| Classification | |
|---|---|
| Playing range | |
| 1-2 octaves | |
| Related instruments | |
The picco pipe is the smallest form of ducted flue tabor pipe or flute-a-bec.
It is 3½" long, with the windway taking up 1½". It has only three holes: two in front and a dorsal thumb hole. It has the same mouthpiece as a recorder. The bore end hole of the picco Pipe has a small flare, and the lowest notes were played with a finger blocking this end.
The range is from b to c3, using the slight frequency shift between registers to sound a full chromatic scale, like the tabor pipe.[1]
It was popularized in 1856 at Covent Garden in London by a 25-year-old blind Sardinian player.[2]