Arts >> Music >> Orchestras

How to Make Percussion Instruments

For casual percussionists, nearly any location is a musical treasure trove. Around your house, there are innumerable objects that can be drummed on or easily turned into percussion instruments with a little imagination. Explore the different tones you can get out of everyday objects, then try making some more ambitious instruments.

Things You'll Need

  • Film canisters Medicine bottles Spoons Pots and pans Other kitchen utensils Drum sticks Sapling Plywood Knife Guitar string Hammer Nails Wooden bowl Glue Saw
Show More

Instructions

  1. Ready-made or Minimal Preparation

    • 1

      Take several film canisters, empty medicine bottles or other small containers. Fill them up with sand for a soft sound, or with rocks or pennies for a harsher, sharper sound. You now have shakers.

    • 2

      Gather together water bottles, wooden boxes, and pots and pans. Drum on them with your hands, kitchen tools or drum sticks. Hit them in different spots to get different tones.

    • 3

      Hold a spoon between your index and middle finger and another between your fourth and fifth finger so that they are facing bowl-to-bowl. Knock them against your legs, hands or nearby objects to click them together. Follow the link below for more info on playing the spoons.

    • 4

      Learn hambone. Drum your hands against your legs, chest and mouth to get different tones.

    Musical Bow

    • 5

      Get a flexible stick. You can use a thin piece of plywood, a springy sapling or anything else you can easily bend.

    • 6

      Cut notches about 4 inches from each end of the bow to tie the strings into.

    • 7

      Glue or nail a wooden bowl to the end of the stick. It should be past the notch.

    • 8

      Tie a guitar string securely to the notch in front of the wood. Bend the bow and tie it around the second notch so that the bow bends.

    • 9

      To play the bow, hold a rock against the string with one hand and a small stick in the other. Hit the string with the stick to make a tone and slide the rock up and down to change the pitch.

Orchestras

Related Categories