Arts >> Music >> Music Basics

How to Play Water Glasses

If you are looking for an enjoyable and simple project for kids to create, try making music from water glasses. This activity is an easy way to teach about the science of sound, including concepts like pitch, frequency and vibration. Best of all, this activity doesn't require expensive equipment. You probably already have everything you need for this project right at home.

Things You'll Need

  • Glasses
  • Water
  • Spoon
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Arrange a series of three glasses on a flat surface. Use glasses of the same size and shape and place them in a row.

    • 2

      Fill the first glass with only an inch or two of water.

    • 3

      Fill each successive glass with a little more water than the glass before it.

    • 4

      Tap each glass with a spoon to hear the pitches produced. The less water in a glass, the lower the pitch, and the more water in a glass, the higher the pitch will be.

    • 5

      Experiment with adding and pouring out small amounts of water until you can create three successive notes of the scale. If you successfully do this, you should be able to play a simple song such as "Hot Cross Buns." If you label the most empty glass "low," the glass with the medium level of water "med," and the fullest glass, "hi," you can play the song as follows:

      HI--MED--LOW

      HI--MED--LOW

      LOW-LOW-LOW-LOW

      MED-MED-MED-MED

      HI-MED-LOW

Music Basics

Related Categories