FACILITATOR’S

HANDBOOK

GETTIN’ WHACKY
A Mini-Handbook for Using

Percussion Tubes
in Facilitated Group Events

by Craig Ramsell
A Work in Progress
Updated March, 2009

www.boomwhackers.com
© 1998-2009, Whacky Music, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
 CONTENTS

Introduction to Percussion Tubes 1

A Bit About the Tubes

Working with Groups 3

Mini-Conclusion 15
About Craig 16
Percussion Tubes Glossary 17

© 1998-2009, Whacky Music, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Introduction to Percussion Tubes
If you’ve chosen to work with Boomwhackers Musical Tubes in working with
groups for teambuilding, community spirit, motivation, creativity, or just some
stress relief, you’re in for some fun! Adding a melodic and harmonic component
to rhythm-based events and activities has never been simpler as the tubes are the
easy entree to recreational music-making that actually involves making music!
While there are some details to pay attention to, the learning curve for playing
one of these tubes is about one second.

The tubes have become extremely popular in music education because they are
easy to play, colorful and inexpensive, and also because of the kinesthetic
experience of whacking them. They have also become a favorite of group and
drum circle facilitators for many of the same reasons, and the fact that they are
tuned adds a new dimension to the typical drum-shaker-bell rhythm experience.
Also, you can fit about a hundred tubes into a box that would hold a full-size
djembe, so the portability and light weight are also big pluses.

The musicality of the tubes and the ease of using rhythmic patterns to create an
in-the-moment song can very easily create a memorable experience of “instant
music” for from several people up to thousands of people. I’ve personally had
the experience of facilitating over 1000 people, and the largest group I had
worked with prior to that was about 10. I was also present (and planned all the
logistics for) an event involving 16–17,000 kids at America West Arena in
Phoenix. It’s pretty amazing when you get that many people all doing anything
at the same time, and it was an awesome experience to see and hear that many
Boomwhackers tubes in action at the same time.

I am happy to count among my teachers of the art of facilitating rhythm-based

events many of the better known drum circle facilitators around. Thank you,
Arthur Hull, for all that you do, for being a friend and a big fan of the tubes, and
for goading me to find the right material for the tubes until I did! Others I met
early on from whom I also learned and whom I would specifically like to thank
for their encouragement and friendship are Chalo Eduardo, Jorge Bermudez,
Kalani, Jim Greiner and Paulo Mattioli. Thank you all and the many others I’ve
had the pleasure to interact with and learn from along the way.

A Bit About the Tubes

If you want, just pick up a tube and start whackin’! Alternatively, I’ve included a
few tips and techniques to get the most out of them. Most of this section covers
material that is included in the instructional insert inside every bagged set of
tubes Whacky Music sells.

“TUNE” YOUR TUBES!

Please “tune” the tubes before you play them. The tubes sound best when their
cross-section is basically round. They may be oval or flattened out when you
purchase them or get that way through playing or storage.

For the best sound, simply “smoosh” the tube (apply pressure along its length)
with your hands until it becomes basically round again.

1
CARE AND FEEDING

The tubes are very durable and should last indefinitely with normal use.
We recommend:

Avoid whacking abrasive surfaces, which can scratch the tubes. Avoid
whacking directly on the tube’s label.

Avoid use of excessive force. Exercise care with longer tubes to avoid
bending them. Strike the playing surface a few inches from the end of the
tube.

Clean with a soft, damp cloth. Use a mild soap if necessary. Rinse with water and
dry. Store indoors away from sunlight.

PLAYING THE TUBES

Get the right note: Make certain the hand holding the tube is completely on the
tube and not accidentally extending the effective length of the tube or blocking
the column of air exiting the tube. Also, avoid accidentally blocking of ends of
tubes with clothing, etc.

Sweet spot: They have a “sweet spot”—for the best tone—a few inches from the
end of the tube. Experiment because the distance actually varies with the length
of the tube.

Whack on something: Whack almost anything, like a table, a chair, the floor,
your thigh or hand, the side of your shoe … whatever! Different surfaces can
produce different sounds (”timbres”), but always the same musical pitch.

Please use common sense if you choose to whack your body.

Note: This really leads to a sort of “cardinal rule” for playing the tubes with
groups of people. No one should hit anyone else with a tube without that
person’s permission. In certain populations you may need to make it clear
that anyone who does so will have their tube taken away from them and
lose their opportunity to play.

Whack with something: Whack a Boomwhackers® tube in one hand with

something in your other hand, such as a pencil, a stick, a Boomwhacker
Whacker™ Mallet, etc. Other household items that work well: the rounded back
of a spoon or fatter end of a butter knife.

Whack together: Whack two Boomwhackers tubes together and—boom!—you

have a chord (or, technically, a harmonic interval)!

Be creative: Try two in one hand and whack away! (Tough for smaller hands.)
Play them along with other instruments. They’re always in tune! Experiment!
Find the sounds you like.

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR PLAYING

Dynamics (Volume): Raise and lower the volume of the sound by whacking with
more or less force.

2
“Timbre” experiment: Whack a hard surface, such as a table or back of a
wooden chair, and see how the sound (timbre) changes when you cover it with a
towel. Vary the number of layers of the towel.

“Full-body” technique: Hold the tube on the sides (so your fingers are out of
the way) and whack the floor so the entire length of the tube strikes the floor at
the same time.

Pitch-bending: Partially block the end of the tube or extend its length with your
hand to lower the musical pitch.

Tremolo or sustain: The sound produced by the tubes has a very fast decay, so
to get a sustained note, the “tremolo” works best. The basic idea is to move the
tube quickly between two surfaces that are just a few inches apart, striking each
with as equal a force as possible. This can be the opposite hand held a few
inches over the thigh, a hand and table top, between the sides of shoes with feet
relatively close together, etc. Also works great for “rumbles” or “cutting loose.”

OCTAVATOR™ TUBE CAPS

These caps lower the tone by an octave when placed on the end of a tube. Play
the tubes as usual or hold them vertically and tap on the floor, etc., as a
“stamping” tube.

Placed on the higher octave tubes, the caps create the same tones as the bass
octave tubes. Placed on the bass octave tubes, they go down another octave
(contrabass), making a 3-octave range possible.

It can work nicely for a facilitator to put one on the 2-foot-long Red C tube to
get the lower octave sound in driving the pulse. It’s easier to handle than the
bass diatonic C tube, which is over 4 feet long.

Working with Groups

The following is some basic information about ways to use the tubes in
facilitating group musical and rhythmic experiences.

Of course, just plain ol’ experimenting is how a lot of these ideas developed, so
we always encourage that. When we demo the tubes, some of our favorite
things to show people came from kids who simply had the opportunity to
express their own creativity. The suggestions below do not just address rhythmic
ideas, because the tuned nature of the tubes also brings melody and harmony
instantly within reach.

DIATONIC vs. PENTATONIC SETS

Most group facilitators work with the C Major Pentatonic Scale Set rather than
the C Major Diatonic Scale Set. The diatonic scale is the familiar do-re-mi-fa-sol-
la-ti-do that is found on the white keys of the piano, starting on (middle) C. In
this scale, as one familiar with music or the layout of a piano knows, there are
two places where there is only a semitone between notes (and therefore no black
key between the white ones). That is from E to F and from B to the higher octave
C’. The semitone is the most dissonant interval, and so by eliminating the F and
the B, the remaining intervals are more harmonious.

3
So the pentatonic set goes C – D – E – G – A – C’. Because the two most
dissonant tubes have been eliminated, this scale and set is most popular with
rhythm-based event facilitators. Basically any rhythmic patterns can be made up
with any tubes and it will sound fine.

With the diatonic set, by contrast, it is helpful to pay more attention to the
intervals being created in order to avoid the two tones in each pair of semitone
intervals sounding at the same time. On the other hand, the diatonic set makes it
possible to play lots of real songs if that is a desired part of your facilitation. Only
a couple familiar songs can be played with the pentatonic set—one only uses 4
notes (Mary Had a Little Lamb) and the other actually requires a minor
substitution of an E note for one F note that is really in the song (Camptown
Races).

Of course there is also the simple fact that the pentatonic set has 6 tubes, while
the diatonic set has 8, and so there are 2 fewer parts to hand out with the
pentatonic set.

The official colors for the tubes, including chromatics (sharps/flats) look like this:

Alternate
Note Color Color Name
C Red Red
C# Red/Orange Vermillion
D Orange Orange
D# Yellow/Orange Saffron
E Yellow Yellow
F Yellow/Green Lime
F# Green Green
G Blue/Green Teal
G# Blue Blue
A Blue/Violet Indigo
A# Violet Purple
B Red/Violet Magenta

As can be seen in this chart, the colors “Green” and “Purple” both refer to
chromatics notes. As a practical matter, however, when working with the
pentatonic or diatonic sets, the G tube is most commonly referred to as “green”
rather than “teal” and the A tube as “purple” rather than indigo. So we’ll use
those names in the examples below, but put them in quotes as a reminder that
there are chromatics tubes that really are these colors.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Theatre Seating vs. Circle

In most of the situations in which I’ve had the opportunity to facilitate,

participants were already organized into theatre-style seating (rows and rows of
chairs or actual theatre seats with an aisle or two) as a part of some conference,
with other presenters both before and after me. In these situations, there has
also typically been a P.A. system setup and the organizers provide a lav or
headset mic so the crowd can easily hear me. In most cases, there is neither
space in the room to move the participants into a circle format nor time to
“rearrange the furniture” to convert the row seating to a circle.

4
So most of my facilitations have been in this format and I like the fact that I can
see everyone without the constant turning around that is an integral part of
facilitating in a circle (which also means your back is always to someone). There
is also typically a stage so the participants can easily see what I’m doing and
want them to do.

For smaller groups or medium sized groups where you have some control over
the space and layout, there are obvious benefits to using the circle format, which
can outweigh the drawbacks. I believe the biggest of these is the unifying effect
of the circle itself, creating more of a sense of a unified whole.

Sections for Each Tube vs. Random Distribution

This is again one of those things where there are pros and cons to each. I
typically prefer random distribution because I believe it results in the participants
hearing the full song more prominently than if they are in the middle of some
section of tubes where everyone is only playing that one tube. This is particularly
true when working with larger groups where the sections would therefore be
larger.

On the flip side, there is a cohesion that occurs when people are playing the
same thing as the people surrounding them, which is basically what happens
when the tubes are distributed in sections. This format can also make sense
when playing along with specific songs with just a few tube parts (like the three
tubes required to play the fundamental note of each of the three chords for
Louie, Louie for instance), to emphasize the role of those individual parts. At the
Phoenix Suns event I mentioned in the introduction, I arranged the distribution
so that the tubes were distributed in wedge-shaped sections of the arena, so that
melodic chords were formed when doing a “wave” around the arena. In the case,
the facilitator used the diatonic set, and rather than just go up the scale, we
alternated so that the pattern was C-E-G-B (the notes of a C major seventh
chord) D-F-A-C' (the notes of a D minor seventh chord). This effect could never
have been achieved with a random distribution of the tubes.

I suggest you experiment with sections vs. random distribution in your

facilitations with the tubes and see what works best for you.

Other Logistics

The larger the group, the more you have to think about this, everything from
how to get the tubes to the venue (and into the actual room or space in which
the facilitation is to occur) to when and how they are being distributed to the
participants, to if and how they are being collected at the end of your
facilitation. It definitely helps to have helpers assist with the distribution and if
you’re lucky that’s all getting handled for you as you’re being introduced or
making some introductory remarks. One thing that can speed up distribution in
situations where you can’t just have them all out in the hands of the participants
from the get-go is to have large trash bags filled with tubes sitting at strategic
locations for the time the distribution does occur. Or alternatively, if there are
enough helpers, they can quickly move these bags full of tubes to the designated
locations at the proper time. If the participants are sitting in rows, they can easily
pass these bags down the row, grabbing a tube and passing it along.

One of the first events I ever facilitated involved about a thousand kids and I only
had 500 tubes. They were seated theatre-style, so we handed out the tubes to

5
every other row and then had them pass the tubes back roughly half way
through the program. The kids that didn’t have tubes clapped along in rhythm
with the various activities.

Miscellaneous

Here are a few more things to consider. Some people prefer to use sticks to hit
the tubes (timbale sticks or wooden dowels of a similar diameter work well). This
has two principal advantages: it reduces damage to the tubes (which is not
really an issue if the participants are otherwise hitting the tubes on their palms or
legs, but is if they’re hitting a table or back of a chair, etc.), and it eliminates the
concern of someone hitting their hand or other body part too hard and having it
hurt to some degree. Arthur Hull, who switched to using sticks as a means of
having less breakage on our original and too-breakable tubes, told me that he
continues to use sticks with the current, far more resilient tubes, because it gets
the participants used to the concept of hitting an instrument with sticks. That
then comes in handy when he introduces them to wood blocks, bells and the
like.

The drawbacks to using sticks are less sound production (due to the smaller
contact surface, although this can be compensated by hitting the tubes with
more force), a harsher sound due to the “cracking” sound of the actual impact of
the surface of the stick hitting the surface of the tube, a greater potential for
hearing the unwanted resonance of the plastic itself vibrating (in addition to the
desired effect of causing the air to move the tube to produce a tone) and the
simple fact that adding the sticks into the mix means that much more stuff to
transport, distribute and collect. For all those reasons, I don’t use sticks. I will
however suggest to people that if their hand starts to hurt, they can switch
hands (let’s hear it for ambidexterity!), or hit their thigh or some other available
surface (back of chair, etc.).

Occasionally, we’ll have someone ask us about having each participant have two
tubes. I tell them that if the budget is there, by all means go for it. Then I’ll tell
them, “But if you want to have a successful facilitation, make certain each person
is playing two of the same tube!” This can actually be a good technique for
getting more sound from the tubes if they are competing with drums and other
percussion instruments in a typical drum circle setting. But it costs twice as much
for any given number of people, so it seldom happens for “one time” events but
is certainly doable for a facilitator that has enough tubes in their kit for the
particular group they are working with.

Another consideration is making sure you have something set up to hold your set
of tubes that you’re going to facilitate with, and for that matter, remembering to
have a set with you rather than handing them all out! (Voice of experience
speaking here!) If you’re standing while facilitating, which has been 95% of the
time for me (with the other 5% being on the floor where this is a nonissue),
you’re going to want something to put your facilitating set on to make it more
accessible. Probably my favorite item for this is the restaurant-style serving tray
stand, without the tray of course. I don’t own one of these but most hotels have
them, and it is certainly possible to buy one online for around $40 to $50. What I
like about them is the height and the fact that they have a built in “cradle” that
keeps the tubes from rolling off the side. Of course, you have to drape a large
napkin or table cloth over the top or the tubes fall through the straps on top that
hold the two sides together.

6
Other things that work are lecterns, small tables and chair seats, but it is a good
idea to create some means of preventing the tubes from easily rolling off a flat
surface. Otherwise, you’re likely to be bending down to pick tubes up off the
floor with some regularity!

Finally, I have a few words about volume. This is actually one of the benefits of
having a large group working with the tubes rather than drums the volume is far
softer. Being too loud is basically not an issue. When I facilitated an MIT alumni
reunion of about 1100 people in 1997, I had previously only done something
with about 20 people. I had seen Arthur do something with several thousand
people in an outdoor amphitheatre but this was going to be indoors in a theatre
with really good acoustics. The organizers were concerned about the volume,
and even though I said I didn’t think it would really be a problem, they insisted
that I warn anyone wearing a hearing aid that they might need to turn it down.
So I did as they asked, but I don’t really think it was an issue.

At the Suns event with 16,000–17,000 kids at the then America West Arena, the
volume still wasn't an issue. The guitar-thrashing sounds of a 10-year-old “Jimi
Hendrix clone” wailing away through the arena P.A. system at the same time the
tubes were playing was another story, however!

Mixing the tubes with drums and other percussion can definitely create a more
musical circle, but the ratio of tubes to the other instruments needs to be pretty
high for them to be heard. For a hundred people, my recommendation would be
two to three loud drums (djembe, djun-djuns, etc.), 12–15 miscellaneous
percussion (shakers, jingles, wood blocks, bells) and the balance whatever
musical range of tubes you want to work with. Of course, don’t just take my
word for it, because I am most likely not the most objective advisor on this topic.

1. “RUMBLES” and “CHORD RUMBLES”

This particular technique from the drum circle facilitation world is very effective
with Boomwhackers tubes. In Whacky Music’s Glossary for the tubes, we would
call this Smackin’ or Cuttin’ Loose. Smackin’ is playing the tubes without any
rhythmic purpose. The word “rumble” describes very well the sound of a lot of
drums being hit as quickly as possible without paying any attention to a group
pulse. You can “play” a lot with rumbles by bringing volume down and up for the
whole group and also by similarly doing that with alternating subsections of the
group (one getting louder while the others remain soft and shifting it around the
group).

The technique applied to the tubes simply has everyone hitting their tube quickly
and repeatedly for as long as you hold the space to rumble. They may hit their
other hand or the floor (if sitting on the floor) or the chair in front of them as
long as they don’t whack someone sitting in the chair. The beauty of rumbling
with the tubes is you can easily feature their melodic and harmonic nature. A
simple technique is to have everyone with a particular tube rumble that tube
when you raise that tube in the air and then stop when you lower it. Then you
raise and lower them individually, raising the next as you lower the prior. You can
rumble up and/or down the scale (from long to short, short to long) or randomly.

Then the really cool part comes in. Raise a second tube while one is already raised
to get a “chord rumble.” Then lower that pair and raise another pair to highlight
another harmonic interval. Those with a musical background will know that some
intervals will sound better than others, even with the pentatonic set. So it would

7
be best, but not essential, to avoid combinations that have a “whole step”
between them (Red C and Orange D, Orange D and Yellow E, and “Green” G and
“Purple” A, in the pentatonic set). After cycling through several pairs and mixing
up the combinations some (e.g., if you combined Red C and Yellow E the first
time, maybe pair the “Green” G with the Red C the next time), then add a third
note. This starts to get harder to manage, so I usually just continue to “build the
chord” by bringing up additional tubes, doing my best to balance them in the
horizontal pile I’m creating in my raised hand until they are all playing again in a
full rumble. Then I wave the whole batch wildly in the air, looking to see that I
have the group’s attention and then bring the whole batch down quickly to
conclude the rumble.

2. CALL and RESPONSE

Do simple “call and response” for different rhythmic phrases, or ostinatos. For a
variation, have the participants take turns doing the call. (A favorite is always
“Shave and a hair cut, two bits!” but any experienced rhythm facilitator can
create lots of rhythmic patterns on the fly.) It can be helpful to start simple and
get more complex with the patterns over time. For a variation, have the
participants take turns doing the call. I’ve done this with some kid “helpers” at
school assemblies. Sometimes the kid will “freeze” and not know what to do. So
I show them that they can make their call as simple as just one note, and that’s
typically been what they’ll then do. One time a kid did a call something like
“bop-bopboodoop-a-bop-bop-bop-a-boodoop-a-bop-a-bood-a-bop-bop-
boodoop-boo” (you get the picture), so I had to make up a new rule: Don’t do a
call for the group that you can’t exactly repeat yourself!

3. BUILDING a SONG

Assign a different ostinato to different notes and build a song. Initiate the
pattern for one of the tubes (or 2) until the participants with that note can play it
consistently, then add the next note, and so on. There are easier ways and harder
ways to do this, so we’ll discuss them in more detail. The examples are all 4/4
time although an experienced rhythmist can easily apply these techniques to 6/8
as a nice alternative or even more complex rhythms if the participants are more
advanced. Note that all the examples in this Building a Song section assume that
the 1 or 2 illustrated measures will be continuously repeated as long as desired
or until instructions are given to vary the song.

One of the keys to making this “instant music” more interesting is not to get too
much going on with all the tubes, but to keep at least several of the patterns
simple enough that there is musical space for the other patterns to be heard.

PAIRS OF TUBES

A quick, easy way to distribute the ostinatos is to demonstrate the patterns for
two notes at a time as a simple call and response of one note to the other, where
the response need not be an exact repetition of the call. Then move on to the
next pair, and perhaps lengthen the phrase of each pair (say 2 beats instead of
1). Repeat for the third pair with yet a longer phrase (say a full measure of 4
beats).

This way one can hold a note in each hand, and the assigned rhythmic patterns
are covered in 3 steps, instead of 6. This works particularly well for the
pentatonic version as all the note combinations will sound fine, and one needn’t

8
be concerned about how the subsequent pair patterns interact with the previous
ones.

Another advantage to handing out the parts in pairs is that the pulse can be
completely established by the first two parts (i.e., one of the notes is playing on
each downbeat – see Example 1A). Contrast this to the exercise in Example 2A
where the Red C (in the first measure) is playing only on the first beat. What is
establishing the pulse for the remaining beats? One could count it out, or assign
the Red C and the Short Red C’ at the same time and again have a note on each
beat (again assuming the first measure). As you’ll see when we get to that
section, I actually recommend starting with two tubes even when not generally
doing pairs in order to establish the pulse.

By the way, when these kinds of exercises are used in large groups just for the
effect of quickly creating music by repeating patterns, most facilitators or group
leaders just call out the colors (red, orange, yellow, green, purple, short red) for
the six pentatonic notes above. In fact, people tend to get it much more quickly
than working with the notes, but in an educational environment surely some
emphasis on the notes is merited.

Following are some examples to illustrate. We mix up the pairs a little so one can
get the idea of working with different pairs and it is assumed that the patterns
are given out from top pair to bottom pair (to get lengthening “conversations”
between pairs, switching each beat for the first pair, every 2 beats for the second
pair, and every 4 for the third pair). In these examples, the “&” is used as it
commonly is to represent the upbeat, and so each column (starting with “1”)
represents an eighth note.

Example 1A: Pairs; lengthening conversations; identical call & response per pair

Measure: 1 2
Note Color 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

E
C

A
D

C’
G

This simple version is the easiest to “hand out” and easiest for the participants to
get. However, in our experience allowing the response part to vary from the call,
as in the next example, definitely adds to a more musical experience for the song.

9
Example 1B: Pairs; lengthening conversations; response differs from call

Measure: 1 2
Note Color 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

E
C

G
D

C’
A

Again, this simple, slight modification of the response pattern from the call adds
more musical interest.

Next is an example where the calls and responses for the first 2 pair vary from the
first measure to the second.

Example 1C: Pairs; lengthening conversations; calls and responses for 1st 2 pair
may vary by measure
Measure: 1 2
Note Color 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

G
C

A
D

C’
E

This additional varying of the patterns from measure to measure (for the first 2
pair) will create a little more interest in the overall “song,” but is also harder to
keep straight when passing out the patterns. One approach would be to do one
measure until everyone “gets it,” and then do the same for the next measure.
The final step is to put it all together. In most group rhythmic experiences,
however, it simply isn’t necessary to go to this level of complexity. But if you feel
you can keep it straight, then you should be able to work with the group until
they get it and the additional variation in the song may be worth it.

Don’t think too hard about all of this. It comes together pretty quickly, and once
you get the general idea, you can pretty much walk into any situation and “wing
it” on the parts with very acceptable results. The two main aspects are to pick
your pairs and then distribute the relatively simple patterns in 3 steps of
lengthening conversations between the pairs. When you get comfortable with
that, you can explore varying the patterns for the first 2 pair from one measure
to the next. (The third pair already covers 2 measures in their conversation, so
they wouldn’t vary unless you stretched it all out to 4 measures—a more
daunting task!)

10
ONE TUBE at a TIME

This technique will take a little longer to hand out the parts, because they are
being given one at a time, with the recommended exception of the first 2 parts.
The idea is to design a pattern for each of the 6 parts that together create an
pleasing sound, and, if you know enough about music, create more harmonious
intervals sounded by the notes that are playing at any one instant in the song.

In the easier version, as in Example 2A, this can all be accomplished in one
measure. The reason to pass out 2 parts in the beginning is to have at least one
tube sounding on each of the 4 beats of the measure. So in this example, the Red
C sounds on 1 and the Short Red C’ sounds on 2, 3 and 4. So they could be
started together and then the other parts added one tube at a time. Also, in this
example the Orange D also sounds on 2, 3 and 4 (as well as the upbeat between
3 and 4), so alternatively the Red C and Orange D could be used to start the
song.

Of course, one tube could sound on all 4 beats, but it makes for a more
interesting song if you avoid doing that.

Example 2A: One tube at a time; planned pattern; 1 measure

Measure: 1
Note Color 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

C
D
E
G
A
C’

Then, similar to the pair examples, the pattern for some or all of the tubes could
vary from the first measure to the second. Here’s an example where the first
measure has some similarity to Example 2A but things change even more in the
second measure.

Example 2B: One tube at a time; planned pattern; 2 measures

Measure: 1 2
Note Color 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

C
D
E
G
A
C’

You may note that the Short Red C’ does hit on beats 2, 3 and 4 in the first
measure, as in Example 2A, but does not in the second measure. This already
makes this 2-measure grouping of patterns more difficult to hand out with any

11
particular beginning pair. So if you happen to have someone already holding the
pulse with a drum of some sort (which is always nice to have), you can easily get
these patterns going one tube at a time. Otherwise, you may want to structure it
to have an easier combination of patterns for the pair of tubes that you use first
to establish the pulse.

This example also uses a lot of syncopation, where parts come in on or happen
only on an upbeat.

If you want to get even more rhythmically sophisticated, you can look at working
sixteenth notes into the mix. They are often counted as 1-e-&-a-2-e-&-a, etc.
Example 2C shows a variation on 2A in which some of the patterns that were
working in eighths are now switched to sixteenths. Particularly in a one measure
pattern, this can add some musical interest without overly complicating things.

Example 2C: One tube at a time; planned pattern; 1 measure; sixteenth notes

Measure: 1
Note Color 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

C
D
E
G
A
C’

Of course, if you pick up the tempo too much, it won’t be practical to get the
quick double hits needed to keep the pattern in sixteenths.

I once was brought to a conference to work with children of the parents that
were attending. It was sort of an advanced day care with different activities
planned and adults that were with the kids all day. Unbeknownst to the kids and
their supervisors, the conference organizers asked me to have them perform for
the whole group after they had worked up a song. Example 2C is in fact the song
that we worked up along with some of the other activities that are presented
here. When they had it down, I asked if they would like to perform for their
parents and the rest of the conference attendees. Most were excited to do so
(except the few teenagers who decided it just wasn’t “cool”).

They got up on stage, including some of the adult supervisors. I had a drummer
backing me up for the pulse and then built the rhythm back up one tube at a
time by clapping the rhythm to each group playing a specific tube. When we got
the sixth and last tube going so everyone was playing, the audience really got
into it and was clapping along in rhythm. The adult supervisors playing on stage
were having as much or more fun than the kids, and I know it had to be a very
memorable experience, especially for the kids, to get up and perform so
spontaneously in front of about 900 people.

12
4. ONCE THE SONG IS GOING

When a song is created using the techniques in #3, there are a variety of things
that can be done to create more interest than occurs by simply repeating the
same patterns for a long stretch of time. One aspect is covered in #5, where the
participants create their own changes at a particular point. Here we discuss other
things that can be done, either before or after they begin to make the song their
own.

Without carving out any segments of the participant population to work with
separately, the two easiest “global” parameters to work with are dynamics
(volume) and tempo. It works well to play with volume first, taking it softer for a
while and slowly (or quickly) bringing it back up again. Several ups and downs
are possible before it starts to “get old.” Be conscious of not encouraging them
to spend a lot of time in a high-volume mode if they are hitting their opposite
hands or other body parts, because the impact will definitely add up more
quickly.

Then using your “lead tube” or other audible percussion instrument, begin to
slowly build the tempo, or speed, of the pulse. One of my favorite things to do is
to close by speeding up past the point where anyone can possibly keep any
pattern going and the natural result is the now familiar rumble. You can
experiment with slowing them down if you like, but good luck! It’s much easier
to speed this train up than slow it down!

Other techniques involve carving out half the group or some large segment and
having them do various other activities while the rest keep the existing groove
going. People familiar with some of the drum circle techniques that Arthur Hull
has popularized will think of such things for this carved-out group as call and
response, rumbles or rumble waves (varying volume). Let this group “make up
their own” when they come back in, possibly instructing them to listen to what
the song needs and to do that.

5. “MAKE UP YOUR OWN”

Of course, it’s always great to allow the participants to be creative by

encouraging them to experiment. For example, once a pattern is established,
suggest that they add or subtract a note to begin to make their own song, or to
simply “make up their own”.

With a smaller group, particularly if they have already had some experience with
the tubes, try establishing the pulse and let the kids make up their own song
entirely. Or, just as in the Call and Response above, allow a participant to create
the pattern for each particular note and have the others with that note follow
along.

6. MOVEMENT

This may be obvious but one of the benefits of working with the tubes and other
smaller percussion is mobility, so get the participants moving. They can walk in
place with the count to help them establish the rhythm. They can hit the tubes
high and hit the tubes low. They can turn in place, one direction and then the
other. If the structure of the room permits, lead from the center as they form a
circle at a comfortable distance. They could even move in a circle with the song
or snake a “conga line” through the room.

13
7. ENDING A GROOVE

You may already be familiar with this process, but in case you’re not, here are
some suggestions. When speeding up into a rumble, as described in “Once the
Song is Going,” the easiest and quickest way to stop the groove is to count it
out, ideally letting the participants know just before you’re going to do it that
that is what you’re going to do. Of course, those of you that have facilitated
before know that this is most successful when you’ve made a point of getting
everyone’s attention before you count out the end. I usually say something like
“I’m going to count to 4 and then we’re going to stop!” and when I feel I’ve got
everyone’s attention, I say “One, Two, Three, Four, Boom!” Some stops are
cleaner than others, but that comes with the territory. If you’re counting over a
rumble, there isn’t really a pulse, so you can count at whatever tempo is
comfortable. Of course, if you are ending a groove in tempo, you will definitely
want to count the folks out in tempo.

Another main option is to fade out, gradually lowering the volume with
whatever signals you use for that. Another nice effect with the tubes is to filter
the tubes out, giving signals to individual tube parts to stop every couple of
measures until only one is left and then stop that part to finish. This is a variation
on a fade that leaves the participants with more of an awareness of what each
part was contributing. Of course, those of you that have more experience with
working with groups rhythmically will have some other tricks for ending the
groove, like switching from the groove to a series of calls and responses and the
end automatically happens when you don’t do another call.

8. MINI-CONCERT

After the participants have had a little experience with the tubes, break them into
smaller groups to create their own songs (however they want to do that!) and
save some time at the end for the smaller groups to perform what they created
for the rest of the group.

The first time I brought prototypes of the tubes to a school music class, it was a
4th grade class and this is exactly what the teacher did after I gave a quick
demonstration of the tubes. They scattered to different parts of the room in
groups of 4 or 5 to explore, create and work together to come up with
something to present to the rest of the class. It was really great to see what the
kids came up with when they had a chance to exercise their own creativity, and
I’m sure the lesson in teamwork was also beneficial.

9. SIMPLE SONGS

Play simple familiar songs as you would with a bell choir, each tube playing when
its note appears in the song in written music. This is best done with the
diatonic set.

10. PLAYING ALONG WITH FAMILIAR SONGS

We have found this to be a popular activity for corporate events, and Whacky
Music has filled many orders for custom combinations of tubes just for this
purpose. The most popular songs have been Louie, Louie by the Kingsmen and
We Will Rock You by Queen. On really major productions, there can be a live
band playing the actual song and the audience-participants become part of the
band by playing along with the chords of the song, typically just the

14
fundamental note of each chord. Otherwise it is possible to simply play along
with the recorded music.

Louie, Louie is in the key of A, and the tubes needed are a low A (typically
achieved by capping a regular A), D and E (with the pattern A A A D D E E E D
D). “Rock You” can be done with C, D, E and F (with the pattern F E D C D D),
although the actual music is a half step higher and would therefore require the
C#, D#, F and F# tubes (and musically speaking, the notes are actually Db, Eb, F
and Gb).

I once had the opportunity to facilitate a series of regional conferences for a

corporation, and they asked if I could get everyone playing along with yet
another song, Join Together by the Who. I downloaded the song, figured out the
chord structure throughout, which basically had two main sections, and
determined that we could do it with the right 5 notes, including some harmony. I
then put together a PowerPoint presentation that showed the combinations of
notes, the patterns to play and how they were organized into a song. You should
have heard the groans from the participants when the slides went up. But I told
them it looked harder than it really was. We then practiced the parts a few times
and the song was cued up and everyone played along through the whole song. It
was judged a success but it gave me a new appreciation for the spontaneous
music-making that occurs with the “Building a Song” approach discussed at
length above!

11. GAMES and ACTIVITIES

There are many rhythm games that people have made up over the years that can
be used when working with the tubes. It’s an opportunity to exercise your own
creativity to make up some of your own. Whacky Music also produces a number
of books of games and activities for the tubes. Totally Tubular books are designed
for older kids and adults, while the Tube Time books are more for preschool and
early elementary ages. For smaller groups, also consider using the Whack-a
Boom!!™ Boomwhackers® Card Games for some great interactive musical fun.

12. BOOMALONG™ COLOR SIGNALS

Whacky Music has posted these Color Signals on its website,

www.boomwhackers.com, for downloading and printing. The Signals come in
single colors and 2 and 3 colored “swatches” for certain combinations of “open
fifth” harmonic intervals and triads (or three-note chords). Once printed they can
be used in facilitating groups by raising and lowering them or pointing to them,
etc., to signify that certain tubes or groups of tubes should play.

Mini-Conclusion
Obviously we’re just scratching the surface here, but this is enough material to
get you started and spur some ideas of your own. Please feel free to share them
with us or just let us know how it’s going. Have fun!

Oh, and just for fun we’ve included the Boomwhackers® Glossary of Terms on
the reverse. No doubt you’ll glean a few more facilitation tips from just a casual
glance through the Glossary!

Final Words (for now):

Don’t think too much or try too hard. Have fun and your group will too!

15
About Craig Ramsell
Craig Ramsell is the inventor of the Boomwhackers
Tuned Percussion Tubes and President of Whacky Music,
Inc., which produces and distributes the musical tubes
and related products. Having played the classical guitar
for most of his adult life, Craig has been “bit by the
percussion bug” ever since inventing the award-winning
musical tubes. His invention has created a fun and
simple way to make music and has revolutionized
learning music in schools around the world. It also adds
an entirely new dimension to the drum circle experience.

Craig has appeared on several TV programs, and he and his musical tubes have
been written up in Newsweek magazine, The New York Times, and The
Washington Post, as well as several books, most recently a book on inventors and
their inventions, entitled Gadget Nation. He has created memorable musical
experiences with Boomwhackers tubes for numerous groups, ranging from a few
to over a thousand people, including school assemblies, workshops, fund-raising
events, and an MIT alumni reunion. He also produced and composed songs for
and performed on the CD Whack Tracks: The Boomwhackers® Sessions.

16
 Percussion Tubes
GLOSSARY
Okay, so we made up most of these. But you can experience them! A quick read
through the Glossary may awaken your imagination for having even more fun
with the Tubes.

Boppin’ Playing the Tubes with mallets, etc. (Boom O Phone - B O P, bop!).
Cruisin’ Executing really cool moves with your Tubes while Whackin’.
Carvin’ the Air Experiencing the Groove while Boppin’ or Whackin’.
Cuttin’ Loose 1. Doing your own thing.
2. Lots of people doing their own thing, mostly Smackin’ each others’ Tubes.

Duelin’ Whackin’ with one or more other people and producing rhythmic sounds by
striking each others’ Tubes.

Flashin’ Creating your own conspicuous, advanced rhythmic pattern on top of a group
Groove.

Groove The magical space you enter when you’re Boppin’ or Whackin’ by yourself or
with others and experiencing the flow of rhythm you’re making.

Howlin’ Producing any kind of vocal sounds while Whackin’.

Jammin’ Boppin’ or Whackin’ with one or more people playing the Tubes (or other
instruments).

Shakin’ Simultaneous Whackin’ and dancing of any form.

Smackin’ Playing your Tubes without any rhythmic purpose. (See Whackin’.)
Tube Jam The act of Jammin’ with only or mostly the Tubes.
Tubes What everyone automatically calls the Boomwhackers Musical Tubes (because
that’s what they are!).

Tubular Of the nature of the Tubes (in other words, very cool!).
Wailin’ Simultaneous Howlin’ and Shakin’.
Whackin’ Playing the Tubes and keeping a beat! (See Smackin’.)

17
 Miscellan

Here are
Some pe
the tube
dowels o
This has
reduces d
not really
otherwis
palms or
table or b
eliminate
hitting th
hard and
Boppin’ Arthur H
as a mea
Cruisin’ our origi
told me t
Carvin’ the Air with the
because
Cuttin’ Loose the conc
sticks. Th
he introd
Duelin’ and the l

The draw
Flashin’ sound pr
contact s
compens
Groove more for
“cracking
the surfa
Howlin’ surface o
for heari
Jammin’ the plast
the desir
move the
Shakin’ and the s
into the
Smackin’ to transp
all those
Tube Jam however
hand sta
Tubes hands (le
hit their
surface (
Tubular
Alternate Occasion
Wailin’ Note Color Color Name about ha
C Red Red
tubes. I
Whackin’ C# Red/Orange Vermillion there, by
D Orange Orange them, “B
D# Yellow/Orange Saffron successfu
E Yellow Yellow person is
F Yellow/Green Lime This can
F# Green Green getting m
G Blue/Green Teal they are
G# Blue Blue
other pe
A Blue/Violet Indigo
A# Violet Purple drum circ
B Red/Violet Magenta much for
it seldom
but is cer
that has
particula