Talk:Kazoo

message: Ok, first time edit after discovering the Wikipedia world and my entire section was deleted by an administrator with no explanation. What did I do wrong? My addition was intended to enlighten those newcomers to a kazoo (there are more than you might think) on how to get it to make any sound. There is nothing inaccurate or argumentative that I can see in my edit. I hunted down the administrator's email address from her web site and asked this question, but in the mean time, can anyone else offer any advise or explanation? Thanks much.
The deleted section: Notes on Playing the Kazoo: While humming is typically used as the technique required to play a kazoo, a more accurate term would be singing into the kazoo. A person can hum with their lips completely closed. Humming with your lips closed around the mouthpiece of the kazoo will not change the sound - you must vocalize or "sing" in order for the kazoo to make any sound. Many people will stuggle with getting any sound from a kazoo when instructed to hum. But when instructed to speak "do, do, do..." into the kazoo mouthpiece, viola! Music for all to enjoy.  Bellzerr
Since I've seen no further discussion on "Notes on Playing the kazoo" and have received no reply to my personal email to Ms. Martin concerning the deletion of this section, I've inserted it back into place. Bellzerr 20:16, 7 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Playing the kazoo 

message: I am certain that I have heard a rendition of "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin, with all instrumentation performed on a set of kazoos. However I cannot identify the performers, only that it likely has been around since the late 1970s. I suggest adding this to the Pop Culture section if proper attribution can be obtained. Typofixer76 15:23, 26 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Where else can kazoos be heard? 

message: I replaced the one guy with Barbara Stewart as she seems to be more notable. Also I just saw her on Conan. I'm not trying to tick anyone off, I just couldn't find much on this BrianApocalypse if that it is his real name. (Which I somehow doubt) Also I didn't put her name in brackets because at present Barbara Stewart leads to a politician from New Zealand.--T. Anthony 06:01, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Barbara Stewart 

message: If anyone wants to hear some REALLY GREAT kazoo playing (as opposed to its usual appearance as a "gag" instrument), check out the work of bluesman Tampa Red. He gets a wonderful trumpet-harmonica sound out of it, with interesting vocalization and wah effects.  
He's mostly known as a guitarist and singer, and he only breaks out the kazoo occasionally-- you can hear some excellent playing on a few old Ma Rainey records in addition to his solo work. It's a shame that the expressive possibilities of this instrument have not been explored further. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Paulybrooklyn (talk • contribs) 08:05, 13 February 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Tampa Red 

message: is there any information on where the strange name comes from --voodoom 09:44, 16 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  History of Name? 

message: "In North East England and South Wales, kazoos play an important role in so-called jazz bands (really children's marching bands)."
This sentence is pretty unintelligable - I'd correct it myself but I have no idea what it's on about. Thanks 82.20.14.88 (talk) 07:59, 21 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Request for phraseology fix 

message: I have removed almost the entire section listing recordings with kazoos - more than 20 different items, none with references, and none with much point except to say "hey, I heard a kazoo on this record!" It could use some expansion about when/if/why kazoos are used in recordings today, but that wasn't it. - DavidWBrooks (talk) 22:36, 28 May 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Removed trivial list 

message: Okay, sorry for the lack of editing on this post, I rarely edit articles and would rather have someone else more knowledgeable fix the problems unless they are blatant.  There's an incredible fact that involves The Beatles, combs, and toilet paper on this page.  Now I don't know for sure but I don't think toilet paper can be used to make a kazoo.  It's too soft.  Sure, there are kazoos in, “Lovely Rita,” but I don't think they involved toilet paper.  I didn't even check the rest of the one-sentenced-paragraph statements in this article.  Could someone that knows this stuff please check into it?
--WerewNC, 2/10/2011  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.162.221.199 (talk) 22:07, 10 February 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: I think the identification of it as toilet paper is due to confusion regarding the term tissue paper. As well as sometimes referring to toilet paper, tissue paper is a thin, brittle and translucent paper which is what is referred to in the "comb and tissue paper" combination. At some point someone has obviously misunderstood that term and then described it as comb and toilet paper. eyeball226 (talk) 19:19, 28 November 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: The reference is definitely to toilet paper. I was born in 1942 and comb and toilet paper was a 'standard instrument' for children of my era (and the growing-up Beatles!) - except it was called lavatory paper in the 40's and 50's.  Sometimes called tissue paper but the meaning of that word has changed too. Then it still referred to hard surface paper but with a see-through quality and sometimes called tracing paper. Tommyboy (talk) 09:57, 5 January 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Fix Please 

message: That's quite the example farm there, many of them kinda trivial. It could use a trim, or at least converted into a bulleted list form. -- œ™ 15:56, 15 May 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  "[[Kazoo#Professional_usage|Professional usage]]" section 

message: I am requesting information on this statement:
"The kazoo was first brought into the public by a magician named J.P. Kalaam. He was "fascinated" by strange instruments and encountered the kazoo while in Africa. His kazoos were all made of wood." 
The only information I can find on J.P. Kalaam is that exact statement.  It is used over and over.  I suspect someone used it, and everyone else copied it from that source or one of the parroted statements.
It says "The kazoo was first brought into the public" but it doesn't say when. If it doesn't say when that happened, how can you tell it was the first? Motleyjust (talk) 14:08, 30 July 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  J.P. Kalaam ? 

message: The book
Kassinger, Ruth, 2002, Build a Better Mousetrap: Make Classic Inventions, Discover Your Problem-Solving Genius, and Take the Inventor's Challenge, John Wiley and Sons, 
is cited as support for the statement
"It was on such an instrument that the kazoo, invented in the 19th century by an African American named Alabama Vest in Macon, Georgia, United States, is based. The first kazoo was manufactured to Vest's specifications by Thaddeus Von Clegg, a German clockmaker in Macon. The kazoo was first publicized at the Georgia State Fair in 1852, where it was presented as the "Down-South Submarine".[2]"
Kassinger apparently took her "facts" from information distributed by one of the kazoo manufacturers, which is quoted verbatim on many web sites, but is never supported with facts.
I do not feel that this should be used as a reference in this case.  This leaves this statement with no citation.  
I would really like to know if anyone has any proof for any of the Alabama Vest Legend.
I have contacted the book publishers regarding this, and hope to hear something from them in a few days.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Motleyjust (talk • contribs) 15:26, 5 August 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Questionable Reference 

message: The statement  "The first metal kazoos were manufactured and patented in Eden, New York, " has no reference and no date or patent # or who it was issued to.
Can anyone clarify this?
The first metal kazoo I have found to be patented in Eden NY was US Pat. D53470 - Filed Feb 3, 1919 - Issued Jun 17, 1919
EMIL G. SORG, OF BUFFALO, AND HAEKT E. RICHARDSON, OF EDEN, NEW YORK.
This was 17 years after the patent for a metal kazoo issued to George D. Smith 1902
Motleyjust (talk) 02:04, 3 September 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  First metal kazoos ? 

message: ::"The kazoo is a quasi-musical instrument"
Contained in the first sentence, doesn't this seem a bit judgmental? And not necessarily correct nonwithstanding any citations. By the same argument, the jews harp and digeridoo might not be considered musical instruments, since they depend on mouth shape and sometimes voice.--♦♦♦Vlmastra♦♦♦ (talk) 04:44, 27 December 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Umm.... 

message: There's a scene in Batman: The Animated Series where the Joker believes Batman to be dead and holds a mock funeral for him, which includes a pretty infamous kazoo version of Amazing Grace. Considering you guys have Yoshi's New Island on here I think this is noteworthy enough to go onto this page.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2605:A000:C308:FA00:64B4:83CC:743C:2B77 (talk) 23:27, 24 August 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  Batman Animated Series Funeral scene kazoo 

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thread_title:  External links modified