supposed to be playing 6!” Well, the bad news
is that the 4 lower notes are so quiet that they are never used! You can forget them
straight away and concentrate on hitting those 4 higher notes D, E, F# and G. Play them up
and down until you’re familiar with the sound and feel of them.
To add notes 5 and 6, play D (all holes covered) and increase your breath pressure till you
hear a note which should be A, a tone higher than the G you’ve been playing. From A, lift
off your middle finger and you should get B.
Now you have achieved 6 notes of the scale, from D to B. You have to get used to changing
your breath pressure, and to finding different notes with the same fingering. It will become
easier and automatic!

Taboring
Don’t be tempted to play the 3-hole pipe and ignore the taboring, or you might as well just
play an ordinary 6-hole whistle. If you haven’t yet acquired a tabor, a wooden spoon on the
back of a chair makes a good substitute. It will feel strange and confusing at first, but with a
bit of perseverance the technique gets easier.
The tabor stick should be held loosely but firmly so that it can move in your hand as it
bounces off the skin of the tabor.
At first, play the 6 notes up and down, tapping the tabor once with each note. Then try
varying your taboring – tap twice to each note or once on every second note etc.
-2-
When you’re ready to try taboring and playing a tune together, try beating just the first beat
of each bar. This will help you emphasise the most important beats in the tune and make it
easier to add the lighter beats later. As you do this, you will probably find that the tune
collapses! Don’t worry; even the best player was once a beginner and struggled getting
tune and taboring together!

-3-

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