The clapper for making rythmic percussion sounds.
With this clapper you can accompany a harmonica, accordion, or any music making instrument that could use some backup rythm.
Archive for March, 2011
The materials you need.
You need two pieces of slender wood, about 2.5 cm wide and .5 cm thick, you can cut them from a good piece of soft wood, or go to the paint store and ask for two stirrer sticks, they are ready made for this. Ask for one more as a backup, in case …
The hand-held fulcrum is a block of wood about 3 cm thick and having a width the same as the slender levers or paint stirrer sticks.
The clapper disks are cut from a piece of dowel wood, but they can also be square, about 15 millimeter thick or a littel more. Make them from hardwood the sound will be better!
Two number six woodscrews and four 2.5 cm, or about, long finishing nails, and of course some coloured tape for the decoration. All set!
The disk are screwed to the levers, note the little pilot hole in the middle of the disk, also drill a little hole iin the end of the lever otherwise the wood may split. Use some glue also.
The disks are cut from a thick piece of dowel wood, but they can also be square, just use a good piece of hardwood, such as elm, or oak. Try to scounge two pieces from a carpenter shop if you can not saw them from a piece of wood at home.
Part of the arm or lever and the fulcrum or the block the joints the two levers.
Note that the block has some taper, this is needed so that it is not too thick and yet makes that the two disks are about one centimeter apart when the two arms are glue and nailed together. Experiment a little before you put the pieces together so you can see where you are going.
The clapper is assembled
Note that the two disks are precisely aligned, that is important! It does not matter too much how the ends of the two levers are aligned. So when you assemble the two levers, hold the disks together with one hand and nail the leave down on the block, use a little glue in between the pieces.
The clapper is ready to use in a percussion group
The clapper can be used alone or in a percussion group or just to accompany a harmonica, acordion, or any other instrument that can use some rythm as back up.
Try gently hitting the clapper on your thigh, and when you get the rythm, hold your other hand above it so the clapper hits also your hand, that doubles the beat.
Have fun!
