January 2nd, 2014 - How to play the Nose Flute

The nose flute, (or humanatone, if you want to be all snooty), is a peculiar little instrument with which I had not come into contact.  Until today, of course, when one of my intrepid co-workers introduced me to this olfactory musical device.

Basically, the mechanics of using the nose flute look like you are preparing to whistle.  But instead of blowing out through your lips, you blow down through your nostrils.  The nose flute directs this air, channeling it through a tunnel past your pursed lips. A lot of it comes from the diaphragm, and you adjust the note by opening and closing your mouth.  Adding all of this together creates the sound.

What kind of sound, you ask?  This kind:

It goes without saying that I was impressed by the dude's pipes.  Even with a cold, he was able to play circles around me.  I won't subject you to what happened during my first lesson, as most of it looks and sounds like I'm trying to pass a gigantic booger.  After a day of practice, however, here's what I was able to accomplish:

I'm not going to be playing Carnegie Hall any time soon with my nose flute skills.  I don't even think I'd make it on to the first round of America's Got Talent (I'd be so bad that it wouldn't even be funny to give me the boot).  But still, I feel proud of my baby steps into the world of nostril melody making. And those Hot Cross Buns can only get better from here...



Other things I learned/looked up today:

1) When was the original The Evil Dead released? (1981, thanks 101 Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die by Steven Jay Schneider!)
2) The weather (Using The Weather Channel, and not Facebook posts about how cold it is in New England.  Honestly, 0 degrees is not a high, it is a reason to move)