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Musical Instruments

Noise Makers vs Tuned Instruments
Noise making instruments can be fun, mostly for those who are playing with them! Making a tuned instrument is more of a challenge and the opportunities for playing music provide a much more engaging toy. The thumb piano is probably the easiest stable tuned instrument to make and makes a charming sound.  

Some Musical Instrument Theory
Sound Making Toys (musical instruments) are split into 4 groups depending on how they make a vibration.  The 4 groups are
chordophones , membranophones, 
aerophones and ideophones.  Can you guess what type of instruments each group is? Each type of instrument has different factors affecting pitch and tone.  Making instruments and testing these physical factors is an engaging and rewarding.  No two instruments or people sound exactly the same.  

Chordophones
A stretched string vibrating
example ukulele

Membranophones
A stretched membrane or skin vibrating
example drum

Aerophones
the air vibrating directly
example recorder

Ideophones
A solid material itself vibrates because of its rigidity, it is not stretched.
example bell

Other Useful Jargon
Resonators and Radiators
A radiator is a surface area connected to the primary vibrating object, string, membrane, air or material.  Radiators are used to make the sound louder.  Strings cannot push much air by themselves.  they need to be connected to a larger flexible surface area (radiator, sound board) to make a loud enough sound to be a useful instrument.  

A resonator is a container in which sound waves bounce around and are usually reflected out through a sound hole.  The resonator gives the instruments sound more sustain (longer lasting). The size, shape and rigidity of the resonating container affect the sound.  A guitar has a flexible wood for the soundboard and less flexible wood for the back and sides so they do not absorb the vibration.  

Harmonics
The tone of an instrument is created by many frequencies (cycles per second, Hertz) of sound waves all making sound at the same time.  If the frequencies have no harmonic relationship (1/2, 1/3, 1/5 etc of the main frequency) the sound will have no pattern and sound like an unpitched noise.  A single frequency with no harmonics will sound colourless.  A good musical instrument will play a number of related frequencies or Harmonics and have a tone that sounds distinct and pleasant to the ear.

Links to instrument information
Maori Musical instruments


homemade Banjo man


Bart Hopkins book Musical Instrument Design is a treasure trove of information for those who want to take this hobbie to the next level.  Here is the page on his website where you can see and hear Bart Hopkins musical inventions
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Crazy Kazoo (class project)
Difficulty to Make
Basic Kazoo 
6+ years old,
Crazy Kazoo capable 8+ years old
Kazoos are a toy children love. I have experimented with various materials for mirlitons (the membrane that buzzes), different mirliton hole sizes. Kazoo body materials,  length and width of kazoo bodies, distance from mouth to mirliton, and so on. But there is always more to learn!  

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Balloon Drum (class project)
Difficulty to Make: capable 8+ year old
The hypnotic rthyms of a balloon drum are enticing.  A very simple drum to make and surprisingly loud for its size.  When the balloons wear out, just put on some fresh ones. 

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Slide Whistle (class project)
Difficulty to Make: capable 9+ years old
A fun instrument you can play a recognizable tune on... well almost.  Children get a real sense of achievement when it makes a whistle for the first time.

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Thumb Piano (class project)
Difficulty to make: capable 9+ Years old
Thumb pianos, Kalimbas, Mbiras, Sansas, a beautiful sounding instrument with any name.  It can be made from a variety of different materials and is a joy to experiment with as they will all make a different tone.  As the wire tines are a very strong driver of vibration, it is fun to play this instrument against different surfaces, a wall, a table, a window! And hear the vibration continue through the connected surfaces.

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Banjolele (under construction)

Tube Drums
(under construction)
The tight stretch of the drum skin is easily created by using PET plastic from a fizzy drink bottle.  When it is heated  it shrinks and becomes a very resonant drum skin.
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Other Musical Instrument Experiments
AnDrew Wills
umaketoys@gmail.com
021 0454955
All images, video and documents on this website are my own. If you would like to republish any photos please cite their origin. Of course individuals are allowed to use my PDF Documents but they are not to be republished without my permission thankyou.