Timeline for How does the shape and size of a kazoo affect its tone?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
9 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Oct 13, 2016 at 22:33 | vote | accept | saltface | ||
| Aug 2, 2016 at 22:17 | comment | added | saltface | I meant lower pitch. I updated the question. I built several kazoos this weekend with different-sized chambers, different-sized openings, and membrane materials. Anything that deviated significantly from normal dimensions just sounded like garbage but in the same range as a normal kazoo. | |
| Jul 30, 2016 at 13:23 | comment | added | Richard | Perhaps. I was basing my assumption off of the "bass kazoo" aspect, but maybe I misread it! | |
| Jul 30, 2016 at 13:22 | comment | added | David Vogel | Yes, me too. Maybe the question should be clarified. | |
| Jul 30, 2016 at 13:22 | comment | added | Richard | Ah, I see; by "deeper tone" I assumed OP meant a lower pitch. | |
| Jul 30, 2016 at 13:20 | comment | added | David Vogel | Yeah, I got to thinking about it because I was an avid percussionist long ago. You can definitely change the pitch by altering the tension and size of the vibrating head. The resonating chamber makes a huge difference on the quality of the sound (timbre), but not the pitch. The question was would it make it a "deeper" tone. So yes, a larger chamber should do that, if you mean more "body" for the tone, but wouldn't put you in the range of a "bass kazoo" unless you have a bigger/looser vibrating surface. | |
| Jul 30, 2016 at 13:07 | comment | added | Richard | I'm honestly not certain. If such a size change would make any noticeable difference, I bet you'd quickly reach a point of diminishing returns. Sound is all about vibration. If you put a tuba mouthpiece on a trumpet, it'll sound in the tuba range, because those are the vibrations being produced in that mouthpiece. Though it won't sound as clear as it would on a tuba, of course; that is where the construction becomes important. In which case I'm not sure we have sufficient evidence of how to create the best kazoo sound, and thus the optimum kazoo construction :-) | |
| Jul 30, 2016 at 13:00 | comment | added | David Vogel | Is there nothing to be said for the size of the resonating chamber? | |
| Jul 29, 2016 at 21:54 | history | answered | Richard | CC BY-SA 3.0 |