Thumb Piano My Grandpa, Rick and Mom all helped me to make my instrument. My mom and I read the instructions so we would know what we needed to make the Thumb Piano. My Grandpa cut the wood. He and I glued the pieces together and then used a nail gun to make sure it would stay. I used a drill to make holes in the top of the box that Grandpa and I made. Rick and I used a grinder to round and shine the tines of a rake. The tines are used to make the sound. We screwed the tines to the top of the box above the holes at an angle so that each tine would make a different note. It took us all day to make my instrument. The next day I stained it. To make the brassy sound you need to strum the tines of the Thumb Piano with your fingers. I can make my instrument sound many different ways. If I strum it hard it makes a loud dynamic. If I strum it soft it makes a soft sound. The tines on one end have a low pitch and the others have a high pitch.