What makes sounds like a violin, a singer, and a big brass band? A phonograph, of course. It makes the sounds you hear from the records you play. This machine is cutting the sound grooves in a blank...
Hunter in the Darkness
In a cave in Texas, a furry, gray bat hung head downward, his eyes closed. The curved, sharp claws on his toes clung to the rough rock of the cave's ceiling. Even though he slept, the bat could not...
“Seeing” with your ears
When a friend calls your name across the playground, do you know which way to look? Usually you do---your ears tell you. The outer part of your ear traps sound waves and funnels them into your ear....
Rattle and roar
Rattling trucks, roaring jets, squeaking chalk, and creaking doors don't make music. They make sounds we don't want to hear. These unwanted sounds are called noise. Noise is hard to stop. Like other...
Singing and speaking
When you sing, you're a musical instrument---and when you speak, you're not. Singing and speaking are different, even though you make the sounds in almost the same way. You sing and speak by making...
Make your own music
Tap, plink, tweet, and tootle. Here are four simple instruments you and your friends can make. Each instrument belongs to a big family---it has lots of \"relatives" that make music in the same way. ...
Electric music
Some new kinds of musical instruments have no strings, no tubes, and nothing to tap or hammer on. These instruments use an electric current to make special sounds. An electric current makes tiny...
Hammers and strings
> Tiny hammers inside the piano hit the strings when you play. The > vibrating strings make the sounds. Have you ever made music with hammers? If you play the piano, you have. Small hammers hitting...
Musical brass
Where does the loud, sharp sound of a trumpet come from? It all starts with a tiny \"buzz"---a vibration very much like the one you make when you hum. When you play a trumpet, your lips buzz against...
“Wind” songs
Whistling can be music---you can make a tune with ah\ you blow through your lips. Many musical instruments make sounds in the same way---with a stream of vibrating air. A flute is one of these...
