Gadzooks, its a Xaphoon

Well, I've always wondered why many musicians play more than one instrument.

I thought they were just show-offs, but actually, making music is quite addictive.

The "buzz" of creating your own sounds is enhanced by using different instruments and therefore different timbres.

I've just bought this for the first mate.

Its called a Xaphoon - it comes from the US and is the size of a recorder, but sounds like a cross between a clarinet and a saxophone.

Invented about 20 years ago, it seems to be a great way of having a portable sax - it uses a tenor sax reed but plays like a whistle.

One thing we have discovered is that its very loud for its size and the blowing technique required is very different from the low D whistle.

Now, I've just got to decide what my second instrument will be ???