Bolt chimes

Make some musical chimes from bolts, nails or other bits and pieces.

You will need:

8-12 bolts or nails of various lengths
wool or string
decorative paper
scissors
cardboard tube (large)
sticky-tape

Sounds are made when things vibrate, or shake. They have to shake very fast to make a noise that we can hear - for example, have you ever made a noise by flapping your arms up and down? I bet you can't flap them fast enough! But a fly or a mosiquito flaps its wings so quickly that they do make sound that we can hear ... a very annoying buzz.

When you hit your bolt chimes, they shake and vibrate back and forth very fast. That vibration travels through the air to your ear and you hear a lovely chiming sound.

Did you notice that your bolts make different sounds depending on their size? This is because the smaller bolts vibrate faster than the big bolts. The faster the vibration, the higher the noise.

Again, its a bit like flies and mosquitos - a mosquito is smaller and can flap its wings faster than a fly, so the sound it makes is a higher pitched buzz.


From the Powerhouse Museum's collection:

This is a Yang-quin - a musical instrument from China, also sometimes called the 'butterfly stringed instrument'. It is played by striking the strings with beaters, just like you play your bolt chimes by striking them.
Take a closer look.



Visit the Powerhouse Museum's Soundhouse to play with lots of fun digital musical equipment. Free drop-in sessions Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 10am - 3pm