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School of Music
Percussion Techniques

Ratchet

Click above to watch how a ratchet is played.

These ancient noise makers come in two varieties; hand crank versions (where the performer turns the handle) and those that are swirled about (where the performer rotates the instrument while holding the handle attached to a gear, causing the gear to turn against the hard wood tongues). The size of the ratchet has a great deal to do with the pitch and volume of the instrument.

MORE ACCESSORY PERCUSSION

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Bell Tree

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Brake Drum/Found Instruments

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Castanets

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Crystal Glasses

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Finger Cymbals

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Ratchet

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Sandpaper Blocks

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Shaker

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Slapstick

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Sleigh Bells

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Sound Effects

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Tambourine

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Temple Blocks

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Triangle

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Vibraslap

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Whistles

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Wind Chimes

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Wood Blocks

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