How to Make a Simple Sound Pipe from a Plastic Straw

Edited by TOHGIN minako, Teresa, Flickety, Eric and 4 others

It’s easy to make a simple pipe using slip of a plastic straw. But playing it's a little trickier because it has a double reed. As long as you don't mind just a little practice to perfect the sound, it's an easy project to make and enjoy.

EditSteps

1
Flatten the end of a straw.
- At this flattened end, measure to a length of 10mm (0.39"). This will be the cutting length.
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2
Cut the straw to remove the two slanted ends (or triangle shapes).
3
Place the cut end of the straw in your mouth. As shown by the diagram, hold the straw in place, covering your teeth with your lips.
- Blow forcefully. Keep practicing until you make a sound.
4
Experiment with different sounds. In order to change the sound of this simple straw pipe, vary the lengths of the straw pipes.
- The high or low tones will change depending on the length of the straw pipe.
- Bird beak cut
  The shorter the pipe, the higher the tone. The bird beak cut shown in this image is short, so the resulting sound will be high in tone.
- Vary your breathing to change the tones as well. The strength of your breath will cause the sounds to change.
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EditTips

You can join two straws by cutting a small slit in the end of one and sliding it into another straw. It sounds like a didgeridoo when it is very long, but it gets harder to blow.
Sample sound: http://www.twitvid.com/CFZTH
Cut some small holes on top of the straw at various points. Cover these holes with your fingers to change the pitch of your straw.
- To make precise intervals, measure the straw from the tip of the reed to the other end of the straw. Using a calculator, preferably scientific, multiply the length by one of these fractions, and make a hole that length down. For example, if you had a 20 cm straw and wanted to make a perfect fifth, you would multiply 20 by 2/3 and get 13.333, measure 13.333 cm down the straw from the reed, and make a hole there. This is easier to understand if you know music theory. Here is the list of intervals:
  - Minor second (semitone): 15/16
  - Major second (whole tone): 8/9
  - Minor third: 5/6
  - Major third: 4/5
  - Perfect fourth: 3/4
  - Tritone (augmented fourth or diminished fifth): 7/10
  - Perfect fifth: 2/3
  - Minor sixth: 5/8
  - Major sixth: 3/5
  - Minor seventh: 5/9
  - Major seventh: 8/15
  - Octave: 1/2
- It will be out of tune because a straw isn't perfect.
- You can experiment with different fractions and get strange sounding intervals.
Since straw material is light, it vibrates well, producing sound easily.

EditWarnings

Don't run while playing a straw pipe in case it becomes lodged in your throat.
Please be careful; don't poke a long straw down your throat!
The noise can be irritating to others; play it where people won't mind the sound.

EditThings You'll Need

Plastic straw
Ruler for measuring
Pair of scissors

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