Rainsticks

Rainsticks are percussion instruments that recreate the sound of falling rain as pebbles or beads move through a tube lined with pins.
The instrument is most closely linked to the indigenous peoples of Chile, particularly the Diaguita, who made it from cactus tubes filled with pebbles.
It was also played widely in the Andean music of Peru, and its exact origin is still unknown.
The bamboo rainsticks in this range are hand-painted with water and animal designs.

Rainstick size decides how long the sound lasts.
The 20cm gives a short, light trickle and suits small hands, while the 60cm and 100cm give a fuller pour.
If you want a slow cascade for meditation or a sound bath, choose the 120cm or 150cm.
All five bamboo sizes are 5cm wide, so the length is what changes the sound.

Rainsticks are played by tilting, so the pebbles fall through the pins from one end to the other.
For a longer, slower sound, tip the tube at a shallow angle rather than straight up. A steeper tilt gives a quicker, fuller rush.
With a rain column, turn it slowly and let the beads finish moving before you turn it back, so the next cycle starts from a full chamber.

A rainstick is a narrow bamboo tube that gives one cascade each time you tip it, from a short trickle on the 20cm size to several seconds on the 150cm.
A rain column has a pentagonal pine body, cork ends, and interior chambers that slow the beads down, so one turn lasts minutes rather than seconds.
The 51cm, 61cm, and 82cm rain columns run for about 6, 12, and 16 minutes, and the 53cm runs for about 3.

Inside the bamboo rainsticks is a series of metal pins in an ascending spiral, with small pebbles that strike the pins as they fall.
Rain columns use metal and glass beads that move through interior chambers in a pine body, sealed with cork at both ends.
Every rainstick and rain column is checked before it goes out, making sure there is a nice even flow and sound and no internal obstructions can be felt or heard.

Rainsticks need no playing skill and make sound the moment they are tipped, and the 20cm size is the easiest for small hands.
The pebbles are sealed inside, but supervise very young children and keep the rainstick away from rough handling.
For a longer sound in class, the 51cm rain column runs for about 6 minutes, enough for a short sensory exercise.

In sound healing, rainsticks and rain columns differ in control and duration.
A rainstick gives one cascade per tilt, so the player decides exactly when the rain starts and stops.
A rain column keeps running after a single turn, which leaves the player’s hands free for singing bowls or a handpan.
The 82cm column runs for about 16 minutes before it needs turning again.

Keep bamboo rainsticks away from long periods of direct sunlight, as the bamboo can expand or crack.
Wipe rain columns with a soft, dry cloth and store them somewhere dry, away from moisture.