How to Play the Kazoo

Are you ready for the next National Kazoo Day? As Rick Hubbard, noted kazoo-ist says, "Just get out your kazoo and play it." Don't know how to play? If you can carry a tune (even a little bit), you can make music with the best of 'em. Here's how.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Kazoos

1. Find your kazoo.

2. Find the round thingy that sticks out (there's only one).

3. Put the end closest to the round thingy to your lips - this is usually, but not always, the fat end. Make sure the round thingy is on top.

4. Close your lips around the end to make a seal. Tuck your lips under just a tad so you're holding it cleanly instead of sucking on it wetly.

5. Hum into the kazoo.

Tips & Warnings

• The round thingy houses a piece of waxed paper - it's what makes the kazoo vibrate and gives the sound volume. If you don't hear this, your kazoo may have gotten wet or damaged. Try another one.

on 11/22/2005 There are three tricks to master:
1. Control the air flow.
You'll need some precision blowing here. Experiment without attempting a tune first. Just relax and go 'duuuuuh' into the thing. At a certain strength of blowing, the instrument will start to resonate to your voice; you won't miss it when it happens. The required strength will change with the pitch you're humming, so this will require some practice.
2. Humming.
If you can't hit a note by humming it, you won't hit it with the kazoo either. However, if you got second point right, you can still make some impressive noise!
3. Use the tongue.
You can get some great effects by rapidly flicking your tongue to block the air stream while you're playing. Try it for things like imitating electric guitar solos and other things where the notes change rapidly.