Slap Tubes and Other Plosive Aerophones
Book and audio CD by Phil Dadson and Bart Hopkin
64 pages, paperbound, 6″ x 9″, with audio CD. Illustrated with b&w photos, diagrams and drawings.
Published by Experimental Musical Instruments, 2007.
Available as digital download in PDF format from Sounz.
“The Greatest Music-Making Idea That Most People Have Never Heard Of” — that’s the subtitle of this book. They can be simple to make, yet they are fully musical and they sound great. This is the category of musical instruments known as plosive aerophones. The category includes the end-struck tubes sometimes called slap tubes, as well as many other instrument types. They’re good for kids, requiring only modest tools and skills and having real educational value. For others, young or old, they provide one of the most rewarding instrument-making projects you’re likely to find. At the same time, slap tubes and their kin have been central to the performances of serious, top-notch musical groups like Blue Man Group, UAKTE, Urban Strawberry Lunch and From Scratch. This book tells you everything you need to know to make them, with ready-to-build designs as well as the information you need to design your own.
Contents of The Book
Chapter 1: Introduction. A description of the different sorts of plosives followed by a discussion of their history and use in different parts of the world.
Chapter 2: Preliminaries and Plans. A minimum amount of necessary technical information to get started, followed by instrument plans for eight diverse sorts of plosive aerophones, ranging in difficulty from very simple to not-too-complex.
Chapter 3: Tuning and Construction. Complete technical and practical information. This is the information that will allow you to create plosive instruments of your own design.
Chapter 4: More Plosive Possibilities. A wide-ranging look at plosives in every shape and form, offering a well of inspiration for instrument-making.
The CD: Sound examples from the many instruments discussed, with the addition of performances by From Scratch and Urban Strawberry Lunch.
Excerpts from Slap Tubes and Other Plosive Aerophones