Listen to the kazoo
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
How the kazoo makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the kazoo belongs to the singing membranes (mirlitons): a membrane changes the timbre of another sound, as in the kazoo.
More broadly it is one of the membranophones (drums), where sound comes from a vibrating stretched membrane.
Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.
From Wikipedia
The kazoo is a musical instrument that adds a buzzing timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is a type of mirliton (itself a membranophone), one of a class of instruments that modify the player's voice by way of a vibrating membrane of goldbeater's skin or material with similar characteristics. There is a smaller version of the kazoo, known as a humazoo.
Other singing membranes
Frequently asked questions
What does a kazoo sound like?
Listen to 1 recording on this page. As one of the singing membranes, its sound comes from the way a membrane changes the timbre of another sound, as in the kazoo.
What type of instrument is the kazoo?
It is classified as singing membranes (mirlitons) (Hornbostel–Sachs 242).
Sources & credits
- Advance Australia Fair on Kazoo – Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q483994 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Kazoo – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Martin Röll Martinroell – CC BY-SA 3.0