Slap Tubes and Other Plosive Aerophones

They can be simple to make, yet they are fully musical and they sound great. This is the category of musical instruments technically known as plosive aerophones. This book, along with its included audio CD, tells you everything you need to know about making make them, with plans for ready-to-build designs as well as the information you need to design your own. Included are the end-struck tubes sometimes called slap tubes, udu-style hand-percussion instruments, various sorts of side-struck tubes, and many other instrument types. These instruments are good for kids, requiring only modest tools and skills and having real educational value. For others, young or old, they provide one of the most rewarding instrument-making projects you re likely to find. At the same time, slap tubes and their kin have been central to the performances of serious, top-notch musical groups like Blue Man Group, UAKTE, Urban Strawberry Lunch and From Scratch. Contents of the book -- Chapter 1: Introduction. A description of the different sorts of plosives followed by a discussion of their history and use in different parts of the world. Chapter 2: Preliminaries and Plans. A minimum amount of necessary technical information to get started, followed by instrument plans for eight diverse sorts of plosive aerophones, ranging in difficulty from very simple to not-too-complex. Chapter 3: Tuning and Construction. Complete technical and practical information. This is the information that will allow you to create plosive instruments of your own design. Chapter 4: More Plosive Possibilities. A wide-ranging look at plosives in every shape and form, offering a wellspring of inspiration for instrumen-making. The CD: Sound examples from the many instruments discussed, plus performances by From Scratch and Urban Strawberry Lunch.