Khassera Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 I found that warming up with a kazoo helps me find correct placement consistently. Am I just deluded? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Robert Lunte Posted April 4, 2015 Administrator Share Posted April 4, 2015 No your not. A Kazoo acts a bit like a semi-occluded phonation... similar to resonant tracking... good observation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elvis Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshual1 Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 I do the same thing with a straw. Perfect for finding and building resonance without pushing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khassera Posted April 6, 2015 Author Share Posted April 6, 2015 I did it with a straw. The thing with a straw is tht it doesn't resonate. A kazoo resonates fking mad once you hit the sweet spot. It leaves no room for error other than pushing too much air, but that's also easy to fix by just backing off to where the kazoo resonates but doesn't shatter windows and cause the neighbor's dog to go apeshit. Once you do a couple of scales you can take out the kazoo and the tone will be perfect. Also, since the kazoo is a bit bigger it allows you to keep your mouth more open so you can play it with different vowels. This helped me loads with my ü (as in you) and OO vowels. Also, it doesn't stress the facial muscles like a straw does, you can just loosely wrap your lips around it and it'll work, a straw will fly off. I'm not bashing the straw, I'm just saying the kazoo is better. I've tried both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Mohler Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Let's not disregard the greatest kazoo solo of all time by everyone's favorite Mr. Paul McCartney: 1:10 Who said Ringo wasn't a great singer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny82 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 They are very "twangy" instruments, so they resonate best if your voice is twanged well. Thus, its also a very good training because once you find the "sweet spot" to resonate it you know that you have good twang. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshual1 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I did it with a straw. The thing with a straw is tht it doesn't resonate. A kazoo resonates fking mad once you hit the sweet spot. It leaves no room for error other than pushing too much air, but that's also easy to fix by just backing off to where the kazoo resonates but doesn't shatter windows and cause the neighbor's dog to go apeshit. Once you do a couple of scales you can take out the kazoo and the tone will be perfect. Also, since the kazoo is a bit bigger it allows you to keep your mouth more open so you can play it with different vowels. This helped me loads with my ü (as in you) and OO vowels. Also, it doesn't stress the facial muscles like a straw does, you can just loosely wrap your lips around it and it'll work, a straw will fly off. I'm not bashing the straw, I'm just saying the kazoo is better. I've tried both. Yeah I know, but i've found some tricks ^^. Just keep the straw in place with your fingers and relax all the face and neck muscles. It helps me so much relieving tensions. Also what i like with the straw is that when you're on the sweet spot, it's not the straw that resonate, but i can feel the resonance/buzz from my face to my toes ^^. But i gotta say that i've never tried with a kazoo lol ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny82 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Yeah I know, but i've found some tricks ^^. Just keep the straw in place with your fingers and relax all the face and neck muscles. It helps me so much relieving tensions. Also what i like with the straw is that when you're on the sweet spot, it's not the straw that resonate, but i can feel the resonance/buzz from my face to my toes ^^. But i gotta say that i've never tried with a kazoo lol ;-) It's the same principle. You have to find the "buzz" in your voice, which is the twang. The kazoo is just able to further amplify mainly the twang frequencies within your sound. It's your voice that creates the buzz, the kazoo is just like a mic with a special bandpass filter added on top of it. It also works if you just phonate a voiced 'v' as in 'voice' while keeping your lips in a position as if you had the straw in your mouth. Another one of those phonations I like a lot is a voiced 'sh'. Don't know if you know what I mean: To find this consonant you can use a 'j' as in the word 'jungle' and you will find that this 'j' is composed of two parts. The first part is actually the consonant 'd' and the second part is the 'voiced sh'. If you use the voiced 'sh' as your semi-occluded phonation you have a good 'biting' embouchure, while for the voiced 'v' you have a good 'covered' embouchure. The bite version has more forward resonance, the covered version has more backward resonance. I think this is related to edge vs. curbing resonance, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khassera Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 ... Just try it. Trust me. Go back to your straw if you want. I didn't. Edit: wow, thanks for that, Benny!! Edit2 way later: holy (*auto edit*)! Thanks Benny! The v/sh edging/curbing is like a magic trick! :D 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackCee Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 LOL i already ordered a kazoo, as if I do not make enough noises to annoy my family already x) thanks for the idea man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khassera Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 No probs. I got one for free and thought I'd have a laugh with it. I was quite positively surprised at the effect it had on my singing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elvis Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Now this thread made me buy a kazoo...stoopid ebay xD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loudkenny Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I bought one too, I´m really curious to see how this works. ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elvis Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Ban Khaseera for product marketing... xD oh lawdy, best 2$ ever spent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khassera Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 Kazoo salesmen are like "Unberievabre!" 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elvis Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Kazoo salesmen are like "Unberievabre!" You disgrace your famiry!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronws Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 I like kazoos because they sound cool. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Robert Lunte Posted April 9, 2015 Administrator Share Posted April 9, 2015 Ya, their fun, they tickle me like Elmo... how 'bout you Ron? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khassera Posted April 9, 2015 Author Share Posted April 9, 2015 I think you might have it in the wrong end of the "audio chain" if you catch my drift. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Mohler Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Bought a Kazoo because of this thread. I've been practicing sirens non-stop using the kazoo as a semi-occlusion medium. Now my mom says I have to move out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khassera Posted April 9, 2015 Author Share Posted April 9, 2015 Well? How does it feel? Try an "ee" through the kazoo, once you can buzz it all the way through your range take it out of your mouth and don't change anything. How does it feel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronws Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Ya, their fun, they tickle me like Elmo... how 'bout you Ron? It's been years since I played one. I would have to get my dexterity back, first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDEW Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 I think I have a few of these laying around. I was thinking about using them to simulate sax parts in my recordings. Never thought about using the things in training. I guess it is time to empty out the junk drawer and find them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khassera Posted April 11, 2015 Author Share Posted April 11, 2015 Elvis? Kenny? Jack? We gonna have a Kazoo orchestra here soon? I've been practicing the benny hill theme with it. :D 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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