How to Make a Percussion Instrument With Hangers

Chimes are often made from metal or wooden objects.

Musical percussion has been around for thousands of years. Striking, scraping and shaking are the methods of playing percussion instruments. You can make your own percussion instrument by using a clothes hanger and some other basic supplies. By combining these supplies in a certain manner, you can make a musical chime. This project provides a way to express creativity and to learn about the scientific principles involved in the production of sound.

Things You'll Need

• Fishing line
• Scissors
• Bells, washers or keys

Instructions

1. Cut 10 pieces of fishing line. Cut the first two pieces to a length of about 5 inches. Make the next two segments 5.5 inches long. Cut the next two pieces 6 inches long. Make segments seven and eight about 6.5 inches long and segments nine and ten about 7 inches long.

2. Tie a metal washer, key or small bell to the end of each piece of fishing line.

3. Tie the other ends of the fishing line to the straight bar on the hanger. Keep the line segments in order according to their lengths.

4. Brush across all of the metal objects with your hand, moving from left to right or right to left. This will create a chime sound.

5. Hang the hanger in an area that receives a breeze in order to hear the objects chiming periodically.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use more than 10 pieces of line if you like. Just make sure that the metal object at the end of each line segment has at least one other object at approximately the same length so that they will hit each other to produce the chiming sound.

References

• Music at Virginia Tech: Percussion Instruments
• Disney Family Fun: Musical Stars and Stripes