Homemade Puilis And Ideas

Submitted by Martha Stanley, Tallahassee, Florida

Idea posted November 18, 2004

I love and have made dozens of puilis (also correctly spelled pu'ilis). Puilis are bamboo rattles. What rattles are the "tines" that are slit into the green bamboo. They are usually portrayed as being used in pairs, but I rarely use them that way. Seated hulas (yes, they exist) often include a single puili, with the other hand used for expressive movement. They last a really long time and are very adaptable as percussion instruments or movement manipulatives in the classroom.

• Do NOT put your lips on them. (It is very tempting to blow into the handle sections.)
• Do not put your fingers into the top or bottom of the puili.
• Hold the puili in your strong hand and tap with your other open palm. If you do it too hard, it hurts.
and lastly (I make a big deal out of this, and it works):

• Do NOT rub them up and down with your hand, because you will get splinters. I let them know that since they receive this warning, "I'll feel sorry if you get hurt, but it was your own fault. You'll have to wait for your mom to get the splinter out." (They know that I give one warning for one offense and then I say, "I'm so sorry that you have to put that up now. What a shame!")

I use puilis interchangeably with rhythm sticks (i.e., A section - sticks and B section - puilis). I use them a lot with my little people for timbre contrast with sticks. They play both with a moving hand, a still hand and drum, tambourines, etc. It's a good prep.

The rattle sound is lovely. I really do like these instruments. They are so much kinder to my ears than maracas, most especially with those younger players.

If you live anywhere where bamboo or river cane grows, you can get puilis for free. Just let your community know you want some good-size bamboo.

• Find a stand of bamboo a minimum of 1" in diameter or larger. (Larger is good.)

Warning: do not start with bamboo that is already cut. If the green is starting to go away and it is drying out, making the puili gets a lot more tedious (splinter heaven). Fresh is good.



• Get started.

Cut down the stalk, and strip off the leaves with an ax or a machete. Cut the stalk-ettes and leaves off. Cut flush with the main branch. You may need to cut stubble from joint areas with the saw. Discard the scraps.



• Remove excess stalk.

Eyeball the stalk as the top part may be too small to use. Cut off and discard the portions that are not suitable. (You can hot glue the discarded pieces around picture frames for decoration.) You will enjoy working with puilis that are just big enough for you to put your thumb or largest finger into (and out of). Smaller sizes work, but go for bigger if you can. I recommend the inner diameter of the puili to 1" to 1.25".



• Cut the stalks to size.

Eyeball the stalk again, and look at the knots and joints. Plan it out so you get the most from your stalks. To make the handle, you'll want to use your saw to cut the puili at a spot about 4"to 5" below a knot. Then, you'll want to cut the top end of the puili so that will be between 16" and 18" inches in TOTAL length. If the length is any shorter, it doesn't produce a good sound. If the length is longer, it can work, but it's a little unwieldy. The top section of the puili should not have any joints in it.



• Cut the tines.

This next part is very simple if you are CAREFUL and use a heavy SHARP knife or cleaver. (Green bamboo slices very easily.)

• Place the handle of the puili between your knees and get a good grip on it.
• For the safety of your knees, ensure that the handle joint is higher than your skin. That way when you slice, the joint will prevent the knife from cutting too far.
• Take the knife (picture it like this: - O - ) on each side of the top of the bamboo. I suggest holding the handle of the knife in one hand and pushing down on the blade with the other blade. It is more balanced that way.
• Slice downward vertically, cutting the tube into two (mostly) equal sections.
• Rotate the bamboo 90 degrees and repeat until you have the tines in eighths. Quarters tines don't work and 16ths break easily and don't make a satisfactory sound.
• Let dry.

They will not be completely dry and yellow looking for approximately ten months, but they are usable immediately. When you store them, allow them to breathe and air dry in an open box.

You prefer a more finished product, take some sandpaper or a sandpaper block and smooth out any places with sharp edges. This is much easier to do when the puilis are green. Kids can handle the sanding portions, but I wouldn't let them do anything else.

Anything that you would do with rhythm sticks, you can do with puilis. I divide my class so that half the class uses puilis and the other half rhythm sticks. We use puilis starting in kindergarten. I have one group play to accompany a march, for example. The other group plays every 16 bars, then every eight bars, and then they play at random. I love playing at random as it brings up focus requirements. This is also the point I like to introduce music sign language or conducting.

I tell them, "It would sound terrible if I started shouting directions while we were on stage showing your parents how cool this is. So instead, we use a music sign language so that we can communicate without talking. What's so great about this is that people ALL over the world know how to use this music sign language. If you went to China, you'd see people doing these same signs. I figure you ought to learn it, and it's easy."

They start learning entrances and cut-offs really early that way. I use the term "music sign language," but later in the year I bring in the word "conducting." I then show the students what my entrance, cut-off, and "get ready, something's about to happen" cues look like. It's so cute when a kindergartner can actually conduct and make it work.

If you have an AB song, accompany on the steady beat: use puilis for A and sticks on B. I only use one puili or two sticks per kid. They learn that one hand moves and one is still. (This is true for nearly all non-pitched percussion.) I let them get used to these two manipulatives and then, later on, expand into other things.

I've been successful with hand drums with kindergartners, but ONLY after they have experience with puilis/rhythm sticks and have internalized the difference between hands.

I like to pass instruments out and use them for movement. ("Copy me" or mirroring stuff is nice.) Do this with just a puili. Another day use two rhythm sticks.

In first and second grades, I have one group play the chant rhythm while the other plays the beat, and then they switch. The timbres are distinct enough that they can hear what's going on. Then we can advance to other timbres. It's also a perfect time to start noticing the need to listen for dynamic control and balance.

I always tell my kids, "I just LOVE the sound of these sticks - the click click is so neat," and son-of-a-gun, they buy it. And puilis are so special...they just LOVE those too.