It’s National Kazoo Day!

Yes, today is National Kazoo Day, and this year the humble kazoo celebrates its 160th birthday.

So grab your kazoos, and start humming your favorite song. If you need some inspiration, here’s Mister Tim kazooing his way through Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”:

And in honor of National Kazoo Day, Ramblin Jug Stompers will be giving away official RJS kazoos with each paid admission during their show at the Ale House in Troy at 9pm Saturday.

The kazoo, of course, is one of the easiest and most inexpensive musical instruments to play, but if you need help getting started there are helpful guides available for the kazoo novices among us. And once you’ve mastered the kazoo technique, perhaps you’ll even want to become a member of the International Kazoo Players Association. Of course, if you’re a genius kazoo player, it’s just possible that your work might someday be enshrined in the Original American Kazoo Museum in Eden, NY.

Kazoos can be made of plastic, metal or wood. Some are shaped like other musical instruments – trumpet, trombone, French horn – while others are shaped like airplanes, race cars or ears of corn. And in case you mistakenly imagine that a kazoo is merely a cheap kids’ toy, you can also purchase a solid sterling silver kazoo for $148.

Of course, if you’re playing in a rock band or a loud jazz band, you’ll probably want to invest in a HUMMbucker Electric Kazoo, so your solos can be heard.

Alright now, everybody hum along with the Cure…