How the jawbone makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the jawbone belongs to the shaken and scraped idiophones: the body is shaken, scraped or split – rattles, maracas and guiros.
More broadly it is one of the idiophones, where the solid body of the instrument itself vibrates, without strings or a stretched membrane.
Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.
From Wikipedia
The quijada, charrasca, or jawbone (in English) is an idiophone percussion instrument made from the jawbone of a donkey, horse, mule, or cattle, producing a powerful buzzing sound.
The jawbone is cleaned of tissue and dried to make the teeth loose and act as a rattle.
Other shaken and scraped idiophones
Tambourine
Shaken and scraped idiophones
Maraca
Shaken and scraped idiophones
Music box
Shaken and scraped idiophones
Sistrum
Shaken and scraped idiophones
Angklung
Shaken and scraped idiophones
Jingle bell
Shaken and scraped idiophones
Ratchet
Shaken and scraped idiophones
Güiro
Shaken and scraped idiophones
Frequently asked questions
What does a jawbone sound like?
As one of the shaken and scraped idiophones, its sound comes from the way the body is shaken, scraped or split.
What type of instrument is the jawbone?
It is classified as shaken and scraped idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 112.211).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q1394579 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Jawbone (instrument) – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Miguel Ángel – CC BY-SA 2.0