Awesome post Mark! It put a big smile in my afternoon. Thank you! I guess I better start practicing!<div> </div><div>Ryan Sowers <div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Mar 16, 2012 at 11:48 AM, Mark Purney <<a href="mailto:mark.purney@mesapiano.com">mark.purney@mesapiano.com</a>> wrote: <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">A kazoo is something you hum into, which anyone can do. This is not a kazoo, but a Tongue Depressor Harmonica (TDH). It's a reed-like instrument that vibrates when air passes through it. The only way to alter the pitch while playing is to bite down with varying pressure. It's a bit of a challenge to make music with. You know how annoyed we get when people refer to 7-foot pianos as "baby grands," or use the term "spinet" to refer to a 52" upright? It's the same thing in the world of serious TDH players, they are equally annoyed when someone calls it a "kazoo." Maybe you naysayers should get your penny's worth (the cost of two tongue depressors) and give it a try. My cat loves it - he sings along when I play it. Although he may really be asking me to stop, I'm not 100% certain which it is. Are we so high and mighty as piano technicians that we have to mock other forms of making music? Some people make music using wood saws or wine glasses, or by hitting trash cans with a stick. Some interesting music can be made using household objects. Maybe we should embrace these things instead of ridiculing them. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go practice playing my TDH. On 3/16/2012 3:26 AM, Gary wrote: <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"> On 3/14/2012 10:13 PM, Joseph Garrett wrote: <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"> I suppose all of you have recieved the totally juvenile Kazoo Kit with your Journal. I'm wondering where that came from? Sheesh! Joe Joe Garrett, R.P.T. Captain of the Tool Police Squares R I </blockquote> I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking the same thing. Gary </blockquote> </blockquote></div> <div> </div>-- Ryan Sowers, RPT Puget Sound Chapter Olympia, WA <a href="http://www.pianova.net">www.pianova.net</a> </div>