This is the first of an evolving series of tootophones that I have made. I leave it up for historical interest, but suggest you try the "Tiny Tootophone" for the basic mouthpiece, and the "Tootophone Sax and Trumpet" for some interesting body variations using x-ray film. This PVC design is not even in my "top ten" list any more. My latest tootophones have only one fingering hole.
The body of this tootophone is made of 1/2" CPVC pipe, which is used for hot water plumbing and is of a smaller diameter than 1/2" PVC pipe.
The tootophone is similar to a soprano recorder in terms of size and finger spacing. The mouthpiece is heat formed to make it a little narrower than the CPVC pipe.
The reed is cut from a piece of plastic from an old flat screen monitor I disassembled. Just about any semi-stiff, clear packaging plastic will work to make a reed that vibrates.
I have always liked the idea of playing saxophone, but found the bamboo reeds to be frustrating to get sounds out of. For some reason, these plastic reeds are a lot easier to blow. Being less frustrating to blow, the tootophone is more fun to play, at least for a beginner. Being more fun to play, I play more, and that's what it's all about. Tootophones are fun to play.
Figure maybe a dollar in material and many hours playing around. This is very cost effective entertainment.
Be sure to check out the audio files at the end, to hear what the tootophone sounds like.
The body of this tootophone is made of 1/2" CPVC pipe, which is used for hot water plumbing and is of a smaller diameter than 1/2" PVC pipe.
The tootophone is similar to a soprano recorder in terms of size and finger spacing. The mouthpiece is heat formed to make it a little narrower than the CPVC pipe.
The reed is cut from a piece of plastic from an old flat screen monitor I disassembled. Just about any semi-stiff, clear packaging plastic will work to make a reed that vibrates.
I have always liked the idea of playing saxophone, but found the bamboo reeds to be frustrating to get sounds out of. For some reason, these plastic reeds are a lot easier to blow. Being less frustrating to blow, the tootophone is more fun to play, at least for a beginner. Being more fun to play, I play more, and that's what it's all about. Tootophones are fun to play.
Figure maybe a dollar in material and many hours playing around. This is very cost effective entertainment.
Be sure to check out the audio files at the end, to hear what the tootophone sounds like.
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Signing UpStep 1: Finger hole spacing
The distances between holes are copied from a soprano recorder. The holes are not all placed on the center line down the pipe. Since some fingers are longer than others, the holes have a little sideways displacement to increase comfort while playing. When penciling hole locations, hold the pipe as you would while playing it to find and mark a comfortable side displacement for each finger hole.
There are seven finger holes and one hole for the thumb on the opposite side of the body -- the same as on a recorder.
On a recorder, double holes at #6 and #7 help get half tones. I elongate my holes and just half-close them when needed.
There are seven finger holes and one hole for the thumb on the opposite side of the body -- the same as on a recorder.
On a recorder, double holes at #6 and #7 help get half tones. I elongate my holes and just half-close them when needed.
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I made two of these: one from 3/4" PVC and one from 1" PVC. They sound great, but the finger holes start to get a little far apart for a comfortable reach as the tube gets bigger. A larger mouthpiece will also yield a slower vibration and, therefore, lower note. It might be worth trying to graft a 3/4" PVC mouthpiece onto a 1/2" tooter. The photo is of the 3/4" version. The multitude of holes is for experimentation purposes.
Your reed instrument has pushed me to make a saxophone. I have made a mouthpiece that looks like yours and it gives a good, saxophony sound. But, unfortunately, no matter how long my pvc tube is, it gives the same high pitch. I made the mouthpiece-fingerholetube connector from a piece of cardboard and taped it with electrical tape (all over the cardboard). Did I do anything wrong?
Please, help me.
Hope that helps.
They get a couple octaves with no problem.
My dad said he had one I could borrow.
Regular reeds are stiffer than the plastic and rubber I use. Softer reeds are easier to blow. Tootophones have gotten easier to play the smaller they have gotten. Some of my favorite reeds are made of silicone rubber, sometimes mixed with filler powders, like Cab-o-sil, a powder used as filler in epoxy clay, I believe. Others are made with x-ray film plastic, after scrubbing off the image.
Anyway, I suggest you skip ahead to the Tiny Tootophone, which is made of an insulin syringe and costs about 15 cents to make.
Have fun!
(I don't mean to be mean, it's too hard to convey tone over the internet.)
Anyway, I still have a lot of fun playing it, and I think play is an element of music making that is good to hang onto.
While both the kazoo and the tootophone are voice-like in a way, the tootophone has a greater range of notes, and playing a reed instrument is different than humming into a kazoo. There is no use of the vocal cords, for one thing.
I have found that music is sometimes more enjoyable for the musician to listen to than for others. Oh well...
BUT BESIDES THAT: good instructable. is it possible to get a cleaner tone out of it?
Also, there is sometimes a world of difference between different mouthpieces. I have made about 20 or 30 tootophones, and my favorite one is almost effortless in getting the notes I imagine. Some are far from easy to play.
The farther it goes in the mouth, the more reed vibrates and the lower the pitch.