Thunder sheet

Thunder sheet

Sabian thunder sheet at the rear of Terry Bozzio's very large drum kit
Percussion instrument
Other names Thunder machine; machine à tonnerre (fr); Donnerblech, Donnermaschine (de)[1]
Classification

Percussion
Hornbostel–Sachs classification 111.221+112.1
(Individual percussion plaques, or the player makes a shaking motion)
The thunder machine in the Auditorium Theatre.
Teatro della Pergola thunder sheet

A thunder sheet is a thin sheet of metal used to produce sound effects for musical or dramatic events. The device may be shaken, causing it to vibrate, or struck with a mallet. It is also known as a thunder machine, though this can also refer to a large drum used for a similar sound effect.[2]

Thunder sheets are available from some cymbal makers including Paiste and Sabian, or can easily be made out of any scrap metal sheet. If shaken, it is highly recommended that the player wear gloves to prevent cuts on the hands. The thinner and larger the sheet, the louder the sound. The thunder sheet needs to be "warmed up" before the actual sound is desired to be heard. The player(s) will need to start slowly shaking the sheet a few seconds before quickly shaking the sheet.

Usage

Dramatist John Dennis devises the thundersheet as a new method of producing theatrical thunder for his tragedy Appius and Virginia at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London.[3]

Notable orchestral works in which the musical instrument has been used include the following:

The Grateful Dead also used thunder machines.[7][8]

Theatre

Simpler machines were employed in the theatre, such as rolling a ball down a trough striking wooden cleats.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ James Blades & James Holland. "Thunder machine". In L. Root, Deane. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. (subscription required)
  2. ↑ "Thunder machine". OnMusic Dictionary. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Rees, Nigel (1987). Why Do We Say ...?. ISBN 0-7137-1944-3.
  4. ↑ Richard Wagner - Page 404 The thunder machine is used only in Das Rheingold, but Wagner's score does not specifically include it by name. Instead, the score states that, when Donner strikes the hammer in Das Rheingold, ”Ein starker Blitz entfährt der Wolke; ein ...
  5. ↑ Howard E. Smither A History of the Oratorio: The oratorio in the nineteenth .- 2000 -.. - Page 537 \3The orchestra, with threatening, theatrical effects of brass and thunder (a thunder machine is required), powerfully and dramatically sounds out the Gregorian "Dies irae."
  6. ↑ Jessica Waldoff Assistant Professor of Music College of the Holy Cross - Recognition in Mozart's Operas 2006 - Page 45 "... in C minor (complete with thunder machine) is transformed into the music of Sarastro's stately proclamation in E-flat major."
  7. ↑ Rock Scully - Living with the Dead: Twenty Years on the Bus with Garcia ...2001 - Page 33 "The Thunder Machine is huge, like something you'd put in a children's playground. It's also a musical instrument.You can get inside it and bang on the different panels with wooden mallets and hammers. It's like a huge steel drum, so big that ..."
  8. ↑ John M. Rocco, Brian Rocco Dead reckonings: the life and times of the Grateful Dead -- 1999 Page 55 "That has Kesey a little nervous, because in just a few weeks the Thunder Machine is going on its first tour.
  9. ↑ The Production of Later Nineteenth Century American Drama Garrett Hasty Leverton - 1936 "The most modern thunder machine is a long, narrow trough with a cannon ball rolling in it. Wooden cleats impede the ball along "Hopkins, op. cit., p. 301. 21 Logan, op. cit., p. 628. the way, and it may be rolled very fast for STAGE AND OFF ..."
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