A Boomwhacker is a percussion instrument in the plosive aerophone and idiophone family.[1] They are lightweight, hollow, color-coded, plastic tubes, tuned to a musical pitch by length. They were first produced by Craig Ramsell through his company Whacky Music in 1995. The term is now a registered trademark by Rhythm Band Instruments.[2]
Boomwhackers evolved at a time when junk bands and performers using instruments made from recycled materials were popular. Bands often used gas pipes or various cast-offs from plumbers that were cut to length to produce different pitches when struck on an open end. Schools, meanwhile, created their own junk bands as a cheap way to simultaneously promote creativity and encourage recycling. However, creating a custom kit was labor-intensive, leaving a niche for Boomwhackers, which are premade and mass-produced.[3]
American Craig Ramsell reportedly came up with the idea for his Boomwhackers in 1994 while at home recovering from radiation therapy. While cutting cardboard tubes into shorter lengths for recycling, he noticed the different pitches resulting from the different lengths and decided to investigate their creative potential. He experimented with various plastics before settling on plastic mailing tubes.[2] He and his wife, Monnie Ramsell, formed DrumSpirit as a sole proprietorship to market the tubes. The original plastic Boomwhackers were first produced in 1995. The current, more durable version was released in 1997.
Craig Ramsell then started Whacky Music, Inc. in 1998, marketing a wider variety of Boomwhacker sets and materials. Boomwhackers are now available to span 3½ chromatic octaves. (The addition of the Octavator Tube Caps in 1999 allowed for the third lower octave.)
In July 2009, the Sedona, Arizona-based Whacky Music, Inc., sold its interests to Rhythm Band Instruments LLC of Fort Worth, Texas, through an asset purchase agreement. Rhythm Band now distributes and owns the trademark to Boomwhackers.
Sound productionedit
Boomwhackers produce musical tones through vibrations in the instrument when struck. The pitch of the instrument is determined by the length of the tube. The longer a tube is, the lower its pitch; the shorter a tube is, the higher the pitch. When one end of a Boomwhackers tube is covered with what the manufacturer calls an "Octavator Cap", the pitch it produces is lowered by an octave. They are most commonly hit with a hand, against the floor, or on other parts of the human body. They can also be grouped together and struck with mallets in different configurations using specialized holders (either homemade or available from the manufacturer), similar to a horizontally-aligned xylophone.[4]
Usageedit
Boomwhackers are most commonly used in elementary music classrooms as an inexpensive alternative or supplement to traditional pitched instruments such as xylophones and metallophones. Students are usually given a distinctly pitched tube, such as F♯ or A. Educators then instruct players of certain pitches to strike the Boomwhacker at a precise time, forming a melody.[5] Boomwhackers are often used by performance artists and other musical performance groups to add an element of spectacle.[6] They can also be used by people with intellectual and developmental impairment to develop sensorimotor skills, social skills, and creativity.[7]
Referencesedit
^Libin, Laurence (2015). "Boomwhacker". The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780199743391.001.0001. ISBN978-0-19-974339-1.
^ abGreenberg, Steve (2008). Gadget Nation: A Journey Through the Eccentric World of Invention. Sterling. pp. 56–59. ISBN9781402736865.
^Anderson, William M; Joy E. Lawrence (2007). Integrating Music Into the Elementary Classroom. Cengage. p. 137. ISBN978-0495064275.
^. Teachers.net Gazette. January 2013. Archived from the original on May 16, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
^"Boomwhackers Colorful Music Tubes Instruments.West Music". United States. January 2020.
^Ramey, Maria (2011). Group Music Activities for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. p. 98.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Boomwhackers.
Official website
January 01, 1970
boomwhacker, percussion, instrument, plosive, aerophone, idiophone, family, they, lightweight, hollow, color, coded, plastic, tubes, tuned, musical, pitch, length, they, were, first, produced, craig, ramsell, through, company, whacky, music, 1995, term, regist. A Boomwhacker is a percussion instrument in the plosive aerophone and idiophone family 1 They are lightweight hollow color coded plastic tubes tuned to a musical pitch by length They were first produced by Craig Ramsell through his company Whacky Music in 1995 The term is now a registered trademark by Rhythm Band Instruments 2 A large pile of pentatonic Boomwhackers Contents 1 History 2 Sound production 3 Usage 4 References 5 External linksHistory editBoomwhackers evolved at a time when junk bands and performers using instruments made from recycled materials were popular Bands often used gas pipes or various cast offs from plumbers that were cut to length to produce different pitches when struck on an open end Schools meanwhile created their own junk bands as a cheap way to simultaneously promote creativity and encourage recycling However creating a custom kit was labor intensive leaving a niche for Boomwhackers which are premade and mass produced 3 American Craig Ramsell reportedly came up with the idea for his Boomwhackers in 1994 while at home recovering from radiation therapy While cutting cardboard tubes into shorter lengths for recycling he noticed the different pitches resulting from the different lengths and decided to investigate their creative potential He experimented with various plastics before settling on plastic mailing tubes 2 He and his wife Monnie Ramsell formed DrumSpirit as a sole proprietorship to market the tubes The original plastic Boomwhackers were first produced in 1995 The current more durable version was released in 1997 Craig Ramsell then started Whacky Music Inc in 1998 marketing a wider variety of Boomwhacker sets and materials Boomwhackers are now available to span 3 chromatic octaves The addition of the Octavator Tube Caps in 1999 allowed for the third lower octave In July 2009 the Sedona Arizona based Whacky Music Inc sold its interests to Rhythm Band Instruments LLC of Fort Worth Texas through an asset purchase agreement Rhythm Band now distributes and owns the trademark to Boomwhackers Sound production editBoomwhackers produce musical tones through vibrations in the instrument when struck The pitch of the instrument is determined by the length of the tube The longer a tube is the lower its pitch the shorter a tube is the higher the pitch When one end of a Boomwhackers tube is covered with what the manufacturer calls an Octavator Cap the pitch it produces is lowered by an octave They are most commonly hit with a hand against the floor or on other parts of the human body They can also be grouped together and struck with mallets in different configurations using specialized holders either homemade or available from the manufacturer similar to a horizontally aligned xylophone 4 Usage editBoomwhackers are most commonly used in elementary music classrooms as an inexpensive alternative or supplement to traditional pitched instruments such as xylophones and metallophones Students are usually given a distinctly pitched tube such as F or A Educators then instruct players of certain pitches to strike the Boomwhacker at a precise time forming a melody 5 Boomwhackers are often used by performance artists and other musical performance groups to add an element of spectacle 6 They can also be used by people with intellectual and developmental impairment to develop sensorimotor skills social skills and creativity 7 References edit Libin Laurence 2015 Boomwhacker The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments 2nd ed Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 acref 9780199743391 001 0001 ISBN 978 0 19 974339 1 a b Greenberg Steve 2008 Gadget Nation A Journey Through the Eccentric World of Invention Sterling pp 56 59 ISBN 9781402736865 Boomwhackers X8 Drumes 28 October 2014 Anderson William M Joy E Lawrence 2007 Integrating Music Into the Elementary Classroom Cengage p 137 ISBN 978 0495064275 Boomwhackers in Music Class Teachers net Gazette January 2013 Archived from the original on May 16 2017 Retrieved January 8 2013 Boomwhackers Colorful Music Tubes Instruments West Music United States January 2020 Ramey Maria 2011 Group Music Activities for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Jessica Kingsley Publishers p 98 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Boomwhackers Official website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Boomwhacker amp oldid 1202525322, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
