Five tubes, one pentatonic scale
This set of aluminium tubular bells consists of five notes in F pentatonic tuning: f2, g2, a2, c3 and d3. A pentatonic scale contains no note that clashes with the others, so whatever order you play them in, the result blends. You can experiment freely even without any musical training.
How the wah-wah sound is made
One end of each tube is open. Strike the tube, then start covering and uncovering the opening with your palm or fingers, and the tone lives on with its characteristic wah-wah pulse. This effect is what makes the instrument special: a single stroke turns into a long, undulating stream of sound.
Long, overtone-rich sustain
The aluminium tubes have an outer diameter of 3 cm, and their length changes with the pitch: f2 = 22.5 cm, g2 = 21 cm, a2 = 19 cm, c3 = 16.5 cm, d3 = 15 cm. The tone rings clearly, sustains for a long time and carries plenty of overtones. Each tube comes with a rubber mallet.
In the studio, on stage, in workshops
Wah-wah tubes are often used as a distinctive colour on recordings, as an effect in live playing, and in music education and sound therapy sessions. Being light and compact, the whole set fits into a small bag.