Blue Man Instruments

Cimbalom

The Cimbalom is a delicate antique instrument from Hungary. It is similar to a Hammer Dulcimer except that it is larger and has thicker strings giving it a deeper, more resonant sound. It is normally played gently with soft mallets, but Blue Man Group hit it aggressively with drum sticks, giving it an edgier sound.

Chapman Stick™

The Chapman Stick is one of Blue Man Group's most utilized string instruments. It appears on both Audio and The Complex. It's also used throughout the live performances of the theatrical productions in New York, Boston, Chicago and Las Vegas.

Blue Man’s drums span from 6 inches to 6 feet in diameter. In many cases, Blue Man Group tune their drums to exact notes so that the percussion can follow the chord progression of the songs.

The Drum Wall

The Drum Wall is a two-story structure with seven percussion stations. The Drum Wall is a permanent fixture of Blue Man Group-Live at Luxor and has been since on a 1999 appearance of “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

Airpoles

Blue Man Group’s Airpoles are a series of flexible fiberclass rods that make a satisfying "swoosh" as they slice through the air. There are a few different types of Airpoles and you can hear their contribution on both Audio and The Complex.

The Airpole is heavily featured in the song “Shadows Part 2” where the Blue Man playing it trades riffs with turntablist Rob Swift. The Airpole is also heavily used in the live performance and video for “sing Along,” also from The Complex.

Airpoles are one of Blue Man Group’s favorite invented instruments although they feel the term "found object instrument" might be more appropriate. Airpoles are made of a flexible boat antenna that the Blue Man uses to slice through the air.

Sword Airpoles

The Sword Airpoles are short and thin, which makes them easier to control and more versatile than the other Airpoles. In the Las Vegas production, Sword Airpoles are played by the "Wire Men".

Angel Airpoles

The Angel Airpoles are made by connecting two poles at their thick ends. The result is a balanced instrument that can reach extremely fast tempos. The Angel Airpole is used in "TV Song" on Audio and is used live during "White Rabbit" on The Complex Rock Tour.

Wiper Airpoles

Wiper Airpoles are extra long (up to 18 feet) which makes it possible to play the instruments at slower tempos.

The unique sound of Blue Man Group’s PVC instrument is achieved when polyvinyl chloride pipes are struck with closed-cell foam rubber paddles. The pitch of each note is determined by the length of the tube.

Tubulum

(Tube-you-lum) The Tubulum is similar to the PVC instrument but has more of an updated sound. This instrument is struck with sticks rather than paddles. Its notes reside primarily in the bass range and it is the featured instrument in Blue Man Group’s version of Donna Summer’s classic “I Feel Love” from The Complex. One of the reasons Blue Man Group was so excited to record this song was because the Tubulum does a great imitation of the fast synthesizer arpeggios found in techno music.

Backpack Tubulum

The Backpack Tubulum is a portable Tubulum instrument. It allows the player to move around and launch rockets while playing. This instrument is used live during "Rods and Cones" in the Las Vegas production and again during Blue Man Group's live version of "Baba O'Reilly" on The Complex Rock Tour.

Drumbone

The Drumbone is a percussive spin-off of a trombone. Its sliding tube-within-a-tube design allows it to be lengthened and shortened during a performance, thus creating a variety of pitches. It can also be taken apart and used as two separate instruments which harmonize with each other. The song "Drumbone" which can be found on Blue Man Group's debut album, Audio, is a crowd favorite. The song and piece is played in all four theatrical productions of Blue Man Group and it is also featured on The Complex Rock Tour.

Shaker Gong

The Shaker Gong is a metal-encased matrix of ball bearings suspended from tightly streched surgical tubing. When hit with a large mallet, it produces a sustained, rattlesnake-like sound. This instrument is used on Audio and in various live performances.

Gyro Shot

These spinning, circular rings are filled with ball bearings of varying sizes. Although it looks really good and industrial, no matter how hard Blue Man Group tried, the Gyro Shot ended up sounding like a wimpy “rain stick.” As a result, you will never hear this instrument on a single Blue Man Group recording.

Gary Strips

These long, flat, aluminum sheets create a thunderous, high-frequency alternative to snare drums. Unlike the Gyro Shot, Gary Strips sound pretty good, but they still did not end up being used on any of Blue Man Group’s recording. No one really knows why.