How the zatula makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the zatula 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 zatula (Ukrainian: Затула), also known as the rubal, rubel, rebra, kuchelka, kachanka, and kachalka, is a Ukrainian washboard also occasionally used as a folk percussion musical instrument.
The zatula consists of a piece of wood with grooves carved into it. A wooden rod is run over these grooves to soften clothes after washing. A musician plays the zatula in a humorous way, by placing the rounded rod under the chin and using the zatula as a bow, playing over the rod, or vice versa. The rasping sound thus produced is similar to that of the derkach.
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 zatula 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 zatula?
It is classified as shaken and scraped idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 112.2).