OK so we’ve all made yoghurt pot shakers and rubber band guitars but what lies beyond that? There is little to match the joy of making music on instruments that you have created yourself. This site is not about fine craftsmanship, although attention to detail and aesthetics do matter, but more about creating stuff that creates sound, learning the principles so you can explore for yourself.

This website is aimed at inquisitive musical instrument builders at all levels, many will be the same people who write the articles of their experiences and lessons learned, others want stuff to pass a wet saturday afternoon with the kids.

There is an entire world of musically-usable sounds that are readily accessible. Some instruments are more complicated than others, some require tools and special materials in construction, others simply require imagination and experimentation with household objects – the secret is to enjoy the process and the outcome, learn from your experiences and share with others. If you’ve made something that’s not here, tell us how you made it, send us photographs, audio or video files, a few lines to explain or more would be great.

The site has some theory that is necessary to make an effective instrument, a lot of the content is based on specific instrument projects, each will have core elements that, with a little imagination and understanding, can be applied more widely. Each project will have a skill rating (hard to difficult) and tooling level (none, household, workshop, specialist) indicated. Instruments are categorised using the Sachs Hornbostel system which uses the instrument’s sound-generating element to define the instrument.

THE first book in your builder’s library should be Bart Hopkin’s – Musical Instrument Design. Here Is A Link – It has more inspiration in its pages than you’ll ever need. We builders and inventors owe him big time – Thanks Bart.

NB Disclaimer – this site deals solely with the principles and procedures of making fun musical instruments – you should satisfy yourself that the materials and methods indicated, or those which you select, are safe for you to employ in the manner you intend. Avoid breathing any dust or fumes under any circumstances and wear appropriate safety gear at all times. No responsibility whatsoever is accepted for any event, accident or loss arising from use of this website, and associated or linked sites. No guarantee is made regarding accuracy of information or successful completion of projects, however care is taken to ensure accuracy and relevance. All articles are owned and copyrighted by the individual authors who can remove or request reasonable amendments at any time; they are voluntary contributions and accepted in good faith as the work of the author or attributed appropriately. Plagiarism is unacceptable.

Disclaimer – Whilst every care is taken to ensure that the information given on junkdojo is accurate, it is your personal responsibility to ensure that you and anyone using this information do so responsibly and with appropriate safety precautions, procedures and equipment. There may be risks associated with using materials out of their intended context. No liability is accepted for injury, damage or loss as a result of using the information on Junkdojo, howsoever caused. safety note