How the scabellum makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the scabellum belongs to the struck idiophones: the body is struck directly – bells, gongs, xylophones and cymbals.
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
A scabellum is a percussion instrument, a kind of clapper, used in ancient Rome and Greece.
It is worn like a sandal on the right foot, used in antiquity by the conductor or by the aulos player to mark the rhythm. A scabellum is composed of two wooden or metallic plates, forming two thick soles connected by a hinge at the back. Two small cymbals were often fixed; it may be considered an ancestor of the hi-hat. The term is an unadapted borrowing from Latin.
Other struck idiophones
Frequently asked questions
What does a scabellum sound like?
As one of the struck idiophones, its sound comes from the way the body is struck directly.
What type of instrument is the scabellum?
It is classified as struck idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 111.12).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q2228699 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Scabellum – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by GentoUniWriter – CC BY-SA 4.0