End Struck Plosive Aerophones

The acronym ESPA is sometimes used for this instrument, but they are more commonly referred to as “Slap Tubes”, or Flip-Flop-o-phones. They are played by striking the open ends with a paddle (or a flip-flop), which vibrates the column of air. The pitch of the note is determined by the length and diameter of each pipe. They have been made from bamboo by indigenous cultures around the world for centuries, including the Kalagong in the Philippines , or the Vietnamese K’long Put, which is played by clapping cupped hands together in front of the tube.

I have installed slap tubes in Raven Hill Discovery Center’s Earth Tones Garden, Charlevoix Public Library’s Children’s Garden, Petoskey Central Elementary Playground, and at Grand Ledge’s River Walk Park.. Those instruments were all made from ABS pipe, in a powder coated steel rack mounted between two 4×4 treated posts. For the Garoon Gateway to Science, I constructed a set made of stainless steel.