What''s plastic, a metre long, brightlycoloured and sounds like an elephant? It''s the vuvuzela, thenoise-making trumpet of South African football fans, and it''s cometo symbolise the sport in the country.

It''s an instrument, but not always a musical one. Describingthe atmosphere in a stadium packed with thousands of fans blowingtheir vuvuzelas is difficult. Up close it''s an elephant, sure, buten masse the sound is more like a massive swarm of veryangry bees.

And when there''s action near the goal mouth, those bees goreally crazy.

To get that sound out requires lip flexibility and lung strength- in short, a fair amount of technique. So be sure to get in somepractice before attending a South African football match, or youthe sound you produce may cause some amusement in the seats aroundyou!

Vuvuzela supplier Boogieblast offers this advice: "Put your lipsinside the mouthpiece and almost make a ''farting'' sound. Relaxyour cheeks and let your lips vibrate inside the mouthpiece. Assoon as you get that trumpeting sound, blow harder until you reacha ridiculously loud ''boogying blast''.