by Jon Madin

Introduction This is an idea and instruction book for making a variety of simple musical instruments and sound making devices. The distinction between sound and music is not always clear, nor does it matter. 'Interesting' sounds are the priority. Most of the ideas presented here have an element of originality. I have tried to refrain from direct copying but some of the instruments are clearly adaptations of existing ones. For example drums, thunder sheets and the dancing poles are included with suggestions for materials and dimensions that have worked well for me. For a number of the instruments, in particular the 'boing pipes' (1994) and J-pipes (1995) 1 know of no previous version. With few exceptions, the instruments described here are not particularly loud. Playing soft instruments, lots of people can be involved. The sound texture produced is very different to the small group / loud instruments approach. A bonus is that singing and chanting works well with j-pipes, boing pipes and the softer drums. In the field of home made instruments ideas tend to go round and round with no one knowing exactly where they came from. Here are a few ideas that come from a shed in Herne Hill.

Contents

Introduction Tools Chromatic Tuners Where to obtain materials Degree of difficulty in making these instruments J-Pipes Big Singles Beaters for J-pipes Mini J-pipes Boing Pipes Variations Fitting the floating cap Beaters Big Single Boing Pipes Bass Multiboing Triple Boings Miniboings and Aggyboings Miniboings Aggyboings Aggy Bongos Waterboing and Water Tromboing Music for Boing Pipes Street Parade Band Parade Instruments Street Parade Music Drums Coffee Pipes Stretched Vinyl Pipe Drum Variation: Two Tone Drum Sixty Litre Blue Plastic Barrel Tripod Drum Thirty Litre Blue Plastic Barrel Parade Drums Sieve and Flax Drum Drums with springs and wire attached Rubber Glove Instruments Flubber Pipes Rubber Glove Hooter

Cone Instruments Cone Kazoos Chookaphone Cone Horns Aluminium Tube Instruments Single Dingers Ladderglock Parade Dinger Whirly Dinger Dingboxes Aggy Pipe Instruments Shaker Rings Aggy Rain Stick Aggyguiros Metal Instruments Nail Bells Triangles Thunder Sheets Zingers and Clangers Washerphone Comb and Cup Scraper Floatwhacker Rubber Band Whizzer Rubber Band Plucker Cassettanets, Cassettaraccas, Spinal Tapes Old Record Whoosher Stubbyblower Double Clinkaphone Clackerslap Thai Dancing Poles Heath Robinson Instruments Profile Herringbone-a-phone

Jon Madin Jon has worked in many areas associated with music playing, teaching, folkdance and instrument making. He has led workshops at kindergarten, all kinds of schools, tertiary institutions, and at many festivals. He began making marimbas in 1990 after being introduced to the idea by Andy Rigby. Large versions of the marimbas were immediately popular with the junior secondary students, likewise with primary age children. When you have a shed full of bits and pieces of pipe, dowel, wood, etc., the temptation to experiment with sound possibilities is hard to resist. This book is the result.

Seriously blowing Flubber Pipes