Pipe (instrument) Pipe (instrument) A pipe is a tubular wind instrument in general, or various specific wind instruments. The word is an onomatopoeia, and comes from the tone which can resemble that of a bird chirping. Fipple flutes are found in many cultures around the world. Often with six holes, the shepherd's pipe is a common pastoral image. Shepherds often piped both to soothe the sheep and to amuse themselves. Modern manufactured six-hole folk pipes are referred to as pennywhistle or tin whistle. The recorder is a form of pipe, often used as a rudimentary instructional musical instrument at schools, but so
Tin whistle been seen in many forms and cultures throughout the world. In Europe such instruments have a long and distinguished history and take various forms; most widely known of these are the recorder, tin whistle, Flabiol, Txistu and tabor pipe. Almost all primitive cultures had a type of fipple flute and is most likely the first pitched flute type instrument in existence. A possible Neanderthal fipple flute from Slovenia , according to some scientists, dates from 81,000-53,000 BC, a German flute from 35,000 years ago, and flute made from sheep's bone in West Yorkshire dating to the Iron Age. Written sources