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Make Your Own Pan Flute!

The pan flute is a beautiful instrument with a rich and diverse history. Evidence of pan flutes can be found in many variations in wildly diverse cultures; such as traditional folksongs, representations in sculpture, paintings, and literature, as well as from archeological finds. Pan flutes are played by blowing across the open pipes. The wind vibrates within the pipes and creates different vibrations, which is how we classify high sounds or low sounds. We call that pitch! Listen to the different pitches you can hear – which length pipe has the high-est pitch?

Materials

• 5-8 straws • Ruler or measuring device • Pen • Scissors • Tape

Example Measurements

Instructions

1. Gather your supplies. If you have bendy straws, cut off the tip so it is straight.

2. Set aside one straw. Measure how long the straw is.

3. Grab the second straw and measure ½ inch from the end. Mark with your pencil and cut with scis-sors.

4. Grab the next straw and measure 1 inch from the end. Mark and cut.

5. Continue cutting each straw in the same pattern; taking off an extra ½ inch for each new straw. It should look like the graphic to the left.

6. Place the straws in order from biggest to smallest and use the ruler to line up the edges.

7. Carefully place tape around the straws. Now you are ready to make music!

8. Experiment with your breath and the shape of your mouth to see how it affects the sounds.