, 15 November 2018
Do you get annoyed when you get a plastic straw with your drink? Instead of throwing it out, take it home and use it to make a musical instrument!
You can make a few different notes by blowing harder or softer. To make even more, you’ll have to modify your instrument.
Sounds are vibrations in the air that we can hear. A clap is just one pulse (and some echoes). A musical note is a continuous vibration, more like an ongoing vibrating phone buzz.
In this activity, the two pointy ends of the straw vibrate, causing waves in the air that we hear as noise. By blowing harder, we can sometimes get the vibration to go faster, which makes a higher note. But there’s more to it than that.
All objects react differently to different vibrations. Reflections and echoes inside that object mean that it will vibrate easily at some speeds, and at other speeds it won’t vibrate well at all. When the vibration works well, we say that it resonates.
When you’re playing your straw instrument, you’ll find it easier to play notes that resonate with the shape of air inside the straw. If you change the straw by making it longer or shorter, the vibrations that resonate will change, and the notes you can play will change too.
In general, slow vibrations require more space to resonate in, so if you want to play a low note, you’ll need a long straw. Quick, high pitched vibrations tend to work best in small objects and short straws.
This straw is a type of double reed instrument. It’s called that because it has two vibrating parts – the pointy ends of the straw – that vibrate next to each other.
In an orchestra, the oboe and bassoon are both double reed instruments. So if you enjoyed playing with your straw, you could consider trying one of those instruments!
If you’re after more science activities for kids, subscribe to Double Helix magazine!
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31 March, 2020 at 7:55 am
it did not work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
31 March, 2020 at 9:14 am
I’m sorry to hear that!
Did you try biting on the straw a bit? Sometimes it needs a bit of encouragement to be flattened enough to work.
This is a tricky activity, and it might take ten or fifteen minutes to really get it to work well. It also needs a plastic straw – it won’t work with paper.
But when it does work, it really is the most annoying sound I’ve ever heard.
23 April, 2020 at 11:47 am
When I was doing it was NOT playing anything or even making noise.
23 April, 2020 at 11:51 am
Oh no! I’m sorry it didn’t work for you.
Here’s a video I found from my childhood that might help you to get the straw to work:
24 April, 2020 at 1:25 am
Thank you so much!
10 April, 2021 at 4:12 am
oh and David mine does not work after that video
19 January, 2022 at 6:50 am
It was fun and the straw flew out of my mouth lol.