C Major Pentatonic (C3-C4)

The design of our Tembos is based on a group of instruments called ‘plosive aerophones’.

To play a plosive aerophone, you simply strike the end of a long tube (traditionally bamboo) to give the air inside a bit of a jolt, this jolt then creates a vibration which makes a distinctive ‘boing’ sound as the air resonates within the tube. The length of the tube determines the pitch (how high or low the note is) and by making a set and varying the length of the tubes, you’ve created an instrument with a musical scale.

We’ve ditched the bamboo and made the Tembos from stainless steel which we tune to the C-major pentatonic scale. A stylish support structure holds the six stainless steel pipes in a vertical orientation with the tallest standing over 3m in height, creating a truly visual and audibly stunning experience.

Both intriguing and addictive, our interactive Tembos allow you to make surprisingly funky music simply by striking them with the durable neoprene paddles provided. Alternatively you could go traditional and use your flip-flops!

Why Tembo? Well, the shape of the instruments reminded us of Elephant Trunks and thus became the inspiration for the name Tembo which means ‘elephant’ in Swahili.

Blues Scale (G, Bb, C, Eb, F, Gb, G)

Playing any instrument with the notes from a blues scale will instantly create a blues vibe – and these plosive aerophones are no different.

The blues goes hand in hand with creating ‘music in the moment’. Rather than thinking about notes or theory, it’s the sound, style, and feel of what you’re playing that matters most.

Our seven blissful notes on the Blues Tembos allow players to don their ‘blues hats’ and make some amazing bluesy sounds.

Diatonic Tembos

C Major Diatonic (C3-C4)

The design of our Tembos is based on a group of instruments called plosive aerophones.

The basic principle of making music on our Tembos is to beat or slap on one end of the tube to create a pressure wave. The length of the tube determines the length of the wave, and different wavelengths make different notes.

These stainless steel Tembos are tuned to the C-major diatonic scale.

Quirky and rather addictive, you can make some surprisingly pleasing deep sounds on the diatonic tembos by striking the notes with the durable neoprene paddles provided.