Rattle (percussion instrument)
a type of percussion instrument which produces a sound when shaken
A rattle is a type of percussion instrument which produces a sound when shaken. Rattles are described in the Hornbostel–Sachs system as Shaken Idiophones or Rattles (112.1).
According to Sachs,
SHAKEN IDIOPHONES are rattles (not to be confused with clappers). The material is important, but more important is the arrangement of the sounding parts that strike together when the implement is shaken.
Rattles include:
Maracas, widely used in Cha Cha Cha and jazz.
Chac-chac, as known in Trinidad, Dominica and the French Antilles.
The egg-shaped plastic chicken shake, filled with steel shot and available in varying tones depending on the size and quantity of shot.
Folk instruments especially used in ceremonial dance.
Toy rattles for infants.
Though there are many different sorts of rattles, some music scores indicate simply a rattle (or the corresponding terms French claquette, hochet; Ger.
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Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 31, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q2132068. The Library of Congress control number is sh85111552. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
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This entry incorporates text from “Rattle (percussion instrument)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.