Tissue Box Guitar

Materials:

• Empty tissue box
• 3 elastic bands with different thicknesses   
• A pencil                         
• Tape
• Piece of paper
• Empty paper towel roll

Instructions:

1. Cut the plastic covering on the center of the tissue box.

                              

2. Creating the neck:
1. Take a marker to outline a circle on the shorter face of the box. Make sure the circle is the same size as the empty paper towel roll.

      

2. Cut out the outline you’ve created. The picture shows how the holes are supposed to look.

       

3. Insert the empty paper towel roll in your circular hole. If the roll is loose, put tape to ensure it won’t slip around.

        

3. Adding the strings:
1. Use the rubber band and wrap it around the box for the outer strings. Refer to the picture to understand how it should look.

2. For the middle strings, cut a slit at the bottom part of the neck. Then you can slide your rubber band into the slit. Afterwards, tape over where you cut.

4. Optional:
1. Adding bridges:
1. Fold up index cards so that they are less than 1 cm wide.
2. Place them under the strings, beneath the base of the neck. Tape it to the box on the sides so the tape won’t affect with the strings.

   

2. Decorate!

How does it work?

• Sound is transmitted through a pressure wave within a material. This pressure wave can be  

formed when the object is vibrating back and forth to push air forward and backward.                                        

• Strings:
• Mass of the string:
• Mass is the amount of matter in an object. It does not change with gravitational force, and it is measured in Newtons. The mass of the guitar string affects the vibration. Thicker strings vibrate slower than thinner strings. The slower vibrations occur because the pressure waves are farther apart.
• Tension in the string: The tension is referring to how tightly wound the strings are. If the tension is higher in the strings, it will create a higher pitch. If the tension is small, there is a lower pitch. The tension affects the pitch because a string that has stronger tension will vibrate more, which means the pressure waves are closer together.
• Length of the string: The frequency is the measure of how fast the vibrations are. You would change the length based on where you place your fingers. If you don’t put your finger and strum it, it would create a lower pitch. This action is called an open chord. If you place your finger on the string, it would shorten the length, which gives a higher pitch.

References:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Rainy-Day-Tissue-Box-Guitar!---Great-for-Ki/?ALLSTEPS

http://newt.phys.unsw.edu.au/music/guitar/guitarintro.html