I need to make a Homemade Instrument

[Freshgeardude]

So I was going to try a soda bottle, cut off on the bottom, and blowing into it perpendicular and have a second soda bottle coming from the bottom to change the amount of air in the inside of the bottle, but it isnt practical, and I cant stretch the second bottle to fit smoothly with the first bottle.


so now I am stuck. I cant think of a way to make a simple homemade instrument using normal household items.

it needs to be able to play 8 notes, in an order, from high to low or low to high.

 

[theflyingpig]

The Brazen Bull can be thought of as an instrument. It can produce far more than 8 notes,.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Ghastly (Ghastly's Ghastly Comic) made a "hubjo" stringed instrument out of a hubcap.

Hubjo!

 

[Vegitto]

Really easy, make a guitar. You need a couple of elastics (I don't know the english word for elastic strings) for strings.. Use something flat and long for a neck. Take an empty can or something as an amplifier, just drill a tiny hole in the bottom, pull through a string and make a knot.

 

[SlitheryDee]

8 different sized glasses or 8 glasses filled with varying levels of water will make 8 different tones when struck.

 

[dighn]

Originally posted by: Vegitto
Really easy, make a guitar. You need a couple of elastics (I don't know the english word for elastic strings) for strings.. Use something flat and long for a neck. Take an empty can or something as an amplifier, just drill a tiny hole in the bottom, pull through a string and make a knot.

ditto. can't get easier than using strings.

mount some nails and rubber bands on a cardbox. vary tension/length.

 

[Brainonska511]

Shoebox with a round hole in the top. Wrap 8 different sized rubber bands around it and place a pencil on either side of the hole (towards the edges of the box).

 

[Freshgeardude]

Originally posted by: SlitheryDee
8 different sized glasses or 8 glasses filled with varying levels of water will make 8 different tones when struck.

has to be one device lol dont you think I thought that.


I think ill try the guitar out. was thinking making that while I posted that.

 

[Injury]

Go to goodwill and buy 8 different glasses and a spoon. Tap them one by one on the side and arrange them by the note they play. Glue them to a piece of wood if you have to.

 

[StevenYoo]

Balloon Bass:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkgkp1PCQuE

 

[SlitheryDee]

Originally posted by: freshgeardude

Originally posted by: SlitheryDee
8 different sized glasses or 8 glasses filled with varying levels of water will make 8 different tones when struck.

has to be one device lol dont you think I thought that.


I think ill try the guitar out. was thinking making that while I posted that.

Glue them to a piano?

 

[dighn]

Originally posted by: StevenYoo
Balloon Bass:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkgkp1PCQuE

nice

 

[zeruty]

Make a wood box that will resonate.
Take 8 popsicle sticks and mount them between two other pieces of wood with different lengths of the sticks exposed. The sticks should be over a hole in the wooden box, the sticks should be mounted firmly on the one end (wood holding them nailed together.
then just pluck each stick and each will make a unique note.
I did this when I was in boy scouts a long ass time ago.

 

[Jeff7]

Rubber band or spring + weight = accelerometer.




Edit: Oh, I see now that it needs to be a musical instrument.

 

[theflyingpig]

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Rubber band or spring + weight = accelerometer.

lol. Fail.

 

[dighn]

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Rubber band or spring + weight = accelerometer.

lol

 

[Leros]

http://xkcd.com/324/

 

[Freshgeardude]

Originally posted by: Leros
http://xkcd.com/324/

lul

in the process of hot gluing the rubber bands to make the guitar.

New Balance Guitar ftw

 

[MoPHo]

Make a gravity bong. Take a two liter, cut the bottom off. Take a bucket, fill it with water. As you raise and lower the two liter, simply blow on the opening in the top of the bottle to play said 8 notes.

Then get high.

 

[DrPizza]

Your idea with the 2-liter bottles will work just fine. You'll have to research it just a little bit. Most people don't realize that there are different sizes of 2-liter bottles. I know for fact that one brand will fit perfectly into another brand. Unfortunately for you, I don't know which brands they are. Two of my students did this a couple years ago - I was absolutely amazed that they figured out that one bottle would fit into the other bottle. It's something like Shweppes will fit into Coca-cola. They found the information online.

 

[lxskllr]

Make a penny whistle. I've made some professional quality instruments out of copper tubing and a bit of wood.
http://www.ehhs.cmich.edu/~dhavlena/low-d.htm
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/6611/makewhis.htm

See this page for other ideas
http://dennishavlena.com/

 

[Kalmah]

My first musical instrument I made myself.

Get a large empty tomato can, any type of wood that would form the fretboard of a guitar, fishing line, some type of bolts to fasten the wood to the inside of the can, and some screws or anything else you can think of to wrap the fishing line around that so you can turn to tighten or loosen the strings.

I only made a 2-string guitar this way. Of course you could take it further and figure out the length for proper intonation and fret placement(if you want to put frets on it.. I didn't)

 

[BabaBooey]

toilet paper roll flute

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: StevenYoo
Balloon Bass:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkgkp1PCQuE

Very nice, but no way an average person could make that.

 

[shabby]

Originally posted by: theflyingpig
The Brazen Bull can be thought of as an instrument. It can produce far more than 8 notes,.

Hah, good one.