What is a whip or slapstick in music?
Q: What is a whip or slapstick in music?
A: A whip or slapstick is a percussion instrument that consists of two pieces of wood joined by a hinge, which are slapped together to make a whip-like noise.
Q: How is a whip played?
A: The player holds each of the pieces of wood by their handles and slaps them together without trapping their fingers.
Q: Where is a whip often heard?
A: A whip is often heard in modern orchestras, bands, and percussion groups.
Q: Can you name some classical music pieces that use the whip?
A: Yes, examples of a whip in classical music can be heard at the beginning of Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major (1st movement) and in Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.
Q: What is a slapstick?
A: A slapstick is another type of whip where one plank is longer than the other, which can be played with one hand. The player shakes the instrument quickly, and the small plank moves away from the large one and slaps back onto it, making a different kind of sound from the whip.
Q: Who are some composers that have used the slapstick?
A: The slapstick has been used by several composers including Mahler, Richard Strauss, Ravel, Mussorgsky, and Hindemith.
Q: When was the first whip designed?
A: The first whip was designed in the 14th century.
