They don't sell this at Guitar Center.
June 17, 2011 2:34 PM Subscribe
Asking for a friend, what is the instrument this guy is playing in the first moments of this Czech video?
He's ruled out a painted conch shell and a bass harp, says it was common around the turn of last century anyone got a clue?
He's ruled out a painted conch shell and a bass harp, says it was common around the turn of last century anyone got a clue?
Looking around on the interwebs, some people are saying it's a form of a bass kazoo.
posted by Madamina at 3:07 PM on June 17, 2011
posted by Madamina at 3:07 PM on June 17, 2011
The charmingly named bladder pipe, perhaps?
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 3:09 PM on June 17, 2011
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 3:09 PM on June 17, 2011
To me it sounds like some kind of kazoo or similar small mirliton, possibly held completely in his mouth, and the globular thing is acting like a resonator. Might even have a microphone in it
posted by 2N2222 at 5:36 PM on June 17, 2011
posted by 2N2222 at 5:36 PM on June 17, 2011
Response by poster: At around 51 seconds, he is shown again, this time you can see his supporting hand manipulating or covering holes or something.
Thanks for ideas so far.
posted by Max Power at 6:25 PM on June 17, 2011
Thanks for ideas so far.
posted by Max Power at 6:25 PM on June 17, 2011
Doesn't quite look like the ones I've seen but I wonder if it's some sort of ocarina?
(And, this song is going to be stuck in my head for the rest of the night.)
posted by chez shoes at 7:09 PM on June 17, 2011
(And, this song is going to be stuck in my head for the rest of the night.)
posted by chez shoes at 7:09 PM on June 17, 2011
2N2222 may be closest, it seems this has piqued the imagination of several people and the most confident answers in the discussions are that it is a "bass kazoo". A responder in this translated discussion states that Ivan Mládek said it was a type of kazoo in an interview and in this discussion (now you never have to wonder again where to go with your pressing trombone questions) has someone saying the bass kazoo is an ubiquitous Czech instrument. If you google Chezch "bass kazoo" you get a lot of repetition of this assertion about the instrument in this video. HOWEVER on cursory searching I couldn't find any independent pictures of a similar instrument or discussion of the putative Czech bass kazoo outside of discussion of this video so I'm not fully convinced that whatever it is isn't something a bit more distinct/subtle/difficult to translate or ?. A place to start anyway. It's definitely not an Ocarina which is basically a kind of whistle and it looks to me like he's not fingering holes to play notes but just opening and closing a sort of resonator hole.
posted by nanojath at 9:17 AM on June 18, 2011
posted by nanojath at 9:17 AM on June 18, 2011
2N2222 may be closest
And Madamina, on closer review of the previous answers.
posted by nanojath at 9:18 AM on June 18, 2011
And Madamina, on closer review of the previous answers.
posted by nanojath at 9:18 AM on June 18, 2011
I'm pretty convinced it's a kazoo. Bass kazoo, if you will, though that's an instrument the way "twangy guitar" is an instrument. Definitely not an ocarina being played, at least not in any normal sense (possible the globular thing is an ocarina used as a prop). While it's also possible to create a mirliton ocarina, similar to the Chinese Dizi which uses a mirliton for its distinctive tone, the video clip does not show an ocarina actually being played, and the sound depicted is unlike like a mirliton enhanced whistle/ocarina.
It does appear the player might have something clenched in his teeth, which is why I speculated the kazoo might be enclosed in his mouth. This is entirely possible, as a kazoo can take almost any form or size, since the pitch is determined by the vocal range of the user rather than length/size of air column/resonating chamber. The globular thing might even be nothing more than a prop for the visual effect of a whimsical folk instrument. The finger movement might open and close a hole to vary the resonant tone, or it might be an unconscious movement the way the musician's eyebrow movement might be.
Let's not discount the possibility that the whole thing is lip synch'd, too, with the player using a completely imaginary and non functioning instrument.
posted by 2N2222 at 6:54 PM on June 18, 2011
It does appear the player might have something clenched in his teeth, which is why I speculated the kazoo might be enclosed in his mouth. This is entirely possible, as a kazoo can take almost any form or size, since the pitch is determined by the vocal range of the user rather than length/size of air column/resonating chamber. The globular thing might even be nothing more than a prop for the visual effect of a whimsical folk instrument. The finger movement might open and close a hole to vary the resonant tone, or it might be an unconscious movement the way the musician's eyebrow movement might be.
Let's not discount the possibility that the whole thing is lip synch'd, too, with the player using a completely imaginary and non functioning instrument.
posted by 2N2222 at 6:54 PM on June 18, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for the responses guys. My friend's first suspicions were for a bass kazoo too, but he say's they are just "bigger" kazoos.
If this helps and anyone is still interested Johnny Dodd's Orchestra, 1920s era, also had this instrument or created this same sound. A duck caller maybe?
posted by Max Power at 7:49 AM on June 21, 2011
If this helps and anyone is still interested Johnny Dodd's Orchestra, 1920s era, also had this instrument or created this same sound. A duck caller maybe?
posted by Max Power at 7:49 AM on June 21, 2011
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posted by bonobothegreat at 3:05 PM on June 17, 2011