The concept of a pipe instrument is not new. As far as we’ve been able to ascertain, tube type instruments developed from the resonators of the Marimba in the 1930’s. The earliest example of a self contained pipe instrument was this one found at the Percussive Arts Society Museum in Oklahoma. It was used for sound effects in Disney cartoons starting in 1945. It was made from Bamboo and did not resonate. The sound was a very dry pop sound. Cute and funny but not very musical.

Boobams seem to have been the next development. With drum heads originally mounted on four inch diameter bamboo, these became popularized in the 1950’s in shows like Pirates of Penzance. Rich O’donnell of the Saint Louis Symphony and Brent Lewis did a lot of experimenting and recording with full chromatic sets of instruments made with pvc pipe. However, these morphed into today what we call Octobans.

In the 1990’s the Blue Man Group came to prominence with the Blue Man Group show. A smashing success, the Blue Man Group used an instrument similar to the early bamboo Disney instrument shown above. However, instead of using Bamboo they went strictly with pvc pipe, which has a smoother inner wall and provides a little more resonance to move it into the category of musical instrument. These pipes were simply tubes cut to the length of the note and twisted and curved into all sorts of crazy configurations. However, the sound remained a dry pipe sound augmented through miking. Great Show

Invented in 1994 by Craig Ramsell, Boomwhackers have become all the rage in music education classrooms and as toys for children. Winning numerous awards, the boomwhackers have become a favorite among parents and educators. The color coding has set the standard in the industry. Joia Tubes have also adapted to this standard. Many books and educational materials have been written as well. Go Craig!

Designed by Rick Kramer the Joia Tubes were developed to be a more orchestral sounding instrument. By sealing the bottom of the tube and resonating the sound back out through the top of the instrument, we have doubled the resonating effect, allowing for a more sustained note. Also, our concave design on the playing surface compresses more air into the tube, giving even greater resonance and volume. The stand we developed allows for tremendous flexibility and also allows the tubes to resonate to their full effect. The Joia Tubes, whether used professionally, educationally or therapeutically, offer rich, melodic and specific pitches that resonate as a beautiful musical instrument.

The Joia Tubes are hand-crafted in the USA. If you have further information about the development of tube instruments, please let us know so we can include it here.