Musician Blows A Sweet Carrot

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31407, 28 June 1967, Page 9

Musician Blows A Sweet Carrot

"The Press" Special Service

TAURANGA, June 27

A carrot which looked and sounded like a clarinet entertained guests at a dance at Mt. Maunganui on Saturday night. When Mrs C. C. Minifie, of Tauranga, said she wanted an unusual musical instrument to enter in a women's club competition, her husband decided that a parsnip or carrot was all that was needed.

Mr Minifie, a 26-year-old typewriter technician who is the leader of a local band, obtained a nine-inch carrot, hollowed it out with a drill and knife and drilled holes on top and underneath. He then fitted a clarinet mouthpiece and a reed in one end.

Mrs Minifie won the competition. Mr Minifie, who used to play a clarinet, found his carrot had a range of 12 notes.

“I can get the sound of a clarinet,” he said. “It is pretty close to it, but you can’t get the full range because It hasn't got enough holes.”

To clean the “instrument” Mr Minifie scrapes It with a knife.

“I can play quite a few tunes on it,” he said. “I would need to practise on it for some time to get a large repertoire.” He said he would play some tunes on the carrot when his band was entertaining Jaycee members at Mount Maunganui for a regional conference.