DIY Folk Musical Instrument

Make your own folk music.

Folk music originated in the Appalachian areas of the United States after the mass migration of Europeans in the early 1800s. Influenced largely by Scottish and Irish traditional songs, the creators of this music often made their own instruments to play because money was short and few commercially built musical implements were available. Instruments were often made from glass jars or animal skins stretched over pots. In modern times, musicians mimic these instruments using more modern materials.

Things You'll Need

• 27 inches of 1/2-inch PVC pipe
• Duct tape
• Saw
• Pennies

Instructions

1. Begin by cutting the 27-inch piece of PVC into six pieces. The first piece should be 7 inches, the second 6 inches, the third 5 inches, the fourth 4 inches, the fifth 3 inches and the last should be only 2 inches long.

2. Place a penny on the bottom of each tube and hold in place with a piece of duct tape. Tape it loosely, but securely across the bottom. The penny will assist the instrument in giving off a more resonating sound because it will vibrate slightly when air is blown into the tube

3. Line your tubes up side by side in descending order touching each other. Make sure they are even at the top. Wrap the tubes together using duct tape. Place a piece close to the top, a piece in the middle and one close to the bottom to assure the tubes are secure.

4. Play your instrument in a way similar to that of a pan flute or jug by blowing across the top of the different tubes to create different sounds.

Tips & Warnings

• You can add more tubes to your instrument to broaden the range of sounds.

• The tape can come loose after a time. Remove old duct tape before adding more to secure the pipes.

References

• Phil Tulga: Building and Playing Panpipes

Resources

• Musical Traditions Internet Magazine: History of Appalacian Music