Comb and paper is a rudimentary

musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make 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 who pl ...

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 Prehistory, prehistoric times, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlemen ...

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 A notable ongoing event was the race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * Ja ...

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 vibrating stretched membrane. It is one of the four main divisions of instruments in the original Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification. ...

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 The Mound City Blue Blowers were an American novelty jazz ensemble, formed in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It was co-founded by Red McKenzie and Jack Bland and performed from 1923 to 1936. First assembled in 1923, the group's original me ...

. 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-western music, and which are stylistically associated with American country and/or western traditions. Many are descended from dances brou ...

Notable uses

The 1923-1936 jazz band

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 ti ...

playing comb and

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

. The unusual noises heard in the Beatles 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 and sung by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It is about a meter maid and the narrato ...

" 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 played comb and paper on his 1968 single recording of " Crosstown Traffic". Lyricist

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

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, author, and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed and eccentric women, MacLaine has received numerous accolades over her seven-dec ...

in the movie ''Sweet Charity''.

Graham Nash Graham William Nash (born 2 February 1942) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, photographer, and activist. He is known for his light tenor voice and for his contributions as a member of the Hollies and the supergroups Crosby, Stills ...

played comb and paper on "Sleep Song" from his 1971 album, '' Songs for Beginners''. In 2015, IT consultant Narinder Dhani performed "

Eye of the Tiger "Eye of the Tiger" is a song by American rock band Survivor. It was released as a single from their third album of the same name and was also the theme song for the 1982 film ''Rocky III'', which was released a day before the single. The song ...

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

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

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

Clive Dunn Clive Robert Benjamin 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 Jones in the BBC sitcom ' ...

References

* {{Membranophones Continuous pitch instruments Singing membranophones

Notable uses

Song titles

See also

References