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[[Image:Kazoo-s.jpg|thumb|Examples of kazoos]]
[[Image:Kazoo-s.jpg|thumb|Examples of kazoos]]


The '''kazoo''' is a musical instrument that adds a "buzzing" [[timbre|timbral]] quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is a type of ''[[eunuch flute|mirliton]]'', which is a [[membranophone]], one of a class of instruments which modifies its player's voice by way of a [[vibration|vibrating]] [[membrane]].
The '''kazoo''' is a musical instrument that adds a "buzzing" [[timbre|timbral]] quality to a player's voice whenzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


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==Playing==

A kazoo player [[Hum (sound)|hums]], rather than blows, into the instrument.<ref name = "howto">[http://www.kazoos.com/pub/ How to Play Kazoo], Kazoos.com, 2013, accessed July 12, 2013</ref> The oscillating air pressure of the hum makes the kazoo's membrane vibrate.<ref name = "howto" /> The resulting sound varies in pitch and loudness with the player's humming. Players can produce different sounds by singing specific syllables such as ''doo'', ''who'', ''rrrrr'' or ''brrrr'' into the kazoo.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=kazoo+kid&*|title=Google|website=www.google.ca|language=en-CA|access-date=2017-03-22}}</ref>zzz


==History==
==History==
Line 11: Line 12:
[[File:Kazoo manufacturing steps.JPG|thumb|left|Kazoo manufacturing steps]]
[[File:Kazoo manufacturing steps.JPG|thumb|left|Kazoo manufacturing steps]]


KAZOOO KIIID KAZOO KIIID KAZOOOOOOOOOO CHIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLDDDDD THEEEEEEEEEE KAZZOOOOO CHILD THEEEEEEEE KAZOOOOOOOO OVERRRRRRRRRRRRRLOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRDDDDDD THEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Similar hide-covered vibrating and voice-changing instruments have been used in [[Africa]] for hundreds of years, often for ceremonial purposes. A popular belief is that Alabama Vest, an African-American in [[Macon, Georgia]], was the one who invented the kazoo around 1840. However, there is no documentation to support that claim.<ref name = "Harness">Harness, Jill, [http://mentalfloss.com/article/29859/great-moments-kazoo-history Great Moments In Kazoo History], Mental Floss, January 28, 2012, accessed July 12, 2013</ref>


KAAAAAAAAAAAAZZZZZZOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFF THHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE UUUUUUUUUNNNNNIIIIVEEERRRRSSSEEE
The first documented appearance of a kazoo was that created by an American inventor, Warren Herbert Frost,<ref name = "Harness" /> who named his new musical instrument ''kazoo'' in his patent #270,543 issued on January 9, 1883. The patent states, "This instrument or toy, to which I propose to give the name 'kazoo' "..."<ref name="Frost">[http://www.google.com/patents/US270543 Kazoo Patent], U.S. Patent Office, Washington, D.C., accessed July 12, 2013</ref> Frost's kazoo did not look like present-day submarine-shaped kazoos. The modern kazoo—also the first one made of metal—was patented by George D. Smith of [[Buffalo, New York]], May 27, 1902.<ref name = "Harness" /><ref name = "Smiths">[http://www.google.com/patents/US700986 Smith's Kazoo Patent], U.S. Patent Office, Washington, D.C., accessed July 12, 2013</ref>

In 1916, the Original American Kazoo Company in [[Eden, New York]] started manufacturing kazoos for the masses in a two-room shop and factory, utilizing a couple of dozen [[Die (manufacturing)|jack presses]] for cutting, bending and crimping metal sheets. These machines were used for many decades. By 1994, the company produced 1.5 million kazoos per year and was the only manufacturer of metal kazoos in North America.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Allen|first1=Frederick|title=The Kazoo Monopoly|journal=American Heritage of Invention & Technology|date=Winter 1994|volume=9|issue=3|url=http://www.innovationgateway.org/content/kazoo-monopoly-1|accessdate=18 August 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Wolk|first1=Bruce H.|title=Made here, baby! the essential guide to finding the best American-made products for your kids|date=2009|publisher=American Management Association|location=New York|isbn=9780814413890|page=258|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Uj3ypHgzlWYC&pg=PA258|accessdate=18 August 2014}}</ref> The factory, in nearly its original configuration, is now called The Kazoo Factory and Museum. It is still operating, and it is open to the public for tours.<ref name = "Harness" />

In 2010, [[The Kazoo Museum]] opened in [[Beaufort, South Carolina]] with exhibits on kazoo history.<ref name=Jordan>{{cite news |title=Kazoo factory tunes in to Beaufort County |first=Meredith|last=Jordan |newspaper=Bluffton Today |date=October 7, 2010 |url=http://www.blufftontoday.com/news/2010-10-07/kazoo-factory-tunes-beaufort-county |accessdate=October 26, 2010}}</ref>


==Professional usage==
==Professional usage==
{{listen|filename=NoiseCollector KazooA.wav |title=A kazoo |format=[[Wav]]}}
{{listen|filename=NoiseCollector KazooA.wav |title=A kazoo |format=[[Wav]]}}


Only kazoo kid. If you are a professional kazoo player, are you ok?<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=mental+health+specialists&*|title=Google|website=www.google.ca|language=en-CA|access-date=2017-03-22}}</ref>
The kazoo is played professionally in [[jug band]]s and [[comedy]] music, and by amateurs everywhere. It is among the acoustic instruments developed in the United States, and one of the easiest melodic instruments to play, requiring only the ability to vocalize in tune.<ref name = "Harness" /> In [[North East England]] and [[South Wales]], kazoos play an important role in [[juvenile jazz band]]s. During [[Carnival]], players use kazoos in the [[Carnival of Cádiz]] in Spain and the [[Murga]] in Uruguay.

[[Image:NYA rhythm band Illinois.gif|thumb|350px|[[National Youth Administration]]: "rhythm band" plays in [[Sandwich, Illinois]], 1936]]

In the [[Original Dixieland Jass Band]] 1921 recording of ''Crazy Blues'', what the casual listener might mistake for a trombone solo is actually a kazoo solo<ref name = "Harness" /> by drummer [[Tony Sbarbaro]] or [[Red McKenzie]] (as also seen in their 1929 film short).<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=P5QFR4whDdo#at=27 Mound City Blue Blowers "St. Louis Blues" 1929], performance video 1929, accessed July 12, 2013</ref> The [[Mound City Blue Blowers]] had a number of hit kazoo records in the early 1920s featuring [[Dick Slevin]] on metal kazoo and Red McKenzie on comb-and-tissue-paper (although McKenzie also played metal kazoo). The vocaphone, a kind of kazoo with a trombone-like tone, was occasionally featured in [[Paul Whiteman]]'s Orchestra.<ref name="Rayno2012">{{cite book|first=Don|last=Rayno|title=Paul Whiteman: Pioneer in American Music, 1930-1967|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n-hYmPstZmIC&pg=PA608|accessdate=12 July 2013|date=19 December 2012|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-8322-2|pages=608–}}</ref> Trombonist-vocalist [[Jack Fulton (singer)|Jack Fulton]] played it on Whiteman's recording of ''Vilia'' (1931) and [[Frankie Trumbauer]]'s ''Medley of [[Isham Jones]] Dance Hits'' (1932). [[The Mills Brothers]] vocal group originally started in vaudeville as a kazoo quartet, playing four-part harmony on kazoo with one brother accompanying them on [[guitar]].<ref>[http://www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/mills_brothers.html The Mills Brothers - Inductees], Vocal Group Hall of Fame, accessed July 12, 2013</ref>

The kazoo is rare in [[European classical music]]. It does appear in [[David Bedford]]'s ''[[With 100 Kazoos]]'', where, rather than having professionals play the instrument, kazoos are handed out to the audience, who accompany a professional instrumental ensemble.<ref name = "Harness" /> [[Leonard Bernstein]] included a segment for kazoo ensemble in the First Introit (Rondo) of his ''[[Mass (theatre)|Mass]].'' The kazoo was used in the 1990 [[Koch International]] and 2007 [[Naxos Records]] recordings of American classical composer [[Charles Ives]]' ''Yale-Princeton Football Game'', where the kazoo chorus represents the football crowd's cheering. The brief passages have the kazoo chorus sliding up and down the scale as the "cheering" rises and falls.

In [[Frank Loesser]]'s score for the 1961 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical comedy ''[[How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (musical)|How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying]]'', several kazoos produce the effect of electric razors used in the executive washroom during a dance reprise of the ballad ''I Believe in You''.

[[Jesse Fuller]]'s 1962 recording of his song "San Francisco Bay Blues" features a kazoo solo,<ref name = "SF">Peter Siegel, liner notes to ''Friends of Old Time Music'' ([[Smithsonian Folkways]], SFW40160) [http://media.smithsonianglobalsound.org/liner_notes/smithsonian_folkways/SFW40160.pdf Media.smithsonianglobalsound.org]</ref> as does [[Eric Clapton]]'s 1992 recording of the song on MTV's Unplugged television show and album. On the song "Alligator" on the [[Grateful Dead]] album [[Anthem of the Sun]] three members of the band play kazoo together. Many [[Paolo Conte]] performances include kazoo passages.

Short kazoo performances appear on many modern recordings, usually for comic effect. For example, in his first album, ''[[Freak Out!]]'', [[Frank Zappa]] used the kazoo to add comic feel to some songs<ref name = "Harness" /> — including one of his best known, "[[Hungry Freaks, Daddy]]". In the song "[[Crosstown Traffic (song)|Crosstown Traffic]]" from the album ''[[Electric Ladyland]]'', [[Jimi Hendrix]] used a comb-and-paper instrument to accompany the guitar and accentuate a blown-out speaker sound.<ref name = "Harness" /><ref>[http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=5051 Crosstown Traffic by Jimi Hendrix], Songfacts, 2013, accessed July 12, 2013</ref> The song "[[Lovely Rita]]", from [[the Beatles]] album ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'', uses combs-and-paper instruments.<ref name = "Harness" /><ref>{{cite book| last=Lewisohn| first=Mark| year=1988| authorlink=Mark Lewisohn| title=The Beatles Recording Sessions| publisher=[[Harmony Books]]| location=New York| isbn=0-517-57066-1}}</ref> Kazoo playing parodied the sound of a military brass band in the [[Pink Floyd]] song "[[Corporal Clegg]]".<ref>[http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=6811 Corporal Clegg by Pink Floyd], Songfacts, 2013, accessed July 12, 2013</ref> Both [[Freddie Mercury]] and [[Roger Meddows-Taylor|Roger Taylor]] play kazoos in "Seaside Rendezvous", a pastiche of 1920s jazz, on [[Queen (band)|Queen]]'s 1975 album ''[[A Night At The Opera (Queen album)|A Night At The Opera]]''.
In the [[McGuinness Flint]] recording ''[[When I'm Dead and Gone]]'', [[Benny Gallagher]] and [[Graham Lyle]] play kazoos in harmony during the instrumental break. [[The New Seekers]]' live track ''(Ever Since You Told Me That You Loved Me) I'm A Nut'' features a kazoo solo by singer [[Eve Graham]]. British singer-songwriter [[Ray Dorset]], the leader of pop-blues band [[Mungo Jerry]], played the kazoo on many of his band's recordings, as did former member Paul King.

One of the best known kazooists of recent times is [[Barbara Stewart (composer)|Barbara Stewart]] (1941–2011).<ref name = "Harness" /> Stewart, a classically trained singer, wrote a book on the kazoo, formed the "quartet" Kazoophony, performed kazoo at [[Carnegie Hall]] and on the ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]'' television show.<ref name = "Harness" /><ref name="Stewart2006">{{cite book|first=Barbara|last=Stewart|title=The Complete How to Kazoo [With Kazoo]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZhDx0XKwzPkC|accessdate=July 12, 2013|year=2006|publisher=Workman Publishing Company|isbn=978-0-7611-4221-8}}</ref> The [[steampunk]] band [[Steam Powered Giraffe]] has audience members play kazoos at some of their concerts. They also sell Kazookaphones, a standard kazoo with optional bugle horn and phonograph.

The kazoo is used regularly on the radio show ''[[I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue]]'', and kazoos are given to all audience members on show tours.

The video game ''[[Yoshi's New Island]]'', released in 2014, has synthesized kazoos in several tracks of its soundtrack.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Orland|first1=Kyle|title=Review: Yoshi’s New Island is a solid new Yoshi’s Island|url=http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/03/review-yoshis-new-island-is-a-solid-new-yoshis-island/|accessdate=14 August 2016|date=13 March 2014}}</ref>

The American glam metal band [[Steel Panther]] released in December 2014 the Christmas track "The Stocking Song", which includes a kazoo hook from ''[[Deck the Halls]]''.

The Australian psychedelic rock band [[Tame Impala]] released a single in 2009 "Sundown Syndrome", which includes kazoo rhythmic part.

The Swedish rock band [[Ghost]] have performed live acoustic renditions of their song "Ghuleh/Zombie Queen", which features the kazoo in place of the recorded version's keyboards.


==Records==
==Records==
Look up kazoo on google. If you don't know how go jump out your window. Or just use this<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=kazoo+kid&*|title=Google|website=www.google.ca|language=en-CA|access-date=2017-03-22}}</ref>
On March 14, 2011, the audience at BBC Radio 3's Red Nose Show at the Royal Albert Hall, along with a star-studded kazoo band, set a new [[Guinness World Record]] for Largest Kazoo Ensemble. The 3,910 kazooists played Wagner's ''[[Ride of the Valkyries]]'' and the [[Dambusters March]].<ref name ="GWR">[http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/3000/largest-kazoo-ensemble Largest Kazoo Ensemble], Guinness World Records, 2013, accessed July 12, 2013</ref> This surpassed the previous record of 3,861 players, set in Sydney, Australia in 2009.<ref name="bbc.co.uk">[http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2011/03_march/15/kazoo.shtml BBC Radio 3's Red Nose Show breaks Guinness World Records title for largest ever kazoo ensemble], Big Red Nose Show, March 15, 2011, accessed July 12, 2013</ref> The current record of 5,190 was set later the same night in a second attempt.<ref name ="GWR" />

On August 9, 2010 the [[San Francisco Giants]] hosted a [[Jerry Garcia]] tribute night, in which an ensemble of an estimated 9,000 kazooists played ''[[Take Me Out to the Ball Game]]''.<ref name="sfgiant01">{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/sports/Giants-Fans-Kazoos-Create-World-Record-Buzz-100394269.html |title=Giants Fans' Kazoos Create World Record Buzz |accessdate=2010-08-14 |publisher=NBC Universal, Inc. |work=NBC Bay Area |first=Joe|last=Kukura |date=August 2010}}</ref>


==See also==
==See [[also]]==
{{Portal|Music}}
{{Portal|Music}}
* [[Eunuch flute]]
* [[Eunuch flute]]

Revision as of 13:10, 22 March 2017

A metal kazoo with a 1 Euro coin for comparison: 23.25 mm (0.92 inch)
Examples of kazoos

The kazoo is a musical instrument that adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice whenzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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History

Machines at the Kazoo Factory and Museum
Kazoo manufacturing steps

KAZOOO KIIID KAZOO KIIID KAZOOOOOOOOOO CHIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLDDDDD THEEEEEEEEEE KAZZOOOOO CHILD THEEEEEEEE KAZOOOOOOOO OVERRRRRRRRRRRRRLOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRDDDDDD THEEEEEEEEEEEEE

KAAAAAAAAAAAAZZZZZZOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFF THHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE UUUUUUUUUNNNNNIIIIVEEERRRRSSSEEE

Professional usage

A kazoo
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Only kazoo kid. If you are a professional kazoo player, are you ok?[2]

Records

Look up kazoo on google. If you don't know how go jump out your window. Or just use this[3]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Google". www.google.ca. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  2. ^ "Google". www.google.ca. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  3. ^ "Google". www.google.ca. Retrieved 2017-03-22.

Additional reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kazoo.
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