When to blow your vuvuzela

Blowing a vuvuzela

Many foreign visitors to South Africa have bought their own vuvuzelas to take along to matches, fan parks, and actually any place where football is being watched. An interesting thing that we noticed is that sometimes newbie vuvuzela-blowers don't know when it's appropriate to blow the instrument. Sometimes you'll find that the people not accustomed to the vuvuzela blow it when the opposing team scores a goal, or one of their star players is yellow-carded. It seemed as though these folk correlate the "paaaaaaarp" sound with a "booooooooo" when in fact the vuvuzela is intended to be blown when your team scores a goal, or plays particularly well. It's meant as a sound of encouragement.

Seasoned vuvuzela players play in rhythm with each other, producing different notes with rhythmic calls and call-backs. Kerry-Anne noticed that many people new to the instrument overwhelmingly blow single lonesome blasts that do in fact often sound like the noise that a depressed elephant would make. If you're one of these people, don't take this as negative criticism - I too class myself as a newbie and a learner vuvuzela-blower (although I do try to avoid playing the depressed elephant song). :)

11 thoughts on “When to blow your vuvuzela

  1. Cristina

    the fame of the vuvuzelas is gone all over the world.
    The South African tourist office in Milan (Italy) is giving for free thousands vuvuzelas
    http://milano.virgilio.it/primopiano/le-vuvuzela-arrivano-a-milano-vanno-a-ruba.html.
    The other day during a demonstration against the government, here in Italy, have appeared hundreds of vuvuzelas making their unmistakable sound.
    I’m sure that during next Italian footbal league it will be like being in a South African Stadium

  2. Paul

    Post author

    That’s great to hear Cristna! (If you’d excuse the pun!) It seems like South African football will leave a lasting mark on the game. :D

    Thanks for the link!

  3. Bev

    I understand from the newspapers that it has been banned from being taken into Wimbledon (Tennis) and anyone that does manage to sneak one in and use it will be asked to leave the grounds immediately!! :)

    I’m sure some-one will try to take one in and use it once if only to get themselves into the papers!! :)

  4. Momcat

    Or golf! Can you imagine the outcry if a Vuvuzela was blasted during a crucial matchpoint where usually even human voices are quietened. Yes that will definitely be a challenge to some contrary person.

  5. Ali

    In Germany, the vuvuzela has been banned from several so called Public-viewing places. The vuvuzela is too loud, i.e. it doesn’t match the regulations for prevention of noise. Many Germans are also complaining about the noise during tv broadcast. My standard answer: Africa is not for sissies! xD

  6. Ali

    No, I don’t. On my way back to Germany, I didn’t have enough space. My luggage was full full. So I was only interested in the small one that sound like a duck on speed. But unfortunately, I didn’t find one (or more for my friends. ;)) And to buy a vuvuzela in Germany isn’t the same. ^^

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