How to Make a Thunder Tube

Thunder tubes make a variety of sounds by transmitting the vibrations of the spring through the head of the tube. They can be used along with rain sticks and hand drums to add body to American Indian music. Rain sticks were believed to have sympathetic magic that could call down rain in times of drought. The sticks were shaken and twisted, just like the thunder tube, to produce storm sounds. Accompanied by drumming and flutes, villagers would begin a shuffling, stomping dance, dipping and twirling like dry leaves being driven by a summer thunderstorm.

Thunder tubes can be made from a hollow tree branch, partially filled with gravel, bits of bone, or other small items, then capped at one end with a skin head. Our version is made with a paper towel tube and capped with a balloon.

Things You'll Need

• Long spring coil such as a wire notebook spring
• Paper towel tube
• Balloon
• Aluminum pie pan
• Shirt cardboard
• Acrylic paint
• Brushes
• Tin snips
• Heavy work gloves
• Newspaper strips
• White glue thinned with water

Instructions

1. Wearing heavy work gloves to protect your hands, use tin snips to cut the aluminum pie pan into quarter-sized pieces. set aside. Pull a balloon tightly over one end of a paper towel tube.

2. Poke a pinhole in the center of a circle of a shirt cardboard that has been cut to the same diameter as the paper towel tube. Insert the spring through the hole.

3. Fill the tube halfway with the aluminum pieces you cut in step one. Glue the spring-loaded cardboard circle to the end of the tube. Wrap the end of the tube with newspaper strips dipped in thinned while glue to ensure that the cardboard lid will not come off. Allow to dry overnight.

4. Hold thunder tube in one hand with the spring hanging down. Rock the tube so that the spring twirls and spins. It will transfer vibrations to the balloon head and through the aluminum pieces.

5. Form a drum circle with hand drums, rain sticks, flutes and other American Indian or tribal instruments. Dance around a bonfire. enjoy the music and kinship.

Resources

• American Indian Instruments
• Video: Thunder Tube