NUM - NUM

ONCE UPON A TIME...

The NUM-NUM is a toy used by children, when they’re pretending to be orchestras or brass bands. In the old days, it was used by people known as “Robertos” (men selling street theater that who used the NUM-NUM to modify their voice).

MATERIAL NEEDED

A cardboard roll (such as the one found in the middle of kitchen paper) and a ½ liter plastic water bottle.

TOOLS AND ACCESSORIES

A penknife or a kitchen knife, some contact adhesive and some sandpaper (Nº150).

HOW TO MAKE THE INSTRUMENT

Cut a hole in the roll roughly 3 cm square, which must then be covered with a piece of cellophane (a sweet wrapper for example). Use contact adhesive to stick the cellophane down nice and tight. Whether or not your NUM-NUM sounds any good depends on making sure that the air can’t escape through the hole that you’ve made in the cardboard roll. If you cut the bottle roughly 5 cm below the neck and then stick this section into the cardboard tube, you’ll create a bell-shaped mouth similar to the one found on wind instruments to amplify the sound.

DECORATION

Who am 1 to advise you about the beautiful decoration you can use for your NUM NUM? Use your own imagination. Look around you and you’ll soon find something with which to decorate the instrument you’ve just made. Remember that you mustn’t place anything over the cellophane film (sweet wrapper). It must be left free to vibrate.

HOW TO PLAY THE INSTRUMENT

Place your mouth over the end closest to the cellophane and try to hum a tune or speak nice and loud, imitating the voice of the “Robertos”.