What is a Boomwhacker?

A Boomwhacker is a percussion instrument in the plosive aerophone and idiophone family.[1] They are lightweight, hollow, color-coded, plastic tubes, tuned to a musical pitch by length. They were first produced by Craig Ramsell through his company Whacky Music in 1995. The term is now a registered trademark by Rhythm Band Instruments.[2]

History

Boomwhackers evolved at a time when junk bands and performers using instruments made from recycled materials were popular. Bands often used gas pipes or various cast-offs from plumbers that were cut to length to produce different pitches when struck on an open end. Schools, meanwhile, created their own junk bands as a cheap way to simultaneously promote creativity and encourage recycling. However, creating a custom kit was labor-intensive, leaving a niche for Boomwhackers, which are premade and mass-produced.[3]

American Craig Ramsell reportedly came up with the idea for his Boomwhackers in 1994 while at home recovering from radiation therapy. While cutting cardboard tubes into shorter lengths for recycling, he noticed the different pitches resulting from the different lengths and decided to investigate their creative potential. He experimented with various plastics before settling on plastic mailing tubes.[2] He and his wife, Monnie Ramsell, formed DrumSpirit as a sole proprietorship to market the tubes. The original plastic Boomwhackers were first produced in 1995. The current, more durable version was released in 1997.