jawbone

CLASSIFICATION: Idiophone, shaken idiophone, rattle idiophone, percussion instrument

 

HISTORY: The jawbone has been used as an instrument for several centuries in many cultures. This instrument was originally created from the jaw of a horse, mule, or donkey. When the bone was removed from the skull, cleaned and thoroughly dried, the teeth become loose and when shook or struck, produced a loud rattling sound. This instrument continues to be popular in Latin American music and will often be adorned with small bells to add a different character to the sound. It was also used as a type of tambourine in the minstrel shows of the late 19th century in the United States. The vibra-slap is the modern version of the jawbone and retains a similar sound, but is much sturdier and is not easily broken. 

 

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: The jawbone is an actual animal jaw, so the physical description would match the animal that was used to create the jawbone. 

 

SOUND PROPERTIES: The sound is produced by the teeth rattling in the jaw. The jawbone will often be adorned with small bells to add a different character to the sound.

 

RANGE: Since the jawbone is an untuned percussion instrument, it has no pitch range.