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The rainstick is a traditional instrument thought to have originated in Chile, where cactus spines are inserted into dried, hollowed-out cactus branches that are then filled with pebbles, raw rice, or dried beans.
Once your rainstick is complete, you can shake it like a rattle, use it as a percussive instrument, or gently tip it back and forth to make soothing environmental sounds.
Each time a dry bean or grain of raw rice hits a nail it makes a tiny click. The nail carries the vibration of the clicking sound to the cardboard tube, which acts to convey the sound into the air, just like the soundboard on a piano.
The clicks happen at random as the rice falls through the tube, just as raindrops make sounds at random times as they fall onto a roof. This sound is called white noise. It is also the sound that AM radios make when they’re not tuned to a station.
Musical instruments like these are found all over the world. In some places, including Australia and South America, legends say rainsticks were originally used as ceremonial instruments to call forth rain.
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Attribution: Exploratorium Teacher Institute