Whip (instrument)

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The whip or slapstick is a percussion instrument consisting of two wooden boards joined by a hinge at one end. Typical dimensions of each board are 40cm long and 15cm wide. When the boards are brought together rapidly, the sound is reminiscent of the crack of a whip. Their use to produce sound effects in Commedia dell'arte comedy routines gave rise to the term slapstick comedy.

[edit] Musical whip

A whip is an instrument played by a percussionist that is used in modern orchestras, bands, and percussion ensembles. There are two primary types of whips. The first one has two planks of wood hooked together with a hinge connecting them and handles on the outside. The percussionist places both hands in the handle and hits the two pieces of wood together, creating a loud whip noise. The other type also has two planks of woods, one longer than other which makes the handle, connected with a spring hinge so it can be played with just one hand, though it cannot produce as much sound as a whip that requires both hands.

[edit] Notable uses in orchestral music

• Gustav Mahler's Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6
• Maurice Ravel's Piano Concerto in G, which begins with a whip solo.
• Leroy Anderson's Christmas Standard "Sleigh Ride," where the instrument is meant to imitate an actual whip.
• Benjamin Britten's The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
• Krzysztof Penderecki's Symphony No. 1, which begins with nine whip cracks punctuated by pauses.