WHO IS MOTLEY ?

I’M NOT SURE BUT, I HEREBY BESTOW UPON MOTLEY,
THE IMPOSING TITLE OF...
“DISTINGUISHED KAZOO RESEARCHER & DESIGNER”

Signed, Captain Kazoo





FROM THE MIND OF : motleyjustmotleynothingbutmotley
“If you don't grow up by the time you're fifty, you don't have to.”

Captain Kazoo

I was very interested in the Zobo pictures on your web site as I wanted to come up with some kazoos that didn't look so obviously like kazoos.
 
I thought you might be interested in it, since I got part of the ideas from your site.
 
For my first ones (shown above)  I used a disposable plastic soda bottle with a screw on cap.
 
This is how I made the a smallest pocket version.
I took the cap off and cut a hole (about 3/4 inch diameter) in the top.
Then I cut off most of the bottle fairly close to the neck. I cut of the plastic ring that the cap attaches to before it is opened and cut a hole (about 1/4 inch I think) there in the side of the neck.
 
The membrane is a piece of cellophane or plastic candy wrapper (about 3 inches square).  Place the membrane over the top end of the neck and hold it in place while screwing the cap back on. (Actually my first ones had apaper membrane that fit under the cap, but for several reasons, the plastic seems to work better in general. )

 
You can hum into either end.  Loosen or tighten the cap to adjust the membrane.  MAKE SURE THE SIDE HOLE IS NOT COVERED. Trim off some of the extra membrane.
 
Of course there are a lot of possible variations; icluding, but not limited to leaving more of the bottle on for a bell, adding tubes, hoses, funnels etc.  Of course, then it will not fit in your pocket.   Different materials for membranes.

 
I am using the information I got from my experimenting to adapt some ornament type metal horns.
 
I'm not so good at directions, so if you want to know more let me know.
 
I'm including a couple of pictures. I tried to keep them small for emailing, so I hope they are not too big or too small.

I was trying to find a way to make some instruments that would look medieval, but I wouldn't have to remember fingerings for.  I belong to the SCA (No not the Sanitation Contractors of Arizona) The Society for Creative Anachronism. I'm the Fool.
Well, the plastic bottles don't look medieval, I just used them to figure out the principles.
 
http://oozak.caseyporn.com/third_position.php


 
I would have figured it out sooner if I had paid attention to some of "how to build a cardboard tube kazoo instructions". Some of them say to hum into the hole in side of the tube, I apparently missed the ones saying to hum into the open end.
 
If you mean why I used plastic pop bottles: well, The general shape seemed about right.  I mean, they kind of look like horns, and you can use them for other horn type instruments.  And the screw-on caps reminded me of the screw-on resonator holder  on the metal kazoos, and I drink a LOT of Mountain Dew so I had all this free material to work with.

motleyjustmotleynothingbutmotley

MORE FROM MOTLEY

Flazoot, which can also be called the balloon flute.

http://www.milwaukeemoms.com/stories/madsci/madsci0203.cfm

At near left, a piston-valve Sudrophone baryton, late 19th century by François Sudre, Paris. Note the styling similarity to the "folded" look of the ophicleide. The Sudrophone also had a unique feature--a mirliton membrane device on the side of the bell which added a buzzing sound to the tone, simulating a string insturment. The modern, common example of a mirliton is the Kazoo.

http://home.att.net/~bobbeecher/bari-euph/bari-euph.html

The bala is one of the oldest of the djeli instruments and Mande balafon music gets its unique sound from several factors. First, the tuning of Mande balafons roughly approximates an equidistant heptatonic scale, which, without entering into the technical details, creates a sound very different both from the pentatonic Senufo balafons found in the parts of Mali and in Burkina Faso and from instruments tuned to the Western scales most of us grew up listening to. The second factor is that balafon
makers pierce small holes in the resonating gourds of the balafon and cover them with a special type of spider web or cigarette paper. This creates a buzzing mirliton effect, which takes many forms in African music.

http://www.fulaflute.net/fula_flute/el_hadj.html

The Indian influence comes in from a few different directions. One being from the actual Indian instruments used in carnatic music (Indian classical music.) The nagasvaram or nyastaranga is a mirliton which is an Indian instrument that has a sympathetic vibrating membrane such as the double reed on an oboe which gives it a
similar sound to the oboe.

http://www.uky.edu/~moses/bdrp.ref/jazz.htm

This seems to be a combination Flute-Kazoo.

http://www.geocities.com/curinguri/mirliton/flutem.html
 
http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/textm/Mirliton.html
 
http://47.1911encyclopedia.org/E/EU/EUNUCH_FLUTE.htm
 
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=54264
 
http://home.earthlink.net/~rdmiller3/flutes/dizi.html 
The first part is how to make a simple tube mirliton. The rest is about combination mirliton/flutes
 
http://www.musikhandwerk.de/UK/sonstiges.html

http://www.musikhandwerk.de/pixpages/mirliton_luzern.html

http://www.musikhandwerk.de/pixpages/mirliton_muenchen.html
 
http://www.tamborileros.com/tradiberia/img_instrum/mirliton.jpg
 
http://www.geocities.com/rvelaz.geo/english.html
 
http://www.geocities.com/curinguri/gamitadera/gamite.html


MORE FROM MOTLEY.


The Ocheretyna or Ocheretianka (Berest)
The ocheretyna is similar in principle to the kazoo.
It has been used in Ukraine by folk musicians for a long time. Sometimes folk violinists would place one in their lips and hum while playing, producing a duet. The ocheretyna is made from a length of fresh reed that is cut so that the joints are at the ends. In one end a hole is made. One of the walls is cut away so that the internal membrane of the reed is visible. This membrane is near the closed end of the reed and vibrates when the instrument is hummed into. An interesting version of this instrument is the reed dudka which is similar to the instrument described above only having six finger holes with which to play a melody.
Hrebinetz
Another instrument related to the ocheretyna and in widespread folkloric use is the hrebinetz. This is a plastic comb with a piece of waxed paper wrapped around it. The paper is buzzed between the lips and the teeth of the comb. It is played in imitation of the harmonica. Ê Ê
I did a search, but can find no other mention of Ocheretyna or Ocheretianka.Ê If youÊfind anything about it, please let me know. http://home.att.net/~bandura.ca/VMfolkBook/wind.html

Below is an image of an itemÊlisting from a reproduction ofÊ the 1900 Sears Roebuck catalogÊ (toy instrument section)Ê for Vocophones.
Sounds like they might be simular to the Zobo horns.Ê
This is the first I've heard of them, but an internet search turned up two references for a Vocophone Club or Band.ÊÊ
I'd love to find out more about these.Ê
Unfortunately it doesn't give a patent number or a manufacturer. Ê

Ê Ê
THEI TECH. for the two past years, is in - ... by Professor Cross. The following members of the Class of 'go have formed a Vocophone Club, to march in torchlight procession. Drum-major, Slater; ... http://www-tech.mit.edu/archives/VOL_008/TECH_V008_S0019_P014.pdf * THE1 TE C H. again failed in his try for goal, and time was called ... - ... '9go's Vocophone Band was a great success. It has rained for seventeen consecutive Sat- urdays. The K2S is having very neat shingles made for its members. ... http://www-tech.mit.edu/archives/VOL_008/TECH_V008_S0109_P014.tx
Checking into this a little further:Ê the two references to vocophone bandsÊwere in The Tech, the school paper for M.I.T.Ê Cambridge, Massachusetts.Ê From mentions of people still in school (Classes of ' 89, ' 90, ' 91 and ' 92) and of "Mr. Sydney Warren, ' 88, editor-in-chief of The Tech for the last two years." the first one is probably from the year 1889, month unknown.Ê The second reference, seems to be the same year andÊmentions dates in November. So apparently M.I.T had a vocophone band in 1889, if at no other time. Ê
Which means Vocophones were availableÊfrom at least 1889-1900.
Ê Unfortunately U.S. PatentsÊfrom 1790 through 1975 are available only as images; and so are searchable only by Patent Number and Current US Classification!Ê
Ê Only patents from 1976 to present are available as text and therefore searchable by word. No results for vocophone are found in text documents.