From which wood are castanets traditionally made?
Castanets Castanets Castanets, also known as palillos, are a percussion instrument (idiophone), used in Kalo, Moorish, Ottoman, Italian, Spanish, Sephardic, Swiss, and Portuguese music. In ancient Greece and ancient Rome there was a similar instrument called crotalum. The instrument consists of a pair of concave shells joined on one edge by a string. They are held in the hand and used to produce clicks for rhythmic accents or a ripping or rattling sound consisting of a rapid series of clicks. They are traditionally made of hardwood (chestnut; Spanish: castaño), although fibreglass is becoming increasingly popular. In practice a player usually uses
Castanets player's thigh is one accepted method. For a machine castanet, a less satisfactory roll is obtained by rapid alternation of the two castanets with the fingers. Handle castanets were developed for use in orchestral music. A pair of castanets are fitted onto the end of a straight piece of wood allowing them to be played with a technique similar to that of the snare drum. They are also very useful for producing a sustained roll, especially loud rolls, on the instrument. Castanets Castanets, also known as palillos, are a percussion instrument (idiophone), used in Kalo, Moorish, Ottoman, Italian, Spanish, Sephardic,