Comb and paper is a rudimentary

musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make Music, musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person ...

which consists of a

comb A comb is a tool consisting of a shaft that holds a row of teeth for pulling through the hair to clean, untangle, or style it. Combs have been used since prehistoric times, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating ba ...

with a piece of paper pressed to it. To play it, one has to press their lips to the paper pressed to the comb and sing or vocalize into it. The voice makes the paper vibrate and changes the voice quality. The 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica refers to it as "the comb-music of the nursery". "Comb and paper" belongs to the category of "singing

membranophone A membranophone is any musical instrument which produces sound primarily by way of a acoustic membrane, vibrating stretched membrane. It is one of the four main divisions of instruments in the original Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument ...

s", sometimes called "mirlitons" after "mirliton", another name for the eunuch flute. Playing comb and paper is sometimes called "blue-blowing", possibly in reference to Mound City Blue Blowers. Comb and paper used to be one of many improvised musical instruments to accompany

country–western dance Country–western dance encompasses any of the dance forms or styles which are typically danced to Country music, country-western music, and which are stylistically associated with United States, American country and/or American West, western tradi ...

Notable uses

The 1923-1936 jazz band Mound City Blue Blowers had

Red McKenzie William 'Red' McKenzie (October 14, 1899 – February 7, 1948) was an American jazz vocalist and musician who played a comb as an instrument. He played the comb-and-paper by placing paper, sometimes strips from the ''Evening World'', over the t ...

playing comb and

tissue paper Tissue paper, or simply tissue, is a lightweight paper or light crêpe paper. Tissue can be made from recycled pulp (paper), paper pulp on a paper machine. Tissue paper is very versatile, and different kinds are made to best serve these purposes ...

. The unusual noises heard in the

Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

song "

Lovely Rita "Lovely Rita" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 album ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written mainly by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It is about a meter maid and the narrator ...

" after the lines "and the bag across her shoulder / made her look a little like a military man" were made with a comb and paper.

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

played comb and paper on his 1968

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

recording of " Crosstown Traffic". Will Thelin plays the comb and paper on the Grammy-nominated album ''Hold That Tiger'' by

The Muddy Basin Ramblers The Muddy Basin Ramblers are a jug band formed in 2002 by a group of American and British expats residing in Taipei, Taiwan. Their music is heavily influenced by 1920s and 1930s blues, jazz, and traditional string bands. Many of their songs a ...

Lyricist

Dorothy Fields Dorothy Fields (July 15, 1904 – March 28, 1974) was an American librettist and lyricist. She wrote more than 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films. Her best-known pieces include " The Way You Look Tonight" (1936), "A Fine Romance" (193 ...

wrote the line ‘''I’m tissue paper on a comb''’ in the song ‘''I’m A Brass Band''’ sung by

Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty; April 24, 1934) is an American actress and author. With a career spanning over 70 years, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Shirley MacLaine, numerous accolades, including a ...

in the movie ''Sweet Charity''.

Graham Nash Graham William Nash (born 2 February 1942) is a British and American musician, singer and songwriter. He is known for his light tenor voice and for his contributions as a member of the Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crosby, Stills ...

played comb and paper on "Sleep Song" from his 1971 album, ''

Songs for Beginners ''Songs for Beginners'' is the debut solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. Released in May 1971, it was one of four high-profile albums (all charting within the top fifteen) released by each member of Crosby, Stills, Na ...

''. In the 1994 film Three Colours: White, protagonist Karol Karol plays comb and paper for money in a metro station after losing his salon. In 2015, IT consultant Narinder Dhani performed "

Eye of the Tiger "Eye of the Tiger" is a song by the American rock band Survivor. It was written as the theme song for the 1982 film ''Rocky III'' and released that year as a single from Survivor's third album, '' Eye of the Tiger''. Sylvester Stallone, the di ...

" and " The Final Countdown" on a comb-and-paper as a contestant on ''

Britain's Got Talent (series 9) The ninth series of the British talent competition programme ''Britain's Got Talent'' was broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV, from 11 April to 31 May 2015. The series saw the "Wildcard" format introduced in the sixth series being modified in thi ...

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Song titles

*1950: "The Comb and Paper Polka", by Doris Day *1955: "Comb and Paper Blues", from a single by

Ivor Kirchin Ivor Kirchin (21 January 1905 – 22 January 1997) was a British band leader, and the father of noted composer Basil Kirchin (1927–2005). History Born in London, Ivor Kirchin was the leader, singer, drummer, conductor and business manager f ...

*1967: "Camp", by Sir Henry and his Butlers *1971: "My Lady (Nana)" / "Tissue Paper & Comb", a single by

Clive Dunn Clive Robert Bertram Dunn (born Robert Bertram Dunn; 9 January 19206 November 2012) was an English actor. Although he was only 48 and one of the youngest cast members, he was cast in a role many years his senior, as the elderly Lance Corporal ...

References

* {{Membranophones Continuous pitch instruments Singing membranophones

Notable uses

Song titles

See also

References