concussion idiophones

Concussion idiophones, more commonly called clappers , are of worldwide distribution and of unknown if very great age. Several forms are distinguished: concussion sticks, plaques, troughs, and vessels, of which the last category is perhaps the best known to the West, embracing as it does castanets and cymbals. Clappers originated as a substitute for hand clapping, the ageless rhythm marking of dancers—which they may also complement—and also as noisemakers to dispel evil spirits or to imitate...