The In Harmony With Education Program - Bose

Black Line Masters for the 

MENC: The National Association for Music Education 

The In Harmony With Education ® 

Program 

In this packet, you will find five masters, labeled with letters a-e, to be duplicated for use 

as you teach the lessons outlined in the In Harmony With Education ® 

program Teacher’s 

Guide. 

The remaining, numbered masters can be duplicated by you or your students as a source 

of ideas for the task of building musical instruments. These masters are not, however, the only 

possibilities that you or your students should explore. They are included here because they are 

instruments that are: 

• relatively inexpensive (most of the parts can be purchased at either a hardware store or, 

in the case of strings for some instruments, at a neighborhood music store). 

• likely to work well together. 

• well-suited to teaching important aspects of the production of musical sound. 

Your students may elect to make instruments that are much simpler than those described 

here. If limited by time or resources, for example, students may produce: 

• an Indian jaltarang, a percussion instrument consisting of a series of bowls tuned by the 

level of water in each bowl. 

• a zither consisting of a series of rubber bands stretched over a resonant cavity (large 

Styrofoam cups work well). 

• percussion instruments such as spoons (clappers) or shakers—or even an “instrument of 

defined body-percussion methods. 

Whenever students produce instruments with definite pitch, you will want to make certain 

that the pitches used will work in the context of the In Harmony With Education program. 

This means that the instruments should produce pitches from the pentatonic scale, G, 

A, B, D, E. (Note that some of the instruments defined in the Black Line Masters produce a 

plagal version of this scale, D, E, G, A, B). Whatever the students’ approach, you should 

encourage them to think through the cultural background of their instruments, the best musical 

uses of their instruments, and the scientific implications of the ways that they can use 

their instruments to control sound. The printed black line masters have notes on these 

aspects; the blank master gives students a place to spell out this information, as well. 

You should ask that all students submit plans for their instruments before making them. 

This will give you the chance to make certain that the students are thinking logically about 

the dimensions of sound to be controlled and the musical effects to be gained. It will also help 

parents who are involved enough to accompany the students on trips to buy (inexpensive) 

supplies—because the Black Line Masters used in planning contain parts lists. 

Finally, you should demand that students follow all appropriate safety procedures when 

making their instruments. Insist that students adhere strictly to all manufacturers’ instructions 

regarding ventilation for adhesives and safety glasses or other items for tools—and insist that 

they use common sense in their work.

1 

On the plywood, mark out 

an arc by using a compass set 

to 5" (or do it freehand). 

Tune the instrument: 

raise the pitch of any 

nail by hammering it in; 

lower the pitch by carefully 

pulling out a little 

with the hammer's claws. 

Tune to: D, E, G, A, B 

Making a Nail Violin/Nail Piano 


3 

12d 

MASTER #1 

2 

Starting 1" from the edge 

of the wood, pound in 

nails every 1-1/2" along 

the arc–putting the 

largest nails at the top 

and the smallest at the 

bottom. Don’t hammer 

them too deep. 

12d 12d 

10d 

8d

Materials 

❑ piece of 1/2" plywood, 12" x 6" or 

larger 

❑ 5 nails: 3 12d, 1 10d, 1 8d 

❑ violin or cello bow, or general 

instrument bow (see Master #2) 

Playing the Nail Violin 

Hold it in your left hand, with the arc of 

nails facing in front of you and the bottom 

resting on your left knee. Then, either: 

• bow the nails near the nail heads, or 

• strike the nails with a stick near the 

board 

The Nail Violin in 

Science and Culture 

The first nail violin that 

we know of was invented in 

1740 by a German violinist, 

Johann Wilde. The nails 

vibrate in much the same 

way as the bars on the xylophone 

and, like the xylophone 

bars, will give a pitch 

that gets progressively lower 

as the nails get longer and 

heavier. That is why the nail 

violin can be tuned by 

pounding the nails more to 

make them higher in pitch. 

[Note that, just as you can 

strike the nails on a nail violin, 

you can bow the bars of a 

xylophone or metallophone.]

4 

1 

5 

Run the strings 

over the rosin 

until they are well 

coated. 

Notch each end 

so that the notches 

go about 1/8" into 

the wood. 

Making a Multi-Purpose Bow 


Tie the other end 

around the stick about 

1/2" short of the lower 

notches. Then, slide 

the knot down (bending 

the stick as you do 

so) and pull tight. 

24" 

3 

MASTER #2 

2 

Run a loop of dental floss to a chair 

about 30" away from you, back to 

your hand, and back to the chair— 

until you have a pretty good size 

bundle. 

Tie one end of 

the bundle off 

to the upper 

notches and 

pull tight.

Materials 

❑ 1 flexible wood lath, about 1/4" x 

1/2", or 1/4" diameter dowel, about 

24" long (in a pinch, a relatively 

straight stick from a tree will do) 

❑ 1 roll unwaxed dental floss 

❑ 1 cake violin, cello, or bass rosin 

Tools 

❑ knife 

Playing with the Bow 

Grab the stick at the lower end (traditionally, 

with the right hand), and insert the 

ring and middle fingers between the stick 

and the fibers. Using those fingers, hold the 

fibers away from the stick and run them 

over the string to make it vibrate. 

The Bow in Science and 

Culture 

Bows for stringed instruments 

are used by cultures 

throughout the world—the 

European viol and violin families, 

the Arabic rebab, the 

Chinese er hu, to name a few. 

In playing with any bow, a 

musician needs to be able to 

control the tightness of the 

bow fibers. On modern violin 

bows, this is done with a screw 

mechanism; on many other 

bows, this tightness is regulated 

with the thumb. 

On many bows, the fiber 

that is rubbed across the strings 

of an instrument are made 

from animal hairs—the best 

known being the long hairs 

from the tails of horses. When 

the bow is rubbed across the 

string, friction helps it pull the 

string to one side. When the 

elastic force of the string (the 

way the string “wants” to go 

back to being straight) gets 

strong enough, it springs back. 

If the bow is still moving, it 

pulls it to the side again; it 

springs back again; and so on, 

over and over—many times a 

second. 

Rosin (made from the sap of 

certain trees) is rubbed on the 

bow hairs to add to the friction 

that makes the bow work.

1 Make an acute diagonal 

cut in one end of the 

1/2" diameter pipe with 

the hacksaw. 

6 

Insert into the 

13/16" pipe. 

Tape the reed in place 

so that its tip is just 

even with the top of 

the pipe; the flat side 

should be against the 

pipe. 

Making a Slide Clarinet 


5 

11" 

1 

2 

;;;;; 

;;;;; 

;;;;; 

4 

Roll the O-rings 

into place 

between the 

bands of tape, 

and coat with 

Vaseline. 

2 

MASTER #3 

Holding the sandpaper 

flat on the 

table, round off the 

diagonal cut so that 

it is convex. 

3 

On the other end of the 

pipe, wrap two bands of 

electrician’s tape about five 

or six layers deep, leaving 

about 1/4" free space 

between them. 

4 O- 

3

Materials 

❑ 1 piece 1/2" inside diameter PVC pipe, 

13" long 

❑ 1 piece 13/16" inside diameter PVC 

pipe, 11" long 

❑ 1 roll electrician’s (black) tape 

❑ 2 rubber O-rings ( 3/4 x 9/16 x 

3/32); you can get them in the 

plumbing section of a hardware 

store 

❑ Vaseline 

❑ 1 clarinet reed (#2) 

Tools 

❑ hacksaw 

❑ 100 grit sandpaper 

Playing the Slide Clarinet 

• Dampen the reed with saliva. Place it 

against your lower lip and blow hard. 

• Holding the top of the 1/2" pipe with your 

left hand, slide the 3/4" pipe in and out 

with your right hand. You should be able 

to get a range of about a Major 3rd, G 

to B. 

The Clarinet in Science 

and Culture 

The clarinet is technically a 

blown instrument with a cylindrical 

(straight) tube and a single 

reed. The reed is held in the 

player’s mouth in such a way 

that it “flaps” against the end of 

the clarinet, opening and closing 

many times a second and setting 

up a vibration in the air inside 

the instrument. The closed 

cylindrical shape of the air column 

gives it a distinctive sound 

(with only every other overtone); 

by opening holes in the 

side of the instrument, the player 

can effectively shorten the 

clarinet and produce higher 

pitches. 

There are early clarinets— 

that is, single-reed instruments—in 

many cultures. One 

type was called the chalumeau— 

and the lower, fuller part of the 

modern clarinet’s range is still 

called the “chalumeau register.” 

The modern European clarinet 

was developed by Johann 

Christoph Denner in about 

1710. The fingering system was 

greatly improved in about 1840 

by H. Klose and L. Buffet (who 

followed the principals introduced 

on flutes by T. Boehm). 

Clarinets exist in many sizes, 

which allow players of the whole 

family of instruments to play 

very low and very high notes 

and to play conveniently in 

many keys.

1 

Drill a 1/4" hole in the 

center of the plywood, 

about 2" from one end. 

Run the guitar string 

through the small 

hole in the can and 

loop it several times 

so that it doesn’t 

slip—through the 

two small holes in 

the other end of the 

board. 

6 


Insert the dowel through the triangular 

openings in the can and then 

through the 1/4" hole in the board. 

About 2" from the lower end of the 

dowel, wrap tape around the dowel 

beneath the board to keep it from 

slipping back through the hole. 

5 

Making a Dan Bau 

1. 2. 

4 

2 

Drill a 1/8" hole 

in the center of 

the intact end of 

the can. 

MASTER #4 

About 5" from the 

other end, drill two 

1/8" holes. 

Taking the empty 

can with one end 

removed, use a can opener 

to make openings 

across from one another 

in the base near the 

intact end. 

4. 

3. 

3

Materials 

❑ sheet of 1/8" plywood, about 6" x 30" 

❑ dowel 1/4" diameter or larger, about 8" 

long 

❑ tin can (such as a soup can) 

❑ steel guitar string, about .014 gauge 

❑ tape (such as electrician's or masking tape) 

Tools 

❑ saw, to cut wood parts to size 

❑ 1/4" drill 

❑ 1/8" drill 

❑ can opener 

Playing the Dan Bau 

• Squatting on the floor, hold the dowel 

in the right hand with the other end of 

the board to your left. Hold down the far 

left end of the board with one foot. 

• Raise the can off the board by about 3" 

and pull the string tight. 

• Pluck the string with the left hand while 

pulling on the dowel to adjust tension 

with the right. 

• To get the real dan bau sound, you must 

play harmonics. Experiment with plucking 

the string with the index finger of 

the left hand while hitting the string at 

one point with the thumb—which you 

have to locate at a point 1/4, 2/3, or 

another simple ratio along the length of 

the string. It takes practice to find the 

exact point for a “harmonic node,” but 

the sound is worth it. 

The Dan Bau in Science 

and Culture 

Playing the dan bau shows 

the interaction between 

string tension and pitch—the 

tighter the string, the faster it 

vibrates, and the higher the 

pitch. It also shows the interesting 

sound quality that can 

come with harmonics. When 

the string is touched at a 

“node,” located at a point 

that cuts the string into 

lengths that form a simple 

ratio, only the “harmonic” 

that is still at that point can 

vibrate. 

Normally, strings vibrate 

simultaneously with many 

harmonics. The result is a 

high-pitched, pure sound. 

The dan bau is native to 

Vietnam. In that country, it 

is usually more elaborate— 

and the technique for producing 

harmonics is more 

elaborate than that given 

here. It is often used to 

accompany the reciting of 

epics, but is also played by 

itself.

1 

3 

Cut the bottom 2" or 3" 

out of the soda bottle. 

Fold about 1" of the 

remaining bottle material 

inside. 

Place the cloth tightly over 

the inner circle of the 

embroidery hoop. Place the 

outer hoop around it and 

tighten. 

Make a Tunable Drum 


MASTER #5 

2 

Run a thin line of glue 

around the place 

where the cloth disappears 

into the space 

between the hoops 

and let it dry. Make a 

thin “varnish” of 

watered-down glue 

and coat the entire 

cloth surface.

Materials 

❑ 1 embroidery hoop (6") 

❑ 1 square of linen or other cloth, about 

8" x 8" 

❑ white glue 

❑ 2-liter plastic soda bottle 

❑ pencil or mallet 

Tools 

❑ knife 

❑ scissors 

Playing the Tunable Drum 

Hold the soda bottle neck down, grab the 

bottle between your legs. Place the hoopand-cloth 

“drum head” over the wide opening. 

Holding the edges of the hoop down 

with the left hand, use a pencil end or 

other small stick to strike the head. 

Pressing down on the hoop will raise the 

pitch—and you can experiment with dampening 

the cloth of the head to tighten it 

and get a better sound. 

The Drum in Science 

and Culture 

Drums—membranes 

stretched over a resonant 

cavity—appear in almost all 

cultures. In any drum, 

tightening the head gives a 

higher pitch (though the 

pitch may be too complex 

to be heard as a single 

pitch). This effect is used by 

players of the dunsdun of 

the Yoruba people, who 

press on the strings that 

hold the heads of their 

hourglass-shaped instruments 

to vary the head tension 

while they play. 

Modern orchestral kettledrums, 

or timpani, have a 

mechanism to accomplish 

this same effect. The mechanism 

on these instruments 

is worked with a foot pedal 

or a hand crank. 

The difficulty in identifying 

exact pitches of many 

drums comes from the fact 

that the drum head can 

vibrate in many, extremely 

complex, ways—and not all 

of these ways of vibration 

give frequencies that line up 

according to the orderly overtone 

series produced by 

instruments of exact pitch.

1 

Coil the tube and tape 

the coils together. 

Insert the mouthpiece into one 

end of the tubing. Blow into it, 

using the same embouchure as on 

any brass instrument, and determine 

the note (which should be 

a little flat from G). 

Making a Hoseaphone 


4 

3 

MASTER #6 

2 

Using the knife, cut off a little 

of the free end of the 

hose and test again. Repeat 

as necessary until the fundamental 

note sounds as G. 

Insert the funnel into the free 

end. Test the tuning again; it 

may be necessary to trim the 

tube a little more.

Materials 

❑ 1 brass instrument mouthpiece 

❑ 3/8" inside diameter plastic tubing 

(about 5' 4") 

❑ kitchen funnel 

❑ electrician’s tape 

Tools 

❑ knife 

Playing the Hoseaphone 

You can hold the coiled tube in any way 

you want—keeping the funnel to the front 

will project more sound to your audience. 

Keeping your lips loosely compressed, put 

the mouthpiece to the center of your 

mouth and blow, allowing the lips to 

“buzz.” By increasing the pressure of your 

blowing and the tension of your lips, you 

will be able to play some of the overtones 

available on your instrument (you should 

be able to get at least G, D, and G an 

octave higher). 

The Hoseaphone in 


The hoseaphone is a fanciful 

instrument played by some musicians 

as a joke—but, in principle, 

it is equivalent to any one of 

a number of “lip-vibrated aerophones” 

(instruments into which 

the player blows, creating vibrations 

with his or her lips). In 

Oceania, shells have holes cut 

into them that act as mouthpieces; 

in Tibet, large animal 

bones are hollowed out and 

blown in this way; in the northwestern 

corner of South 

America, some cultures made 

“trumpets” out of pottery; and 

the use of metal to make these 

“brass” instruments dates back at 

least to the first millennium 

B.C.E. in uses by Assyrian, 

Egyptian, and Hebrew cultures. 

One of the most interesting 

aspects of the science of trumpet-making 

is the effect of the 

shape of the tube on the sound. 

First, the tube can be curled 

around without any appreciable 

effect on the pitch or tone 

color—but the shape of the tube 

has a great effect. For example, 

modern orchestral trumpets are 

basically cylindrical (straight) 

tubes. Cornets, on the other 

hand, have a more conical tube, 

giving them a “softer” tone color 

with weaker upper overtones.

1 


Cut the PVC into 

the following 

lengths (in inches): 

9 1/2", 8 1/2",7 1/2", 

7" and 6". Sand the 

ends smooth. 

Insert a “cork” of rolled up plastic 

wrap into the lower ends, a little 

at a time, and tune the tubes to 

G, A, B, D, and E. Pushing the 

corks in will make the pitch 

higher—pushing out with a 

dowel or other stick will make 

the pitch lower. 

Making Panpipes 

3 

MASTER #7 

Align the top 

ends of the tubes 

and tape them 

together. 

2

Materials 

❑ 1/2" diameter PVC tubing 

(about 37" total) 

❑ duct tape 

❑ plastic kitchen wrap 

Tools 

❑ hacksaw 

❑ 100 grit sandpaper 

Playing the Panpipes 

Hold the pipes with the longest tube on 

your left. Blow strongly across the top, saying 

something like “doo” to get a definite 

beginning to the sound. Practice doing this 

with each tube in scale order and jumping 

from note to note. 

Panpipes in Science and 

Culture 

Also called raft pipes 

(because they look somewhat 

like a raft of logs), they are 

used by many cultures including 

the Aymara of the South 

American Andes and the 

Basque of Spain and France. 

They were even specified as 

the instrument for the character 

Papageno in Mozart’s 

opera, The Magic Flute. 

The sikuri (singular siku), 

the pipes of the Aymara, are 

distinctive in that they are 

made in pairs. The notes of 

any given melody are divided 

between the players of each 

panpipe in the pair—and 

only by alternating, or interlocking, 

the notes of their 

two paired instruments can 

musicians play their relatively 

complex and very exciting 

pieces. 

When panpipes are 

played, blowing over the tops 

of the tubes causes turbulence 

in the air stream. The 

air tends to alternate passing 

over the top and into the 

tube, setting up a vibration 

inside the tube. The speed of 

the vibration is set by the 

length of the tube—the 

longer the tube, the slower 

the vibration, and the lower 

the pitch.

5 

1 

Open one end of 

can. Make two 

holes with the nail 

or awl on opposite 

sides near closed 

end of can. 

Run the guitar string through 

the 1/8" hole in the big 

dowel, over the small piece of 

wood (the bridge) placed 

against the can, and through 

the 1/8" hole in the little 

dowel. 

Twist the little dowel to tune. 


4 

Stick the 1" 

dowel through 

the tube; stick 

the 3/8" dowel 

through the 1" 

dowel. 

Making an Erhu 

2 

MASTER #8 

Widen each hole with 

metal shears to 1" 

diameter. 

Tape around jagged 

edges of holes. 

On the 1" dowel, drill 

a 3/8" hole 2" from 

one end, and an 1/8" 

hole at other end. 

On the 3/8" dowel, 

drill an 1/8" hole near 

one end. 

3

Materials 

❑ can (large, such as 28 oz. tomato sauce) 

❑ 1" wooden dowel, about 20" long 

❑ 3/8" wooden dowel, about 4" long 

❑ piece of wood, about 3" x 1/2" x 1/4" 

❑ metal guitar string (about .010 gauge) 

❑ electrician’s or duct tape 

Tools 

❑ 1" drill 

❑ 3/8" drill 

❑ 1/8" drill 

❑ metal shears (tin snips) 

❑ nail or awl 

Playing the Erhu 

Hold the upright spike of the instrument 

between the thumb and palm of the left 

hand. Place the lower spike against the 

right thigh, and hold a bow in the right 

hand. While drawing the bow across the 

strings, you can lightly touch the strings 

with the fingers of the left hand to get new 

pitches. Don’t try to push the strings all the 

way down to the spike. 

The Erhu in Science and 

Culture 

The name “erhu” means 

two-stringed barbarian [fiddle]—it 

was introduced into 

China in a period of expanding 

foreign influence. The 

real erhu has two strings, 

with the bow passed between 

them. The erhu fits into the 

general classification of 

“spike fiddle” or string instrument 

in which a single spike, 

which holds the string or 

strings, is driven through a 

resonator. 

Instruments of this type 

show up in many cultures 

and are possibly at the basis 

of modern Western bowed 

string instruments.


Making a Maraca 

1 Put the rattling medium 

in the box or can. 2 Tape or seal it shut. 

MASTER #9

Materials 

❑ Anything that can hold things, like an 

old coffee can, juice can, cardboard box 

(such as a one-serving cereal box) 

❑ Anything that rattles, like rice, beans, 

popcorn, small stones 

Playing the Maraca 

Rattle, swirl, or strike it. Try to hold it so 

that it does not inhibit the vibration of the 

box. 

Maracas in Science & 

Culture 

Maracas are best known to 

most residents of the United 

States in the context of 

music from South America, 

but in the generic form of 

shakers, they are used in 

many musics, notably those 

of Native Americans. Folk 

instruments are often gourds 

(large seed-pods of various 

plants) filled with beads, 

seeds, or stones.


1 Take a cardboard paper towel 

tube. Coat it with a few layers 

of white glue. Alternatively, use 

a plastic tube or thick wooden 

dowel. 

Making a Güiro 

2 Cut a series of slits on one 

side of the tube. 

MASTER #10

Materials 

❑ 1 cardboard, wood, or plastic tube 

❑ 1 thin stick as scraper 

Playing the Güiro 

• Hold the instrument cupped in the left 

hand, leaving as much of the tube free to 

vibrate as possible. 

• Holding the stick in the right hand, 

scrape it along the serrations. Experiment 

with moving the stick more or less 

rapidly. 

• For a louder sound, hold one end of the 

güiro against a desk, box, or other 

resonator. 

The Güiro in Science and 

Culture 

An instrument most often 

found in the music of Central 

America and the Caribbean, 

it goes by many other names: 

rascador in Cuba, guachara 

in Panama and Colombia. It 

is usually a piece of wood or a 

gourd (plant) with serrations 

(rough spots) in one side. 

The player slides a scraper 

over the serrations. As a percussion 

instrument, it has the 

advantage of allowing very 

short, accented effects, or (by 

scraping more slowly) longer 

held “notes.” 

The güiro is called for in 

some very large orchestral 

scores, like Stravinsky’s Rite 

of Spring. In Ravel’s opera, 

The Child and the Sorcerers, 

the güiro is specified as a 

possible substitution for 

another instrument—the 

cheese grater.

3 

1 

Making a Prepared Piano 


Using great care not to drop or mar anything, screw 

a wood screw between one of the pairs of strings in 

the tenor register of the piano. 

Try moving it for different sounds. 

Try weaving a piece of paper over and under the strings 

about 5" in front of the hammers. Note: you can also try 

preparing an autoharp. 

MASTER #11 

2 

Try placing a rubber 

eraser between string 

pairs. 

Again, try moving it 

for different sounds.

Materials 

❑ 1 piano (preferably a grand rather than 

an upright) 

❑ several wood screws, erasers, paper 

Playing the Prepared Piano 

Play just as you would any piano—but you 

will find that the pitches aren’t necessarily 

in order any more. So in writing for prepared 

piano, you should think of each key 

as actuating a separate percussion instrument 

rather than a note on one instrument. 

The Prepared Piano in 


American composer John 

Cage developed the prepared 

piano as a way to get the 

variety of sounds offered by a 

large group of percussion 

instruments—without having 

to cart around a large group 

of percussion instruments. In 

his 1940 composition, 

Bacchanale, he directed the 

performer to “prepare” a 

piano by placing screws, 

bolts, and bits of rubber in 

the strings. 

The exact placement of 

the items is essential—if a 

preparation is put at a “node” 

of one of the string’s overtones, 

it will tend to reinforce 

that overtone. If it is 

placed at a point that is not a 

node, it will tend to deaden 

the string and make the pitch 

less definite (harder to identify 

as a single note). 

The material is also 

important; if it is softer, it 

tends to deaden the string’s 

vibration.

7 

1 

Drill a 1/4" hole about 

1" from one end of the 

tube; use the nail or 

awl to poke a small 

hole in the other end. 

Loosen 

the 

string 

and cut 

notches at the marked 

positions. The notches 

should be deep enough that 

a Pospsicle stick placed in 

each one just clears the top 

of the tube 

Re-tighten the string. 


3 

6 

Press the string against the tube to find the 

notes E, G, A, B, and D. Mark the positions of 

each note. They will be about 2 1/2", 5 3/4", 

7 1/4", 8 3/4", 10 3/4" from the screw. 

Making a Tube Vina 

1 

2 

2 

3 

MASTER #12 

Thread a nut and washer 

up to the top of the 

eye bolt; insert in the 

1/4" hole. 

Put the other washer 

and nut inside and 

tighten finger tight. 

4 

Saw a shallow 

notch perpindicular 

to 

the axis of the 

tube about 1/2" 

from the small 

hole. Place a 

Popsicle stick 

in it. 

5 

Working from inside out, poke guitar string 

through the small hole, run it over the 

Popsicle stick bridge, thread it through and 

around the eye bolt, twisting to bring it up 

to a “d”. 

5 

6 

4

Materials 

❑ 1 cardboard mailing tube (about 3" 

diameter, about 24" long)—must be 

thick cardboard 

❑ 1 eye bolt (1/4" x 2", with 2 nuts and 

washers) 

❑ 6 Popsicle sticks 

❑ 1 guitar string (D or 4th for nylon-string 

guitar) 

Tools 

❑ saw (preferably a keyhole saw) 

❑ 1/4" drill 

❑ nail or awl 

Playing the Vina 

• Hold the instrument upright, resting on 

your left knee. 

• With the left hand, place a finger just 

behind one of the Popsicle stick frets. 

• With the right hand, pluck the string 

close to the bridge. 

The Vina in Science 

and Culture 

The earliest references to 

the vina are about 3,000 

years old—and various related 

instruments are still 

played today in India and in 

Southeast Asia. The bin and 

the sitar are perhaps the best 

known such instruments. In 

addition, the basic idea of a 

stretched string running over 

frets appears in many cultures—closest 

to home in the 

United States, in the guitar. 

Plucking the string gives 

energy for vibration, and the 

speed of vibration is directly 

proportional to the length of 

the string. That is why the 

fret for the octave D in this 

instrument ends up exactly 

half way between the bridge 

and the tuning bolt.

4 

1 

Glue down one 

Popsicle stick 

near one edge of 

the block of 

wood. 

Tighten the screws a little— 

still allowing some movement 

of the sticks. Pull in 

and push out to tune to G, 

A, B, D, E. 


Making a Mbira 

2 

1 

Put a screw in each hole 

and insert a Popsicle 

stick between each pair 

of screws. The sticks 

should project over the 

glued-down stick. 

2 

MASTER #13 

About 1/2" back 

from the stick, 

make holes for 6 

screws. Separate 

each hole by 

1/2". 

3

Materials 

❑ 6 Popsicle sticks (better to have more, as 

they can vary considerably in thickness 

and flexibility) 

❑ 1 block of 3/4" wood, about 5" x 3" 

❑ 6 screws (flathead #6 sheet metal screws) 

Tools 

❑ glue 

❑ screwdriver 

Playing the Mbira 

• Place on a resonant surface (such as a 

desk or table) and hold in place with the 

left hand; flick down on the Popsicle 

sticks with the right hand. 

• To make the mbira self-contained, mount 

it on a permanent resonator such as a 

box, a discarded one-gallon milk 

container, or other hollow body. 

• You can also make a bass mbira by using 

larger screws and wooden (not plastic) 

rulers in the place of Popsicle sticks. 

The Mbira in Science 

and Culture 

Mbira is only one word for 

a “lamellaphone”: an instrument 

that makes sound with 

lamella (thin plates of wood, 

metal, or another material). 

If the material is uniform, a 

longer lamella will produce a 

lower note. If it is not uniform, 

factors such as weight 

and flexibility come into play 

to complicate matters. 

In several parts of Africa, 

lamellaphones are used as 

important instruments to 

accompany song. Other 

names for it are malimba, 

kalimba, likembe, agidigbo, 

and sansa. In some cases, as 

among the Nsenga people, 

the music is purely instrumental. 

The resonator cavity 

for the instrument is sometimes 

a wooden box (often 

with soundholes that can be 

covered or uncovered by the 

player to alter the tone), and 

sometimes a gourd.

1 

Cut the cardboard as 

shown and tape 

together to form a box. 

4 Place the bars in 

order along the resonator 

cavity. For the 

best sound, they should be 

supported by the cardboard at 

points 1/4 of the way in from 

each end. When you find the 

best (most resonant) point for 

each bar, mark the spot and 

cut shallow notches in the 

cardboard to keep the bars in 

place. Note: you can use 

wooden dowels (at least 3/4" 

diameter) in place of the conduit 

to make a marimba—but 

you will have to experiment 

with the proper length to 

produce the pitches you want 

because lengths will vary 

depending on the type of 

wood and thickness. You can 

also experiment with other 

materials—even 

paper towel rolls 

will give a soft 

note (of less definite 

pitch) when 

struck in this 

way. 

Making a Metallophone 


12" 

3" 

3" 

3" 

11 3/4" 

8" 

4" 

MASTER #14 

2 

Cut the conduit to the 

following lengths: 13 

5/8", 12 3/4", 11 5/8", 

11", 10 5/8", 9 5/8" 

[Hint: cut the longest 

length first and use the 

file to tune (as you file 

a little off, the pitch 

rises). This way, if you 

file off too much, you 

can still use that 

length for a higher 

pitch.] 

3 

Hold up each length of 

tubing by a string tied 

around its center point 

and strike to tune by filing 

a little off either 

end. You should be able 

to get the notes D, E, G, 

A, B, and D. Color the 

“G” red—it is the 

“home” note of the 

scale.

Materials 

❑ corrugated cardboard (from an old 

packing box) 

❑ packing tape 

❑ 3/4" electrical conduit (about 70" total) 

Tools 

❑ hacksaw 

❑ metal file 

❑ knife 

Playing the Metallophone 

• Strike the bars near the center. 

• Experiment with different beaters— 

metal, wood, pencil eraser ends, and 

so on. 

The Metallophone in 


Metallophones first show 

up in Chinese tombs from 

around 700 C.E. Today, they 

are prominent in the music 

of Indonesia and, in the form 

of the Glockenspiel and 

Vibraphone, in Western 

music. The shape and size of 

the resonant cavity in a metallophone 

is critical: that is 

why the vibraphone can get a 

pulsating effect by using a 

motor to close off and open 

up the resonating tubes that 

hang below each key. 

The marimba (the same 

instrument, with wooden 

keys) shows up around the 

world—notably in Africa and 

as an African import into 

South America.

1 

Mark out on the plywood two lines running 

up from the two lower corners (at about a 

45 degree angle). 

7 Insert the blocks 

under the strings, 

about halfway between the 

holes and the screw eyes. 

6 Sand the 

small wood 

blocks to make 

a peak on the top of 

each one. Fold the 

sandpaper and 

sand a notch 

across each 

peak. 


Making a Koto 

MASTER #15 

2 Drill a series of five 1/8" 

holes about every 2" along 

the lines. 

5 

Run nylon twine 

through the holes 

on the left, tie it to the screw eyes on 

the right, and twist the screw eyes to 

tighten. 

3 

Fasten the two 

wooden slats 

below the long sides of the 

plywood, using glue and 

nails. 

4 

With the angle 

formed by the 

lines on the plywood facing 

away from you, insert 

the screw eyes in the holes 

to the right.

Materials 

❑ 1 sheet 1/8" plywood, about 9" x 30" 

❑ 2 1/2" wooden slats, about 1" x 30" 

❑ 5 screw eyes, about 3/4" 

❑ 5 wooden blocks, about 3/4" x 3/4" x 3/8" 

❑ thin nylon twine 

❑ 6 small nails (brads) 

Tools 

❑ glue (white glue or carpenter’s glue) 

❑ 1/8" drill 

❑ hammer 

❑ coarse sandpaper 

Playing the Koto 

Tune the instrument to D, E, G, A, and B 

by turning the eyes and moving the woodblock 

“bridges” to the left or right. Pluck 

the segment of string to the right. When 

playing, you can get notes in between the 

tuned pitches by pressing down with the 

fingers of your left hand on the segment of 

each string to the left. This technique is 

called, on the Japanese koto, “ko.” 

The Koto in Science and 

Culture 

The koto is basically a 

zither with moveable bridges. 

As such, it is a member of a 

large family of instruments 

across eastern Asia such as 

the zheng of China or the 

kayagum of Korea. Zithers 

are also important to many 

other musical traditions. For 

example, the Latvians play a 

kokle; and in Burundi, musicians 

play an inanga. 

Tuning and playing the 

koto demonstrates the interdependence 

between length 

and tension in setting the 

pitch of a stringed instrument. 

Tuning the strings 

tighter (raising the tension) 

raises the pitch—but so does 

moving the bridge (adjusting 

the length). And the ko 

technique of increasing string 

tension while playing also 

changes the pitch.

Making a ______________ 


(Create your own musical instrument) 

MASTER #16

Materials 

❑ 

❑ 

❑ 

❑ 

Tools 

❑ 

❑ 

❑ 

Playing a ______________

Draw a continuous line for each of the four dimensions of musical sound. The first section of “dynamics” has been completed for you. 

0:00 0:27 1:03 1:38 2:12 

loud 

Brahms Hungarian Dance #5 Master a 

Dynamics 

soft 

high 

Pitch 

low 

rich 

Tone Color 

less rich 

long 

Duration 

short 

Melody A Melody B Melody C 

Melodies A & B

Rondo Planning Sheet 

A Section: 

Identify the instrument type for each instrumental part. Then decide if specific pitches are to 

be used, and write them in the space provided. Finally, add a melody (if desired). 

Melody 

Part 1 

type_________ 

Part 2 

type_________ 

Part 3 

type_________ 

Part 4 

type_________ 

Pitches? 

Pitches? 

Pitches? 

MASTER b 

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – 

– – – – – 

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 

Pitches? – – –– – –– 

B Section: 

Identify the specific instruments to be used, describe the character of the music to be played, and specify 

and rythmic or melodic ideas. 

Instruments________________________ 

Description___________________________________________________________________ 

____________________________________________________________________________ 

Rhythm or melody 

MENC: The National Association for Music Education

MASTER #1 

C Section: 


Description___________________________________________________________________ 

____________________________________________________________________________ 


D Section: 


Description___________________________________________________________________ 

____________________________________________________________________________ 


E Section: 


Description___________________________________________________________________ 

____________________________________________________________________________ 

Rhythm or melody

Part 2 

Listen, and identify the sound used on CD Track 11. (It is the same sound as that used on CD 

track 12, with one difference.) 

• Musical Sounds - their “envelopes” 

Sound, Overtones, and Instruments 


violin clarinet 

piano 

trumpet 

1 2 3 4 56 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 

1 2 3 4 56 7 

1 2 3 4 5 

flute sin wave sawtooth wave 

1 2 3 4 

intensity 

(loudness) 

1 

CD Track 1 CD Track 2 

time 

1 2 3 4 56 7 

MASTER c

Part 3 

Listen to the “envelopes” for a series of sounds on the same instrument. 

• CD track 13 

Identify the characteristics of your instrument 

Instrument name:__________________________________ 

Method of playing:_________________________________ 

Instrument richness (place a mark along the scale): 

Instrument “envelope” 

➜ 

• • • • • • • 

sin wave 

flute 

less rich richer ➜ 

intensity 

(loudness) 

time 

clarinet 

trumpet 

piano 

violin 

sawtooth wave 

MASTER #1 

a b c d e

Careers That Combine 

Music, Science, and Math 

If you are considering a career in music, you may not be aware of the variety of music professions available to you and the opportunities 

they hold. In particular, there are several careers that can call on an individual’s talents and knowledge in the areas introduced 

in the Bose ® In Harmony With Education ® program. 

Studio Arranger 

Arrangers can be freelance or affiliated with a particular studio. They score songs for the group and the instruments used in the 

recording session. The arranger may be a songwriter scoring his or her own works, be a member of a performing group, or work fulltime 

at arranging. Arrangers’ fees are set by union contracts based on number of score pages: the more scores an arranger prepares, 

the higher the fee. Many arrangers work nights; daytime hours are spent answering inquiries and sometimes conducting. 

If you want to become an arranger, it is important to read music quickly and write neatly. While you do not have to play any instruments 

well, it is very important that you have a working knowledge of each instrument for which you might be scoring, including 

their timbres, temperaments, and ranges. You will also need a strong sense of what is currently popular and an instinct for future 

trends. Income as an arranger is usually based on commissions when music is sold for publication, recording, or broadcast. 

Electronic Design Engineer 

The market for audio electronics—both for consumer and for professional applications—is very large. The engineers who design the 

equipment that supplies this market are, consequently, likely to be in demand. 

If you want to be an electronic design engineer you will need a high level of math proficiency and knowledge of the sciences (particularly 

the physical sciences and, perhaps, the life science of psychoacoustics). This means, in practice, taking as much math and 

science as you can in high school. With some vocational education, this would allow you to work as a technician, or it could allow 

you to get into engineering school. Once in college, you will need a four-year Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering to start 

design work. Further study (useful in moving forward in the profession) generally includes specialization in fields such as programming, 

circuit design, power engineering, or manufacturing/process engineering. 

You have the necessary personal attributes if you are good at working as part of a team toward a well-defined, technical goal. And, 

of course, a love of music can help as a motivator. Salary range in this field for a graduate with a Bachelor’s degree is in the 

$40,000 range to start. 

Instrument Production Worker 


MASTER d 

Different skills are required for the manufacture of different instruments. There is a need in all phases, however, for tool and die 

makers, assemblers, screw machine operators, buffers, sanders, and tuners. Manufacturers of brass and some woodwind instruments 

have positions for die casters, solderers, engravers, lacquerers, platers, valve makers, and others skilled in assembling various elements 

as the instruments near completion. 

The newer instruments, such as synthesizers, require the talents of engineers who understand microcircuitry and computer technology. 

Since electronic instruments contain chips to handle a variety of functions, engineers must understand not only the functions 

of the components but their musical potential as well. (See the section on Design Engineers.)

MASTER #1 

Pianos, despite changes in style and appearance, are basically the same instruments they have always been. Modern production 

methods may be used to manufacture metal interior pieces and for primary woodworking, veneering, and mill operations, but the 

final product is the result of handcrafting and skilled artisanship. 

Likewise, there are few shortcuts in the manufacture of quality guitars, violins, and other stringed instruments. Highly refined woodworking 

skills are necessary for the production of a good stringed instrument and its decorative carving or inlay. 

Among traditional musical instruments, drums have perhaps benefited most from the development of new materials. Plastics have 

replaced animal skins as drumheads and are widely used for the bodies. The finished drum, however, still requires handwork. Skilled 

craftsmanship is necessary for gluing joints, centering the head, trimming, sanding, and tuning. The final assembly of any instrument, 

in fact, is reserved for the best trained and most highly skilled members of the production staff. 

After completion, each instrument is evaluated by a tester before it leaves the plant. Testers must be musicians as well as craftsmen, 

familiar with the instrument and its musical capabilities and able to make minor adjustments or pinpoint problems for adjustment 

by others on the production line. 

While some production functions can be handled by a person without musical training, knowing how to play the instrument is an 

important asset. According to one manufacturer, knowing how to play an instrument might be compared to having a college degree 

in another field. In many instances it will be helpful in progressing to a more skilled, better paying job. 

If you are interested in a career in musical instrument manufacturing, you can find job opportunities around the United States. The 

supply industries, those making cast-iron plates, actions, keyboards, hardware, tuning pins, strings, and mouthpieces are generally 

located near the manufacturing site. 

For a career in instrument manufacturing, you must meet age requirements of various states as well as labor and insurance laws. You 

do not need any basic skills for a beginning job other than the ability to learn, since most manufacturers have on-the-job training 

programs. Some firms also have apprenticeship programs for the more skilled craft jobs. Salaries vary widely according to the wage 

and salary scale of each industry. 

Inventor 

Another possibility for a career in instrument manufacturing lies in design and development. Often, specialists in other fields, such 

as electronics and engineering, computer software, or music performance, have created new instruments that have led to the development 

of new industries. 

Influential musical instrument inventors have included John Philip Sousa, sousaphone; Laurens Hammond, electric organ; Harold 

Rhodes, electric piano; Robert Moog and RCA engineers Harry Olson and Herbert Belar, synthesizer; and John Chowning of 

Stanford University, digital synthesizer. Hundreds of others have made refinements in basic instruments or created accessory items, 

amplification equipment, and adapters that have broadened the capabilities of instruments or have made them easier to play. 

Recording Engineer or Mixer 

The engineer sets up microphones and operates equipment necessary to record the session. The producer may give presession 

instructions to the engineer, including a studio floor plan showing instrumental groupings, microphone placement, and the acoustical 

baffles to be used. The engineer is concerned with five areas: musical range, rhythm, variety, dynamics, and spectral control. 

The engineer must be able to compensate for studio limitations, the recording medium, and reproduction equipment. 

Salaries in this field can vary widely, depending especially on the size and success of the studio. Since engineering is one of the most 

popular career areas in recording, studios are extremely selective in hiring. To prepare yourself, enroll in a college that offers specific 

courses in sound engineering, learn to operate all technical machines, read the trade magazines, and visit recording studios. Try to 

get a studio job to learn more about the capabilities of the equipment.


Glossary 

Analog: In sound, the method of recording and transmitting sound that was used until a few years ago. It involves 

transforming the changes in sound intensity directly into changes in another medium (and back again). For example, 

a phonograph record contains grooves that vary in width and depth according to the sounds they represent, so a needle 

in a spinning record’s groove vibrates in a way that can, with amplification, give a recognizable musical sound. A 

magnetic analog tape (like a cassette) contains particles of material that are magnetized more or less strongly—like 

the record groove’s higher or lower depth—in a way that can be amplified, converted to vibrations in the air by a 

transducer, and heard as a musical sound. 

Cardioid: A type of microphone that exhibits a heart-shaped pattern of sensitivity. In a cardioid microphone, the 

area behind the microphone (the “notch” at the top of a heart shape) picks up very little sound; the sides and front 

are quite sensitive. 

Chorusing: A type of sound effects processing that makes a single voice sound or instrument sound like a chorus. It 

is done by making copies of the sound and combining them back with the original signal—but a little later. 

Digital: Refers to the recording of sound not as an analog trace (such as the peaks and valleys of a phonograph 

record) but as a series of binary digits (numbers in a counting system that use only 0 and 1). A digital recording of 

the loudness of a sound that starts piano and increases to forte, for example, look like a smooth line going up but 

would be recorded as a series of numbers, each larger than the one before. 

MASTER e 

Distortion: “Errors” introduced in the recording or transmission of sound. They are usually unwanted errors that lead 

to a lack of clarity in the sound, and engineers have designed devices such as limiters to avoid distortion. Some styles 

of rock, however, intentionally use more or less controlled distortion for musical and dramatic effect. 

Equalizer: A device that can be used to alter the relative strength of various frequencies in a sound. In its simplest 

form, an equalizer can be the device controlled by the “tone” knob on a radio. More sophisticated equalizers are generally 

“graphic equalizers,” which have one control for the relative strength every one of several fixed frequency 

ranges, or “parametric equalizers,” in which both the strength of a range and the frequency of that range are subject 

to control. 

Headroom: The extent to which a recorder can accept strong signals. If the signal being recorded exceeds the headroom, 

overload distortion results. 

Layering: The process of combining several tracks to produce a complete recording. The musicians providing individual 

tracks can, with this technique, work on a recording “together”—but on separate days. It is best done with a 

recorder that offers many tracks (standard for professional studios is 24 tracks), but can be done with only two tracks 

by recording track a, mixing the recording from a with a new signal on to track b, mixing that combined recording 

with a new signal back onto track a, and so on. 

Limiting: The setting of a limit on the intensity of a signal. It is usually done so that the signal does not exceed the 

headroom of a recorder. 

Mixing: The process of combining the signals from different sound sources to achieve a well-balanced final sound. It 

can be done for a live performance that must be amplified or for a recording.

MASTER #1 

MIDI: An acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It was developed as a way to allow electronic instruments 

to communicate with one another by means of a “code” of digital numbers representing aspects of a musical 

performance. A signal in MIDI “code” might say, for example, that a middle C is turned on with an intensity of 

100 (on a scale of 1 to 128), and then the pitch is “bent” up by 40 percent, and then turned off. MIDI has 

become especially useful with computer programs that store these signals in much the same way that a word processing 

program stores the letters typed on a computer keyboard. 

Noise: This can simply mean unwanted sound—such as noise that someone makes in the next room when you 

are trying to record a song. It has a technical meaning, too; sound that contains all frequencies (rather than the 

few overtones found in pitched sounds). 

Noise reduction: All transducers, recorders, or other devices used to store and reproduce sound introduce some 

noise. This is particularly a problem with analog tape recorders, so a variety of noise reduction techniques have 

been developed to minimize noise. A series of techniques labeled Dolby A, Dolby B, Dolby C, and Dolby S are 

used on many recorders, as is a technique known as DBX. 

Omnidirectional: A type of microphone that picks up sound equally from all directions. 

Panning: The process of distributing a signal between two stereo tracks in the mixing process. A single piano 

note, for example, could have 50 percent of its signal to the left and 50 percent to the right, making it sound as 

though the piano player was sitting in the middle of the sound field. By changing the panning to 10 percent left 

and 90 percent right, however, a studio engineer can make it sound like the piano player just picked up the piano 

and moved it to the right. 

Patch: An electrical circuit set up to route a signal, especially one set up by means of “patch cords.” 

Reverberation: The quality of echoes in a room. All rooms (except for specially-built anechoic chambers) have 

some reverberation; that of a small room with a lot of cloth furniture is relatively minimal; that of a large, stone 

cathedral is almost enough to overwhelm sounds produced in the room. Because of its importance in coloring the 

way we hear sounds, recording engineers will often add reverberation by means of electronic devices. 

Sampling: The process of taking a digital sample—a sort of audio snapshot—of a sound. The sample can be stored 

in a computer’s memory and played back (in its original form or altered) at will. 

Track: One “line” of information that goes into a recording. Often, a track is the recording of one instrument 

that will be combined with other instrument parts in layering the final mix. 

Transducer: A device that changes sound to or from another medium—such as electricity. A microphone is a 

transducer, for example, that changes sound waves to waves of variation in an electrical signal. A speaker does the 

reverse, changing electrical variations into the mechanical vibration of air that is sound. A speaker can even 

function as a microphone—and some microphones can function as speakers (but don’t try the experiment unless 

you know what you’re doing or don’t mind destroying your microphone). 

Transient: A part of a sound that changes quickly in loudness and often in frequency content—especially, the 

first 1/2 of a second or so of a sound’s “envelope.”

The In Harmony With Education Program - Bose

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