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A rainstick is a long, hollow tube which is filled with small baubles such as beads or beans and has small pins or thorns arranged helically
Helix

A helix is a special kind of space curve, i.e. a Differentiable manifold curve in three-space. As a mental image of a helix one may take the spring ....
 on its inside surface. When the stick is upended, the beads fall to the other end of the tube, making a sound reminiscent of a rainstorm as they bounce off the pins.






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Rainstick 01


A rainstick is a long, hollow tube which is filled with small baubles such as beads or beans and has small pins or thorns arranged helically
Helix

A helix is a special kind of space curve, i.e. a Differentiable manifold curve in three-space. As a mental image of a helix one may take the spring ....
 on its inside surface. When the stick is upended, the beads fall to the other end of the tube, making a sound reminiscent of a rainstorm as they bounce off the pins. They have become very popular in the last 30 years, and are often sold to tourists.

The rainstick is generally considered to have been invented in Chile
Chile

Chile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow coastal strip wedged between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean....
, and was played in the belief that it could bring about rainstorms. Rainsticks are usually made from any of several species of cactus
Cactus

A cactus is any member of the spine plant family Cactaceae, native to the Americas. They are often used as ornamental plants, but some are also Crop plants....
. The cacti, which are hollow, are dried by the sun. The spines are removed, and driven back into the cactus, like nails. Pebbles or other small objects are placed inside the rainstick, and the ends are sealed off. A sound like falling water is made when the rainstick is inverted.

Rainsticks may be made with other common materials like paper towel rolls instead of cactus, and nails or toothpicks instead of thorns. This can be a fun activity for children, and many instructions for this activity can be found online.

Playing Technique


The rainstick can be held at a 45 degrees angle, allowing the beads to fall gradually, and creating an atmospheric effect like the sound of rainfall. It can also be tapped to make a more controlled sound, or it can be used to create percussive rhythms as a shaker
Shaker (percussion)

The word shaker describes a large number of percussive musical instruments used for creating rhythm in music.They are so called because the method of creating sound involves shaking them?moving them back and forth rather than striking them....
. If the rainstick is turned upside down slowly it will last longer and make a better sound.

External links

  • There is an article in a Peruvian journal, Quepo (Roque & Ramirez 2005. [https://share.acrobat.com/adc/document.do?docid=08a48f5c-079b-46a4-9a1f-595b2aa5aed5 Palos de lluvia y Cactaceas]) which describes the Peruvian species of cacti used to make these instruments.