Amateur night at the symphony: clank, rattle and thump

September 5, 2006 2:20 PM

Cheap, noisy and fun: Help me to build/make/collect dozens of inexpensive, whimsical musical instuments.

I am looking for ideas and suggestions for fun musical instruments which can be made at home or purchased inexpensively. They should be easy to play as the people playing them will have little to no musical experience and preferably the instruments would be untuned (i.e. percussion) since I won't be able to train the musicians. The key characteristics I'm looking for are: fun, whimsical and boisterous. Bonus points for cleverness, uniqueness, and ease of use.

Some examples: Kazoo, guiro, plastic easter-egg shakers, bottlecaps/washers nailed to a stick, washboard.

I'm also looking for suggestions of more traditional percussion that can be picked up easily by the untrained, like woodblocks, claves, or cowbell; particularly shops/websites where I can find such things at bargain prices.

Thank you, O Great Hive Mind.

posted by leapfrog to media & arts (21 comments total)

Castanets: a moment to learn, a lifetime to master.

Also, everyone likes to play finger-cymbals.
posted by hermitosis at 2:22 PM on September 5, 2006

Empty water-cooler bottles = instant drums!
posted by hermitosis at 2:23 PM on September 5, 2006

My 6-year-old took an empty carton of Florida Gold OJ and put some pebbles and small rocks in it. Voila! Noise!
posted by neilkod at 2:25 PM on September 5, 2006

I made several wooden kazoos (like these) a few years ago. I can't remember where I found the plans, though.
posted by MrMoonPie at 2:35 PM on September 5, 2006

If you can do some research on Frank Pahl, you might find some inspiration.
posted by occhiblu at 2:37 PM on September 5, 2006

No amateur jug band is complete without a washtub bass.
posted by paulsc at 2:46 PM on September 5, 2006

This site has many instructions for homemade instruments, many of which sound like they'll be not exactly what you're looking for, but you may find something that fits your criteria.
posted by wsg at 3:18 PM on September 5, 2006

You need to talk with an elementary school music teacher. My mother had shelves and shelves of stuff like this, most of which she made.

You can beat on just about anything, with a hand, a stick or a plastic soda bottle. Put dried beans, pennies, marbles or other hard things inside a container (empty plastic peanut butter jar, oatmeal tube, etc.), then hit or shake it. Make a xylophone out of different sizes of PVC pipe. Blow across the top of a bottle (tone will change depending on amount of liquid inside).
posted by QIbHom at 3:55 PM on September 5, 2006

The Havlena site is great. I even ordered his cd. Check out this book as well:

Cool Cardboard Instruments to Make & Play by Dennis Waring

posted by mecran01 at 3:55 PM on September 5, 2006

How to build a cigar box guitar
posted by hydrophonic at 4:08 PM on September 5, 2006

Find foreign coins with holes. String together. Make several strings. Put on belt. Shake hips. Music!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 4:15 PM on September 5, 2006 [1 favorite]

Tube Kazoo

Materials: One toilet tissue cardboard tube, piece of wax paper, one rubber band, one pencil

Cut the wax paper larger than the end of the tube.
Attach the wax paper to one end of the tube with the rubber band.
With a sharpened pencil, make a hole on one side of the tube a few inches down from the wax paper.
To play the kazoo, place the open end of the tube over your mouth, and hum.

Comb Kazoo

Materials: One comb, wax paper

Fold a piece of wax paper over the comb.
To play the comb kazoo, place your dry lips lightly against the wax paper and say "doooooo" in a high pitch.
posted by wryly at 4:30 PM on September 5, 2006

Bullroarers are easy enough to make, not too hard to play, and make a godawful tasty racket.

The whirligig is a variant on the bullroarer. It's tuned, but it's not melodic and the performer doesn't control the pitch — basically it gives you a four-note drone instead of the single note you get out of a bullroarer. It's also even easier to play, since you don't need to make it "tumble" through the air in a certain way. You just swing it around and the rubber bands vibrate in the wind.
posted by nebulawindphone at 4:56 PM on September 5, 2006

Pots and pans? Cheap simple electronic gadgets?

Also, I've seen quite a few books on this topic at my local plibrary, many in the childrens section, the majority of them dating to the '50s socializing boom or the '70s craft/diy boom, and nearly all of those with cool funny pictures. If you get a chance, pop in and browse the 780s, 784 especially.
posted by box at 5:02 PM on September 5, 2006 [1 favorite]

I've picked up panpipes, a bamboo flute and an ocarina from hippy craft markets, for under $15 each. If you have these gatherings in your area, go check them out because instruments are common finds. They might not fit your criteria for being percussion, but I can confirm that they aren't "tuned" to any notes I've heard before.

Other options: clap sticks are good. You just need two bits of quite dense, hard wood, polished up a bit. A very interesting, trombone-like digeridoo can also be made from two lengths of vacuum cleaner tube that slide within each other.
posted by Jimbob at 5:08 PM on September 5, 2006

Actually, come to think of it, I've seen very cheap little plastic ocarinas in my local musical instrument store.
posted by Jimbob at 5:09 PM on September 5, 2006

If you can find a few, toy pianos can be hella fun as ensemble instruments for adults, too.
posted by paulsc at 5:19 PM on September 5, 2006

Surely you must have a hosaphone.

What's that? You don't?

WHY NOT?

(A pedantic side note: claves aren't actually all that easy to play. First, there's the complicated way you hold them, where you have to make an echo chamber out of your left hand. Second, there's the "clave" pattern that they usually play, which can be tricky for rhythmic novices).
posted by rossination at 5:25 PM on September 5, 2006

cardboard tube, put in lots of nails, then add beans, recap the ends, and you have a rainstick.
posted by theora55 at 7:14 PM on September 5, 2006 [1 favorite]

Good ideas all around. I probably won't be able to use ocarinas, pan flutes, cigar box guitars, washtub bass, or most of dhalvena's website because I'll be wrangling somewhere around seventy people with next to no musical experience trying to play along with a few specific songs while singing. And since this particular noise orchestra will only be assembled for about three days (and doing a lot of other things besides training the noise orchestra), I don't have time to teach anyone how to play any particular instrument.

Still, it looks like I need some PVC. Also, some washers. (Pink, they are a lot easier to find than coins with holes, but don't expect to see me doing any belly dancing. Ever. Very few people want to see a big hairy dude shaking like that.)

QIbHom: I was hoping that a few elementary school music teachers might lurk the green and have some ideas. It turns out they're a dying breed these days.

rossination: Yes, I am aware of the complexity of three-over-two rhythm. Claves are tricky to play properly, but rather intuitive to beat together poorly. Do you have a treatise on proper use of the Vibraslap as well? <!-- good natured sarcasm>

Thanks all! Keep 'em coming!
posted by leapfrog at 6:29 AM on September 6, 2006

Yes, leapfrog, elementary school music teachers are a dying breed. My mother was pink slipped every year for over 20 years.

But, you could still try calling your local elementary school. Most teachers are nearly as pathological about helping folks as library staff.
posted by QIbHom at 9:53 AM on September 6, 2006 [1 favorite]