I have two nieces whom I adore. The oldest is three years old, and the youngest is only a year old. Real freedom for imagination when choosing a Christmas present. The eldest is just that age when you desperately need to open all the gifts. And so as not to hide the packaging, there will always be a storm of delight, even if it is some kind of hand-made, which I will use.

Unfortunately, the time will soon come when cheap plastic toys will be more desirable than handmade ones. This is inevitable, because they are brighter and louder, and this is also important for the games of young children.

Luckily for me, while my nieces are happy with any toy. I want to give them something that will help them develop their imaginations and outlast plastic consumer goods. The youngest girl really likes to knock on everything that her hands reach. So I decided to make a xylophone with my own hands.

I know that soon this musical instrument will be removed with other toys in the attic, but I also know that when it is taken out again, it will look and sound the same and will be even more loved than in the beginning.

Well, here's my xylophone, and I hope you give it a try.

Step 1: Everything You Need

• Several wooden slats.
• I have oak, cherry and walnut.
• Miter saw.
• Grinding machine
• Spindle machine
• Drilling machine
• Felt points on an adhesive backing
• Wooden nails
• Wood glue

Step 2: cutting wood pieces

I have enough slats left over from my previous project, and they fit perfectly for the xylophone. I used cherry, oak and walnut to make the xylophone look pretty, but it was difficult to customize the different wood keys.

I started with the longest key - I cut off a 229 mm piece. In total, I made 7 key blanks, each 13 mm shorter than the previous one. The last key is 152 mm.
Then I rounded the corners of the keys so that the kids wouldn't get hurt inadvertently.

Step 3: customize the keys

I didn't think about it beforehand, but getting the keys to sound right is the hardest part in creating a xylophone. I'm not an expert in setup at all, so I'll explain what I did as best I can.
As I mentioned, the difference in key length is 13mm. I thought length was the defining factor in the sound, but it turns out that this is not at all the case.

It turned out that the sound was determined by the curved notch on the back of the key. I started sanding the middle part, stepping back 38 mm along the edges. This improved the sound, but it was still not very pleasant.
The deeper the notch on the key, the lower its tone. I made a small stand to test the sound - a small block wrapped in rubberized tape. Putting the key across the winding, I checked the sound. If the sound seemed too high to me, I shot some more wood in the notch. If the sound was too high, I cut a little length grinding machine... Some people use an electronic tuner to get the perfect sound, but I didn't. Having arranged the keys in order, we begin to attach them to the base.

Step 4: Installing Keys

In fact, this is a very simple step. Your goal is to prevent the keys from touching the xylophone frame. This is necessary for the purity of the sound.

First, I drilled 7 pairs of holes in the frame with the same diameter as the nails. The holes are not very deep as I wanted the keys to have some play. Then I drilled holes for nails in each key, the diameter of the holes is one number larger than the diameter of the nails.

I used felt points to make sure the keys don't touch the frame exactly - I made a hole in each and glued it to the frame. He hammered the nails with the keys put on them into the holes on the frame, additionally glued them with carpentry glue.

Step 5: beater

I wanted to make a mallet not ordinary, but with a twist. I glued two pieces of cherry wood together and left the glue to dry overnight. The next day, I made a hole in the head for the rod and sanded the edges at a variety of angles, without any system.

Then I put the rod on the glue and that was the end of the work. The beater came out stylish and will last a very long time.

Step 6: Conclusion

My one year old niece received her present for Christmas. Without undue modesty, I will say that it was a hit. She really likes to knock and listen to what sound she makes. Her older sister is also pleased with the gift.

If I still make a xylophone, I will spend more time customizing the keys. Due to the fact that Christmas was very close, and I had a few more gifts to make, I was in a hurry and did not spend much time setting up, and now I regret it. There is almost nothing to do, and the sound can be brought almost to perfection ... now for the next time.

Thank you for reading about my baby xylophone, I hope you will try to make one yourself. The work is not difficult, and the result is excellent. Of course, it is more difficult than buying something in the store, but the return is a hundred times greater! Thanks again!

Choose solid hardwood boards for the keys. The denser and harder the wood is, the clearer the sound will be. In addition, keys made of such material will be more scratch and damage resistant.

Cut the planks into 9 strips, 3.8 centimeters wide. Wear safety goggles and ear plugs or ear muffs and use a circular saw or other electric tool cut the wood into strips. Keep your hands at least 15 centimeters from the cut-off wheel to avoid injury. Xylophone keys must be of the following length:

• 25.1 centimeters:
• 24.8 centimeters;
• 21.9 centimeters;
• 21.1 centimeters;
• 20.5 centimeters;
• 19.7 centimeters;
• 18.9 centimeters;
• 17.3 centimeters;
• 16.3 centimeters.

Mark on the keys where they will be attached to the xylophone body. Each key must be attached approximately 1/5 of the length from its end. Mark with chalk the end you attach to the body and measure about 1/5 of the key's length from it.

• Do this for all keys.
• To test the end with which you intend to attach the key to the body, take the xylophone stick with your fingers and tap it on this spot. If the result is clear sound, you have chosen a suitable location.

Draw a wide arc between the two marked points at the ends of the keys. Take the chalk and draw a wide arc on one side of the key. You will cut the tree along this arc with an electric tool.

• To trim the tree more accurately, measure and draw an arc with a protractor.

Take an electric tool and cut the key along the arc. Use the traced arc to shape the key you want. When doing this, do not forget to keep your hands at least 15 centimeters apart.

• Once you cut the arched cuts in the keys, they will resonate better.

Purchase plywood or pine or hardwood planks for the xylophone cabinet. The cabinet should not resonate, so different types of wood can be used for it. If you decide to make one out of plywood, look for five- or seven-layer furniture plywood with a thin finish to give the cabinet a good look.

Measure and cut the sides of the body. Use a circular saw or other power tool to cut the plywood into 5 pieces. Observe safety precautions when doing this. Measure the sides beforehand so that they meet the following dimensions:

• 11.8 by 56.8 centimeters (2);
• 11.8 by 13.7 centimeters (1);
• 11.8 by 6.0 centimeters (1);
• trapezoid 56.8 centimeters high with a top side of 6.0 centimeters and a base of 13.7 centimeters (1).

Glue the body with wood glue. Before gluing the body, fold the 4 top sides together, slide the bottom sheet under them and make sure they fit snugly together. If the sides do not meet, trim them with a circular saw or other tool.

Mark the nail locations on the top of the case. Mark the places for the nails at a distance of 3.2 centimeters on both sides of the body. On one side, start placing the marks 3.2 centimeters apart. On the other side, step back 6.4 centimeters from the edge.

• This is where you place the xylophone keys.

Drive nails into the tree. Take a hammer and hammer nails into the wood so that each nail protrudes about 2.5 centimeters above the surface.

• If you are going to stain or varnish the xylophone case to give it a shine, do so after hammering in the nails.

This fun activity is designed to integrate music into an educational science experiment! Your child will certainly be interested in serious study of sound waves, as soon as he can play the first gentle, euphonious melodies on his own glass xylophone. He will be delighted with the effect of different amounts of water in each of the used "music" glasses on getting enchanting sounds and melodies!

What you need for this:

• 6 tall glass glasses, bottles or jars (preferably the same shape and size);
• water;
• food coloring or colorful soft drinks;
• metal spoon, wooden spoon, or wooden stick from ice cream;
• water jug.

What you will need to do:

1. Have your child arrange the glasses (or bottles) in a row.

2. Have him gently hit each of the standing glass containers with a spoon. What kind of sound is produced? Is it the same for each of the glasses?

3. Pour water into a jug and have your child add some food coloring or colored soft drink to the water.

4. Then, together with the child, carefully pour the water into the glasses, so that in each of them the water level is different.

6. Invite your child to experiment with the pitch by changing the amount of water in the glasses.

7. Now let him try to play some melody! You can help him tune the glasses to match the musical notes by adding more or less water to each one.

What happens then?

When your child touches the glass with a spoon, this touch generates sound waves that travel through the water in the glass. Overcoming it, sound waves are refracted (changed). The more water in the glass, the lower the pitch, and accordingly, the less water, the higher it is.

How else can you experiment

If you are using bottles, invite your child to blow into each bottle (filled with water differently) and listen to the sound. Do you get the same or different sounds? Your child will most likely be very surprised, as compared to tapping on the bottle, the result is just the opposite. The more water is poured into it, the higher the tone of the sound will be. This is due to the fact that the sound waves that are created, "travel" through the air, not water. The less water in the bottle, the more air there is!

Despite the fact that you can only play six notes, the wonderful sounds of this simple musical instrument are pleasing to the ear. Such wooden box with slots, it is not difficult to make, and it will surely appeal to children.

In just a few hours, using only a jigsaw, sawing and drilling machines, you will be able to make a modern version of an ancient musical instrument. The structure consists of butt-joined parts, and only glue is needed for assembly. The sounds produced by each xylophone are unique. To learn more about this, read the note on these musical instruments at the end of the article.

Make the parts first

1. Take a 19-centimeter hardwood plank that is free from knots, cracks or other defects, and cut out the blank of the top panel A from it according to the dimensions shown in the "List of materials". (We used paduk and red oak. Instead, you can take amaranth, mahogany, rosewood, birch or maple. If you want, make all the details from boards of the same species.)

With a board placed so that there are no chips at the exit of the drill, drill two through holes with a diameter of 10 mm in the top panel A in the places indicated on the template.

2. Make a copy of the top panel template and use spray glue to attach it to the workpiece. Drill 10 mm through holes for the jigsaw file in the locations indicated on the template (photo A).

3. To make curved cuts in the top panel and form tabs, insert a narrow file with fine teeth into the jigsaw. Starting from hole # 1 and moving along the lines of the template, cut out tongue 1 along the contour (photo B). Then cut out tabs 2 and 3 (photo C). Now thread the file through hole # 2 and cut out tabs 6, 5 and 4 in the same way.

Insert the file into the first hole and go around the tongue 1 along the outline from the outside. Then, starting at the hole again, cut along the other edge of the tongue.

Having formed the first tab, file the second one around the top end and along the inner edge. Then cut out the third tongue.

4. From a 19 mm board that does not have defects, cut the end walls V, bottom WITH, side walls D, large lugs E and a small lug F.

Now assemble the xylophone

1. Glue the end walls V to the bottom WITH and, aligning the edges of the parts, fix them with clamps (fig. 1). In order not to degrade the sound quality, all the parts of the box must fit snugly together. When the glue is dry, glue one of the sidewalls in place D.

2. Complete the assembly by gluing large E and small F bosses to end walls V, bottom WITH and side wall D... Then glue the top panel in place A and the second side wall D (photoD).

Apply adhesive to the exposed edges of the parts and press down the second side wall D with the clamps to complete the assembly.

Add arms and legs

1. Saw out a 19x185x222 mm workpiece for handles G and legs N... Saw off two strips 25 mm wide for the handles and four strips 19 mm wide for the legs (each strip will make two legs).

2. Saw through the middle edge of each handle G tongue 8 × 8 mm (fig. 1), in which the handle of the hammer will be put in for storage I.

3. Saw off a 13 mm wide chamfer at both ends of the handles. G and four blanks of legs N... Then saw off at an angle from each end of the workpieces with a length of 54 mm, flipping the workpiece before each cut for the correct orientation of the bevels on each pair of legs. Sand the handles with 220 grit sandpaper.

Glue handle G to sidewall D aligning it in place with a spacer.

4. To glue the handles in place G, cut out a 38 × 305 mm spacer from 6 mm hardboard and draw transverse lines on one side of it at a distance of 41 mm from the ends. Place the xylophone upside down on a flat surface. Use a spacer to glue the handle to the side wall D (photo E) and fix it with clamps. Then glue the second handle on the other side of the drawer.

5. Glue four pairs of legs N in the configuration shown in fig. 1 ... (To tightly close the corner joints, we tightened the parts with masking tape.)

Turning the legs H chamfered downward, glue them to the bottom of the box, pressing them against the square spacers at the corners.

6. To make all legs protrude 16 mm beyond the walls of the box (Fig. 1a), cut out four 19 × 19 mm square spacers from 6 mm hardboard and rub their edges with paraffin so that they do not stick to the legs. Using double-sided tape, attach the spacers to each corner of the drawer from the bottom, flush with the edges. Sand the glued legs smoothly. Then place the drawer on a 50 mm high rack to make it easier to work with the clamps. (photo F).

Now you need to make hammers

Place a rubber ball on a 20 mm hole and hold it with a clamp and drill a 6 × 13 mm hole in it.

1. From a round oak rod with a diameter of 6 mm, separate two pieces of length 318 mm for handles I.

2. To drill holes exactly in the center of the 25mm rubber balls to serve as hammer heads (fig. 1), set in drilling machine Forstner drill with a diameter of 20 mm. Fix a piece of board on the table of the machine and drill a through hole in it for precise positioning of the ball. Fix a 6 mm drill bit in the machine chuck. Then, pressing the ball against the hole in the board, drill a hole 13 mm deep in it. (photo G). It is best to use medium-soft rubber balls available from hobby stores. Now glue the balls to the hammer handles with rubber glue.

Finishing

Fold a piece of sandpaper in half and sand down the cuts and gaps between the tongues, gradually reducing the size of the abrasive grains.

1. Carefully remove all traces of glue and sand the xylophone with 220 grit paper, softening sharp edges and corners.

2. To get rid of protruding fibers that interfere with the free movement of the tongues, and to obtain clean contour lines, sand the cuts and gaps between the tongues (photo H).

3. Thoroughly remove dust and apply three coats of clear varnish. (We used a semi-matt polyurethane varnish with sandpaper No. 220 sanding between layers.) To prevent the xylophone from slipping from vibrations, stick it on the legs N rubber dampers (fig. 1). Now take the hammers in your hands and, lightly hitting the tongues, enjoy the amazing sounds.

Templates

How to make musical instruments with your own hands in order to distract the child from the tablet, cartoons and just have fun together.

Homemade children's musical instruments are a great way to get your child involved in a game that has no end and end. It doesn't matter whether he constructs a musical instrument with his own hands with you or not. The fantasy that comes on at the moment when you start making musical instruments from what is at hand helps to see the world in a different way.

What can I say if once the bowl was a drum. Learning music is very important to a child's intellectual development, so below is a list of 10 ways to create homemade children's musical instruments.

Children often fall in love with music and sounds before birth. They always react to her and jump at the sound of daddy's kisses, being in the tummy.

Parents, in turn, often try to reinforce their love for everything musical, including dance, song, and sound. One of better ways to achieve the goal, self-made musical instruments with your own hands can become, so if you are looking for ways to instill musicality in your child, this is the place for you.

A musical instrument doesn't have to be cool and expensive, which is why we can all appreciate homemade options. A thousand ways to recycle what you don’t need and use the handy tools to craft musical instruments for kids for kids take you one step closer to an instrumental family party!

Corolla - maracas

If you have a couple of extra corollas lying around, you can quickly transform them into maracas. You just need to find a couple of bells and string them on the wire and attach them inside the whisk. You can even make different-sounding maracas by choosing whisks or bells of different sizes.

Rubber rope - guitar

Crafts are as easy as shelling pears: an old empty box and rubber bands. The more colorful the rubber bands, the more fun. The thickness of the band changes the way it sounds - so try and define your own ballad.

Cymbals

What kid doesn't like to knock on something ?! We certainly don't want broken glass lids or broken technology. Thus, the ideal solution is metal spice jars. If you hit all the covers at once, the sound is “gorgeous”, but, fortunately, not very deafening.

Rattles and noisemakers

Again about metal cans. Fill one side with nuts and / or beans, close with a second jar, tie with an elastic band. You can also use plastic Easter eggs.

You can also make a children's musical instrument a rattler using a large oatmeal container. Just secure the lid with rubber bands so that the sound does not spoil and the contents do not fall out. If you decorate the box beautifully, it can even be used on some kind of school parade.

Drum set

If you just need to rattle, we take an old tin and some kind of kitchen appliance with which you can slide along the edges of the can. If the eye fell on a more complex musical device, use sticks, cans and mounts to make a whole drum kit (most importantly, make sure that all sharp edges are sanded or muffled).

Xylophone

Wooden, metal or water in glasses - xylophones are different, and their sound is even more so.

The simplest type of xylophone is water-filled glasses and the technique of sliding your finger along the rim. More complex ones include options for making a wooden xylophone, but the Internet has a million tips for that for any level of complexity.

Home outdoor playgrounds

Some people spend a fortune building a mini orchestra at home, but it doesn't have to be that big and expensive. Stretch a few ropes in the yard, hang rattles, noisemakers, maracas on them, and place large "drums" nearby. A rock concert is guaranteed for the neighbors.

Drum rattle

Made from pink striped socks, this home musical instrument is perfect. This is a drum rattle. Great introduction to the world of music for toddlers, and even a fun toy for older kids. You just have to look around the house for a few things, a piece of hardboard and string, and you can make your tool in a fun and easy way.

Clapper sticks

Simple clappers from sticks for stirring paint. It is not only a tool, but also an art project for your little ones. Plus, funny and easy way reuse paint stirring sticks.

Castanets

Castanets are Carmen's noisy musical instruments that create a clicking sound. This sound is somewhat reminiscent of the clatter of a rider when he urges the horse forward.

Castanets made from coconut halves are no worse than the original ones. Plus, they are very cute and easy to use for the little ones. Great way get to know new sounds and feel like a Spaniard for a minute ..

The tambourine is a percussion musical instrument of an indefinite pitch.

Your child can easily make such a rainbow craft out of: paper plate, paints, cotton balls, glue and clothespins.

An original introduction to musical instruments for kids.

Pipe made of pipes

Svirel is a folk musical instrument in the form of a pipe made of wood or reed. With the help of tubes, your child can build such a musical instrument.

To do this, you will need: tubes of different lengths, scissors, scotch tape and a thick tape to wrap the tubes. A little effort and the tool is ready.

We hope the article was useful to you and now you know how you can give old things a second life.

Having made a musical instrument on their own, your child will show strengths creative and intellectual thinking.