How To Make Fascinating Handcrafted Musical Instruments Made From Everyday Materials

Using recycled objects to build homemade musical instruments makes environmental sense and reinforces the 3Rs – Reduce-Reuse-Recycle. Below are some creative ways to handcraft musical instruments from everyday materials and all the necessary steps to make one yourself.

Popsicle Stick Piano

In a viral video with over 6.3 million views, Youtuber Mr. Mash demonstrates how to make a thumb piano out of popsicles sticks that sound like a wooden kalimba.

Materials needed:

• Popsicle sticks
• Screws
• A wooden structure

How to:

1. Measure and drill holes (1cm apart) on the wooden structure.
2. Fill the drilled holes with screws, but only half in the hole.
3. Place popsicle sticks in between the screws.
4. Drill the screws down entirely, locking the popsicle sticks in place.
5. Finally, fine-tune each stick.

Hosepipe Horn

Materials needed:

• One garden hose – with a preferable width of 3/4″. If it’s smaller than that, you will need the screw-end “mouthpiece” (the part that connects to the tap) because it can be difficult to blow through small hoses. If you don’t have the screw-in bit, you could cut off the top of a plastic soda or water bottle and tape it to the end of the hose.
• Funnels (or plastic soda/water bottles)
• Duct tape

How to:

1. Cut the hose to about 12ft.
2. Curl up the hose and tape it in place.
3. Attach the mouthpiece.
4. Make the bell using either a funnel, filing down a soda bottle with the bottom cut off, or shaping a folder into a cone. Then, attach it to the non-mouthpiece end of the hose using duct tape.
5. Once complete, buzz your lips inside the mouthpiece; if the hose is long enough, you should be able to get several overblowing tones that sound like a real bugle! It’s important to note that different-sized funnels create different sounds.

In the video below, horn player Martin Lawrence demonstrates how to make a working horn using a hosepipe and a few other household items, including funnels and a sprinkler.

Coca-Cola Trumpet

This instrument is challenging to play. The most crucial step is getting the trumpet sound – learn how to shape your lips to create a buzzing noise. When it’s done right, it can sound very close to a real trumpet!

Materials needed:

• 1 Coke bottle
• 1 box cutter
• Tape

How To:

1. Cut the bottom of the Coke bottle off.
2. Flip that cut end around and tape it back onto the trumpet. You will need to tape it loosely so that air can release from around the edges.
3. Cut or drill three holes in the top of the trumpet near the mouthpiece (the bottle’s opening).
4. Finally, put your fingers over the holes and blow (tightly-lipped) with all you’ve got!

The video below shows an older Mexican man playing a Coca-Cola trumpet like a champion. Although the video has poor quality, you can hear the trumpet playing in action with a mariachi band. According to CBS, this video is not a fake, and the man is seen again playing his Coca-Cola trumpet on the bus and in the park.

Rainmaker

The rainmaker (also called rainstick) is often associated with indigenous cultures. It’s a great addition to the band or on its own, bringing a calming environment to any room. The rainstick is one of the easiest homemade instruments to build and requires few materials. Impressively, it sounds identical to rain, making you feel like you’re in the tropical rainforest.

Materials Needed:

• A long tube-like canister (or 2 Pringles cans)
• One handful of filler material (rice, beans, seeds, or beads)
• Twelve or more small nails
• Duct tape or super glue
• You may need paint or markers, depending on the decoration.

How To:

1. If you do not have a long canister, take two Pringles cans (with the ends cut off), and tape or super glue them together.
2. Poke a dozen or more nails into the Pringles cans one at a time, 1cm apart from each other, until all of the nails are sticking into the can. It is important to note that the more nails you poke into the can and the longer the rain stick body – the better the rain effect will sound.
3.  Fill the canister or Pringles can with a handful of filler material.
4. Close the open ends with stiff cardboard (or a cereal box cut to shape).
5. Finally, you can cover the entire rainmaker with duct tape, paint it, or leave it minimal.

Watch the step-by-step process of building a rainmaker in this tutorial below.

These projects are excellent learning activities for kids or adults who have some extra time on their hands. Whichever instrument you decide to create, enjoy the fun build!

In 2013, Mexican artist Pedro Reyes made instruments not from recycled household items but from recycled guns. Some of the instruments Reyes and his team built include steel guitars made from 9mm semi-automatic handguns, a saxophone made out of a gun barrel, a bass made from a double-barreled shotgun with curved magazines from AK-47 assault rifles, and a marimba made from gun barrels which were cut to different lengths to play a musical scale.