General Discussions

**andrei155** · 01-04-2009, 02:09 PM

Alright, so I have my physics CAT (Culminating Activity) due in just a few days. We're supposed to make a homemade instrument (wind or string). It has to play at least 5 notes, and it has to be tuned to correspond with actual notes. Also, we can't use or modify any commercially available instruments.

I've tried to make a flute out of bamboo - but I'd have to say it's impossible. I found this guide that I've been following - and either I've used the wrong kind of bamboo, or it's too fat or something. It won't even make a noise, it sounds like i'm blowing into a tube.

I dropped the bamboo, searched for some other tutorials online, and found one requiring PVC pipes for the flutes. I looked them up at homedepot.ca - and it doesn't look like they have anything like that.

Now, I'm considering creating some kind of cigar-box guitar or shoebox guitar. I don't know.

**Aadriyah** · 01-04-2009, 06:57 PM

We have many bamboo flutes here if you want to buy lol. The teacher won't suspect that you bought it coz you can buy one without decorations (plain normal) you just fix it as yours

Okay seriously buddy if that won't help, hmm can you use reed? err. can't help much sorry.

**stevej** · 01-04-2009, 07:01 PM

http://www.balloonbass.com/

This thing can do all kinds of stuff!

- Steve

**jv17** · 01-04-2009, 07:44 PM

making a cigar box guitar would be hard but unique

**andrei155** · 10:53 PM

Well, after posting the thread, and talking to my dad a bit - I convinced him to drive up to Home Depot with me and assemble some parts. We bought some PVC and I finally managed to make that flute!

Now, I don't know if that's all I want to do. It seemed easy ... a bit too easy. Maybe I'll attempt that cigar box guitar as well - or at least a shoebox one.

Here is my flute:

and

Here is where you play it from:

It's rather like a recorder, you play it from one end. Actually I'm not quite sure if it's even a flute! The tutorial called it a flute, and that it's used among aboriginals. The sound it makes actually does sound like it too - now that I think about it.

This is how it works:

Anyways, like I said - I don't know if I'm quite done yet. If anyone has an idea of a 5 note instrument, I could attempt to create from home (without commercial products) please drop a post in this thread!\

Time to decorate, and maybe tune this sucker. Does anyone know how to tune a flute?