My Balloon Instrument Experiment
So yesterday I saw this thing online about making music with a balloon. Sounded kinda silly but I wanted to try it. Grabbed some stuff from my junk drawer:
- Regular party balloon
- Empty water bottle
- Plastic drinking straw
- Scissors
- Rubber band
First I cut the bottom off the plastic bottle. Like really hacked it – edges were all jagged but who cares. Then I blew up the balloon till it was medium big, pinched the neck so no air escaped.
Stretched the balloon’s rubbery part over the cut bottle end. This was messy – balloon kept slipping off so I spilled water everywhere. Finally got smart and used the rubber band to tie it tight around the bottle.
Now the funny part: I stuck the straw through the balloon skin where it covered the bottle opening. Poked it slow so I wouldn’t pop it. Started waving my hands like an orchestra conductor.
Suddenly WHOOP WHOOP noise came out! Sounded like a dying duck at first. Blew harder against the straw and it turned into a freaking foghorn! Did high pitch squeaks when I stretched the balloon skin tighter.
Why This Works
Turns out it’s all about vibrations. When I blow into that straw:
- Air makes the stretched balloon skin wiggle like crazy
- That shaky movement goes through the bottle
- Bottle acts like a speaker that shouts weird sounds
- Stretching the skin tighter = higher notes
Kinda how speakers work but way ghetto. My neighbor banged on the wall so I guess it works too well.
Total experiment time: 10 minutes including cleanup. Kids would love this, though maybe use earplugs. Not bad for stuff destined for the trash bin!