Serpent

It is obvious how this instrument got its name! It looks like a snake, but it is not used by snake charmers. The serpent was first made about 400 years ago in France but is seldom played today. If the serpent were straightened out, it would be about 2.5 metres long. Remember the brass instruments whose tubing was so long it had to be folded up?

A similar thing has happened with the serpent but it is made of wood, which is difficult to bend. So it’s made in short hollowed-out sections that are glued together. They are then covered with leather to seal the joints and stop the air from escaping.

Snake charmer’s pipe

Can snakes hear? Can they dance? Snake charmers in India would have us believe so. They play a pipe called a tiktiri. It is made from two cane pipes, each with a single reed. The pipes are fitted into one end of a hollowed-out dried vegetable called a gourd. The player blows through a hole in the other end.

The sound is loud and shrill, but the snakes can’t hear it — they don’t have ears. So why do they rise out of the basket and sway or dance? The reason is that they don’t like the movements of the snake charmer and rise up in anger. Perhaps they can feel the vibrations from the music, too.

Nose flute

Blow through your mouth. Then blow through your nose. Which feels stronger? Even though you get a more powerful sound by blowing a flute the normal way, through your mouth, some people use their nostrils. In countries like Polynesia, where nose flutes are commonly played, the people think that air from the nose contains a person’s soul and so has more magical power than breath from the mouth. Nose flute players like the Brazilian musician in the picture below believe that their music has special significance. Nose flute players usually block one nostril and blow into the flute with the other.

Bullroarer

You can make your own unusual wind instrument with a thin, rectangular piece of wood about 15 centimetres long and 2 centimetres wide. The exact shape and size are not too important. Ask an adult to help you make a small hole at one end. Tie one end of a long piece of smooth string into the hole. Make sure it is tied on very firmly.

Hold the string about half a metre from the wood. Twist the wood with your other hand. The string will start to wind up tightly. Now move into a large open space, and quickly swing the wood on the end of the string round and round your head. You will hear an unusual roaring noise. You have made an instrument called a bullroarer.

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dodoBrass, Music Equipments, Musical Instruments21 Oct, 2008