THE PIPE XYLOPHONE

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When the glue has set, nestle each section of conduit in its own cradle . . . making certain that it protrudes an equal distance at each end. This will assure that it rings with the clearest possible sound when it's struck.

MALLETS

Now, all you need is a pair of mallets to make your xylophone sing! The possibilities here are virtually unlimited, and each kind of striker will give the instrument a slightly different tone. To achieve a sweet muted sound, simply use rubber vibraphone mallets purchased from a music store. Wooden drawer knobs attached to foot-long pieces of 3/8" dowel, or even tinkertoy wheels and sticks, will produce louder tones ... but if the youngsters get too boisterous, you can always muffle the noise by stretching a wide rubber band around the head of each mallet. The idea is to unleash your imagination, and experiment with whatever happens to be readily available. (The model shown here uses chopsticks, inserted—and glued—into large wooden macrame beads! )

Once you and your young ones give it a try, I'm sure you'll find that playing the pipe xylophone is easy and enjoyable. Thanks to its simplicity, this homegrown instrument is perfect for improvisation and creative harmonizing. You don't need an instruction book or a teacher, either . . . just pick up the mallets—or hand them to an eager young tunesmith—and sound out some ear-pleasing melodies!

How To Pitch Your Pipes

The portion in bold is the basic octave, G major scale

Note     Inches

sol 5        11 ¾

la 6          11 3/32

ti 7           10 7/16

do 1          10 1/8

re 2           9 9/16

mi 3          9 1/16

fa 4           8 ¾

sol 5          8 7/32

la 6            7 13/16

ti 7            7 ¼

do 1           7 1/16

re 2            6 5/8

mi 3           6 7/32

EDITOR'S NOTE: Now that your musical muse has been awakened, you may want to try your hand at some other homemade instruments. You can find out how to add to your family orchestra in Simple Folk Instruments to Make and to Play by Ilene Hunter and Marilyn Judson.

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