Contrary to American legend, George Washington's teeth were not made of wood. Our first president certainly did have his share of dental problems, however, and owned a number of sets of dentures. His first set of choppers were made from hippopotamus ivorty and gold, carved by hand, and held in place with metal springs. Being a bit too large for his mouth, the dentures produced the peculiar facial expression seen in many of his portraits.
Since it is rather difficult to find percussion instruments manufactured from hippo ivory these days, George Washington's choppers will be musically represented by the wood block, thus perpetuating the notion that the false teeth of our founding father were make of wood.
Performance duration (approx): 2'30
