Classical music star Alison Balsom gets a tune out of dreaded vuvuzela



For many fans, the deafening and utterly toneless sound of the vuvuzela has marred this year’s World Cup even more than England’s dreadful efforts.

But could it be possible to get a decent noise out of the 3ft plastic horn? The Mail on Sunday asked Alison Balsom, one of the world’s best trumpeters, to give it a go.



The 31-year-old star, who won the Classical Brit award for Best Female Artist last year, said: ‘I thought it was going to be a really loud, ugly sound. I wondered if it was

going to be complicated but you just purse your lips in the same way as you

do with the trumpet. It is possible to get different notes.’

Blowing her horn: Classical trumpeter Alison Balsom manages to get a tune out of a vuvuzela

Alison, who lives in London and has a three-month-old son, Charlie, with conductor Edward Gardner, added: ‘If you blow gently it’s quite soft and you can control the volume. It’s not like a car horn. You can get a good rhythm. I’ll definitely be keeping mine.’



Click below to see our video of Alison playing:





