The Fiddle-dee-doo is a "Globu-tubular horn with goatskin resonator". What? So first I will explain "Tubular" and "Globular"horns. The simpler to describe of the two is the tubular. A good example of a tubular instrument is the tubular flute, show here:
(Recorders also fit into the tubular flute category)
The flute is a long cylindrical tube through which air passes. The air is made into a column and modified by keys or holes in the flute that are depressed or covered by the player to change the length of the tube and create different pitches. The placement of the keys or holes are essential as the length of the air column will dictate the note being played.
Tubular horns include most brass instruments such as trumpet, trombone, french horns, and so on. The bodies of these instruments are still just tubes (though they are shaped and bent) like the flute but they are classified separately (as horns and not flutes) because instead of blowing air across the top and effecting a column of air through the apparatus that way, they use the vibration caused by the buzzing into the mouth piece to put the air in motion and create sound.
A Globular instrument works on a different principal. For example, a globular flute would be an instrument where air was blown into a spherical chamber with holes or keys positioned around the globe. The musician would open and close these holes to change the amount of air in the chamber to change the pitch. The actually positioning of the holes or keys makes very little difference, the SIZE of the holes, however, makes all the difference in the world. The more air is let out the more the note will change and vice versa.A good example of a globular flute is the Ocarina (and yes for you Nintendo fans, it's the same instrument), shown here:
Now globular horns are a bit harder. While they exist in the world they will not be found in your local orchestra and this is probably why:
Example
While interesting it really does not lend itself to most people's view of popular music. What is happening is that the horn is utilizing the globular chambers to resonate and the musician is buzzing his lips into the tube like he would into one of the other horns. Globular horns, while not very common here, are more popular in many African cultures.
Now, as you may have guessed, a globu-tubular horn combines the aspects of both of these types of instruments. This means that there is both a cylindrical shaft and a globular chamber where the air and sound will be resonating. The globular part actually will often significantly lower the pitch of the entire instrument depending on its placement.
The Fiddle-Dee-Doo is actually a fiddle-horn, renamed the Fiddle-dee-doo by Barry Hall:
The part classified as the 'tubular' part of the horn is the long cylindrical piece under the strings. This part also acts as the 'fingerboard' or what the musician will press the string against to determine the length and therefore the note. The globular part of the horn resides at the bottom and is made from goatskin (hence the 'goatskin resonator'). This part also acts as the 'soundboard' for the string part of the instrument (where the sound is produced). To play the instrument one buzzes (because it's a horn) into the open hole at the end of the tube and plays the string at the same time making for a very strange sound indeed.
Very Punny
When writing music for some instruments it is hard to piccolo note.
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