A rainstick is a long, hollow tube of bamboo or dried cactus that is partially filled with small pebbles, rice, dried beans, or other hard granular matter.[1] The inside surface of the tube has small pins or thorns arranged helically. When the stick is rotated and held upright, the pebbles fall to the other end of the tube, bouncing off the internal protrusions to create a sound reminiscent of falling rain.[2]
The rainstick is believed to have been invented by the Mapuche and was played in the belief it could bring about rainstorms. It was also found on the Chilean coasts, though it is not certain if it was made by the Incas. Rainsticks are usually made from any of several species of cactus such as Eulychnia acida and Echinopsis pachanoi. The cacti, which are hollow, are dried in the sun. The spines are removed, then driven into the cactus like nails. Pebbles or other small objects are placed inside the rainsticks, and the ends are sealed.
Similar instruments can also be found in Southeast Asia, Australia and Africa, where it is often made using bamboo rather than dried cactus.
Rainsticks may also be made with common household materials like paper towel rolls instead of cactus, and nails or toothpicks instead of thorns, and they are often sold to tourists visiting parts of Latin America and also the Southwestern United States (which has a history of Spanish and Mexican cultural influence).
References
- ^ Laurence Libin, ed. (2014). "Rainstick". The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments (2nd ed.). New York City: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-974339-1. OCLC 844074253. OL 28520286M. Wikidata Q124369427.
- ^ Holland, James (2003). Practical Percussion: A Guide to the Instruments and Their Sources. Lanham, Maryland, US: Scarecrow Press. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-8108-5658-5.
Further reading
- Exploratorium Article Make your own rainstick
- "The Rain Golden Stick" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Sb7OfXGhUE
- Moseley, Christine, and Carmen Fies. "Rainsticks: Integrating Culture, Folklore, and the Physics of Sound." Science Activities 44.1 (2007): 2-5. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 27 Sept. 2011.
- Nugent, Jeff. "Permaculture Plants, agaves and cacti" SARI Sept 2011
