My teen is a pretty low-maintenance
guy who doesn't ask for a lot. Hell, he'd had holes in his sneakers for two months before we even knew he needed new shoes! Thus, when he does ask for something,
I usually get it for him. But I was not prepared for this request:
“Mom, can you get me a kazoo?”
Huh? Kazoos are toys, silly things
that go in goodie bags. I “accidentally” break them because
they're so annoying. It is played by singing or speaking through a
tube. This activates an air current that causes the membrane to
vibrate and results in a nasal sound. It's so easy to play that
toddlers can do it. But the teen wasn't asking for liquor or cocaine
so off I went, searching through the house for one. I eventually
wound up buying the damn thing at a music store that sells serious
musical instruments.
Which brings me to the question: is a kazoo an
actual musical instrument?
Apparently it is! I only learned this
because shortly thereafter, Junior played me some kazoo music from an
amazing musician named Tsuko G. Check out one of his YouTube videos:
Okay, so it's not Beethoven. Tsuko G
plays mostly video game music, but it's actually good.
This instrument of derision, known for
its silly sound and found mostly in novelty music, circuses, and
carnivals has its origins in the African mirliton. It was made out
of the horn of a cow with the membrane consisting of the eggshells of
spiders (source).
The kazoo was patented in the U.S. in the 1900s and there's actually
a Kazoo Museum in South Carolina.
What's fascinating about the kazoo (two
words I would never have thought could go in the same sentence) is
how it allows all sorts of musical instruments to be imitated. The
soprano kazoo can mimic a high-pitched flute while the alto kazoo can
sound like a clarinet or trumpet. Similarly, the tenor kazoo
resembles the sound made by a saxophone, the baritone version mimics a
french horn, and the kaboom kazoo can sound like a tuba.
My son has been playing his kazoo for
about two weeks now. Some of it is silly stuff, parts of songs that
find their way into his head. But some pieces are ones he plays on
his clarinet and they sound quite nice. I've woken the kids up to
kazoo music ("Reveillee") while Junior somewhat tenderly played his
sister a lullaby which ended on such a silly note that it had us all
giggling.
I'm glad I indulged the Boy in his
request for this little $1 instrument. It's given us many hours of
pleasure, both silly and non. Who knew a kazoo could bring one
family such joy.
What do you think of kazoo music?
As long as your child plays it in YOUR house, no one can complain. It's when the little ones are told to play it outside or at a friend's house that their (and your) welcome becomes extinguished.
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