Tembos - playground aerophones

The design of our Tembos is based on a group of instruments called ‘plosive aerophones’. Plosive Aerophones are such a simple idea but make pretty awesome outdoor musical instruments. These music-making instruments, look and sound so intriguing visitors cannot resist having a try when they encounter them. They are so easy and rewarding to play and yet most people have never heard of them before.

To play a plosive aerophone, you simply strike the end of a long tube (traditionally bamboo) to give the air inside a bit of a jolt, this jolt then creates a vibration which makes a distinctive ‘boing’ sound as the air resonates within the tube. The length of the tube determines the pitch (how high or low the note is) and by making a set and varying the length of the tubes, you’ve created an instrument with a musical scale.

We’ve ditched the bamboo and made the Tembos from stainless steel which we tune to:

C Major Pentatonic (C3-C4),

C Major Diatonic (C3-C4) or 

Blues Scale (G, Bb, C, Eb, F, Gb, G).

A stylish support structure holds the  stainless steel pipes in a vertical orientation with the tallest standing over 3m in height, creating a truly visual and audibly stunning experience.