Build and Play a Major Scale
Build a simple homemade xylophone using craft sticks and rubber bands, tune the notes, and learn to play a major scale safely.
Step-by-step guide to Build and Play a Major Scale
Step 1
Put the shoebox on a table with the open side facing you so you have a flat top to build on.
Step 2
Lay the two pencils across the top of the box so they sit parallel and act like little bridges.
Step 3
Stretch the two rubber bands lengthwise around the box so each rubber band makes a gentle loop over the pencils.
Step 4
Place eight craft sticks side by side on top of the rubber-band loops between the pencils so the sticks rest lightly on the pencils and can vibrate.
Step 5
Use the marker and number the sticks 1 to 8 from left to right and write "Do" on stick 1 and "Do (high)" on stick 8.
Step 6
Use the wooden spoon as your mallet by holding it like a drumstick so you can tap the sticks.
Step 7
Tap stick 1 gently with the spoon to hear the first note (Do) and remember how it sounds.
Step 8
Slide stick 2 about 1 centimeter toward the center of the pencils to shorten its vibrating length and raise its pitch to the next whole step.
Step 9
Slide stick 3 the same small amount toward the center so it raises by another whole step above stick 2.
Step 10
Slide stick 4 about 0.5 centimeter toward the center so it raises only a little (a half step) above stick 3.
Step 11
Slide sticks 5 6 and 7 each about 1 centimeter toward the center so each one raises a full step above the one before it.
Step 12
Slide stick 8 about 0.5 centimeter toward the center so it raises a final half step and forms the high Do.
Step 13
Tap the sticks in order from 1 to 8 to play the major scale and then share a photo or video of your xylophone and your scale on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use if we don't have a shoebox, wooden spoon, or craft sticks?
Use a shallow cereal box or plastic container in place of the shoebox, tongue depressors or cut cardboard strips instead of craft sticks, and a chopstick or clean dowel as your wooden spoon mallet.
My sticks don't vibrate or the notes sound muffled—what should I check?
Check that the two pencils truly act like bridges so the rubber-band loops lift the craft sticks off the box (not touching the shoebox), loosen or reposition the rubber bands so sticks can vibrate freely, and ensure each stick is slid the instructed amounts (about 1 cm or 0.5 cm) to change pitch.
How can I adapt the activity for younger children or make it harder for older kids?
For younger kids pre-number the craft sticks and pre-slide them to approximate positions and let them tap with the spoon, while older kids can use a ruler to measure the exact 1 cm and 0.5 cm slides, tune by ear to a keyboard, or replace sticks to experiment with different timbres.
How can we personalize or extend the xylophone after building it?
Decorate the shoebox and label each numbered craft stick with its note name, try changing rubber-band tension or swapping stick materials to explore different sounds, and record or share a video of your major scale on DIY.org.
Watch videos on how to Build and Play a Major Scale
How to play A major scale on piano - Right Hand, Left Hand, Both Hands Together // 1 Octave tutorial
4 Videos
How to play A major scale on piano - Right Hand, Left Hand, Both Hands Together // 1 Octave tutorial
The Major Scales EXPLAINED
How to build Major scales on the piano
How to play A Major Scale on the piano
Facts about music and instrument-making for kids
🎶 A major scale follows the pattern whole–whole–half–whole–whole–whole–half (W-W-H-W-W-W-H), which gives it its happy sound.
🪵 Longer bars vibrate slower and produce lower pitches — that’s why bass keys are bigger and longer.
🎵 The word "xylophone" comes from Greek xylon (wood) + phone (sound) — it literally means "wood sound."
🌍 Xylophone-like instruments have existed for centuries across Africa and Asia and are important in many traditional music styles.
🛠️ You can tune homemade bars by shortening them, changing their support points, or adding tiny weights like putty.
How do I build and play a simple homemade xylophone to learn a major scale?
What materials do I need to make a craft stick xylophone?
What ages is building and playing this homemade xylophone suitable for?
What are the benefits and safety tips for making a homemade xylophone?
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